this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023
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To be fair, when talking about a control system that moves tons of metal feet away from bystanders these sorts of safety critical systems should be given a level of weight greater than that given to Candy Crush.
While may always be improvements to such software, it’s not a trivial matter to get it wrong.
I understand that, but the misuse of the word "recall" is archaic and I'm pretty sure specific to only the auto industry.
Phones don't get recalled for software updates.
I think it is to mean a mandatory update that fixes a core/safety system, and the wording is some legal thing relating to when such an issue would have to be fixed by a mechanic in a garage. Likely to fit around existing insurance documents and laws, without having to get those reworded.
But "recall" means
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/recall
I just want to clarify that this update isn't actually a recall. It a "car recall", which in this case is just a software update.
A recall is the legally defined process to address a safety issue. From NTSHA’s documentation.
There was a safety issue and it was addressed by the manufacturer: huzzah!
Even physical mechanical changes don’t usually require the car to go back to the factory, they’re often addressed as part of routine maintenance.
The term may feel misleading, but it exists and is used in a specific context.
An autopilot safety issue is a core/safety system issue...
I'm not disputing that.
I'm saying that "recall" in this case does not mean physically returning the vehicle, contrary to the dictionary definition of the word.
The dictionary definition, which also includes one for remembering information that does not require any physical movement, is not the same thing as a vehicle recall. A vehicle recall is about implementing fixes, which have traditionally required being serviced in a physical location even for software upgrades, but there is no reason to have a new word just because the fix can be made remotely. It isn't like the thing that they are doing is any different than being recalled to a dealership for them to install the software updates.
Do you think phone calls should be renamed for cell phones because they don't use physical land line connections?
Should electric cars be called something other than cars because they run on electricity instead of fossil fuels?
Who cares where the car is when the recall fix is implemented? It is still a vehicle recall, just handled remotely.