There ’s an old saying that any publicity is secure publicity – but tell that to a troupe that ’s been hit with a safety recall . Product recollect can pass over anything from toy surface with lead rouge to bacterium - sully nutrient . But in late year , problems with technology have led to several self-propelled callback .

For example , in 2009 , Volvo recalled vehicles because onboard software was n’t sending the right signals to the fuel heart , which could cause stalls and clang . Around the same time , Yamaha recalled motorcycles manufactured between October 2004 and April 2005 because of problems with the throttle position detector , which could also lead to stalls and crashes [ root : NHTSA , October 2009 ] . Not long after , Daimler Trucks call back some Thomas school buses because of problems with light-emitting diode wiring that could make the bus grueling for drivers to see [ source : NHTSA , November 2009 ] .

And then , of course , there ’s the monumental recall that initiate feign Toyota vehicle in 2009 . Over a period of a few month , Toyota call back more than 5.7 million gondola due to incident of " unintended acceleration , " or motorcar speeding out of control . A large part of this recall was engineering science - concern , too . In the recalled cars , the gun pedal has no lineal , mechanical connection to the engine through a cablegram . Instead , an electrical signal travel through a telegram and controls the accelerator . Due to a faulty sensor in this drive - by - telegram gas pedal system , the throttle pedal could become stuck [ source : Brown ] . Toyota also recalled more than 400,000 Prius railroad car due to package in the engine computing machine that can make the anti - lock brakes fail [ beginning : FOX News ] .

These remember all relate to technology under the cowling , and they lift an interesting doubt : Does this kind of technology make newer cars less safe ?

The Role of Electronics in Automotive Advancements

eminent - technical school systems start seem in auto in the 1980s , and today , auto electronic systems and engine computers do everything from regulate fuel to diagnosing problems . Most of today ’s elevator car have between 30 and 80 separate electronic controllers [ source : Cavanaugh ] . Some of these devices have an obvious burden on safety . adaptative sail ascendence , which slacken the vehicle down if another elevator car is detected in front of it , or lane assistance systems , which warn a equipment driver if he or she is exit the lane without signaling , are just two lesson . Systems like these raise the coherent questions of whether it ’s a respectable thought to twist driving over to a computer – and whether the great unwashed will become too dependent on automation . But most of these technologies are so Modern , it ’s still too before long to narrate how they really feign safety .

Other systems are n’t quite as striking in how they affect condom . In - car computersgive driver a way to control multiple gimmick from inside the car . For instance , the BMW iDrive include a knob and screen that control much of the car ’s audio recording , navigation and HVAC systems [ beginning : BMW ] . It requires the driver to look off from the road for an extended point to mesh it . It ’s now on most BMW motorcar , and auto manufacturer like Audi and Mercedes - Benz use similar self-propelled electronics . On Germany ’s stretch autobahn , it may be fine to take your eye off the road to operate a figurer , but on more crowded U.S. roads , it could present a safety trouble .

These days , automotivesensorsare everywhere . A detector with a unproblematic job , like detecting the outdoor temperature so you may see it on a display , in all likelihood is n’t going to do a lot of damage if it fails . But self-propelled sensors also do vital tasks that directly regard safety on the route . A sensor might measure the angle of the car to keep it in the veracious gearing while accelerating . Or , sensors might smell out slipping wheel in spoilt weather , indicate the car to turn on electronic constancy control .

Like a bug in any computer arrangement , it ’s possible , but unconvincing , that something could go unseasonable with automotive sensing element – or the computer hardware and software unite to them – and cause safety problems . However , so far , these system seem to help rather than smart . Stability ascendency is so good at preventing rollovers , the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety enounce they can prevent exclusive - vehicle fatal wrecks by up to 51 percentage [ source : IIHS ] . In addition , if these automobile electronic organization fail , many of them have mechanical systems to pick up the slack – like the brakes , for example .

Because these systems are so central to dependable drive , when they run out , they can make major headline . However , it ’s important to note that most recalls report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) still concern to vehicles ' forcible components , like welds , dielectric , tie rods and mounts , rather than to chips and software [ source : NHTSA : blemish and Recalls ] .

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