this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023
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Technology
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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.
It doesn't feel misleading, it is misleading. We understand that use of the term "recall" in reference to cars happens to include over the air software updates in its legal definition. However many people likely do not. I'd also wager that many people who do know occasionally forget when they first see the headline. So while the use of the word "recall" here is technically correct it leads people to assume that they are physically recalling the cars.