Your car computer may kill you - by John Dvorak'

As more research is done into the recall of certain vehicles made by Toyota Motor Corp., the more likely it is that the sudden-acceleration phenomenon due to supposedly faulty gas pedals may actually be a software glitch.

In other words, an electromagnetic pulse outside the vehicle or a unusual series of commands to the onboard computer may trigger the hazardous condition.

The original concept behind computer-networked cars began with engine-control units (referred to as car computers) in the 1980s, which handled the complicated fuel injection and other aspects of the modern engine. Because computer networks are easier to troubleshoot than a harness with a bunch of wires in it, cars got more reliable. So companies took the next money-saving step, which was to think seriously about a complete drive-by-wire car. It works on airplanes, why not cars?

This sort of problem can never be fully resolved or eliminated in complex systems. If we are going to continue to trust software and computers to run everything, disaster will forever occur. So get ready for this sort of problem to reemerge over and over in the decades to come. The next step for the auto industry is drive-by-wire steering. I think we can already imagine how this is going to turn out.

For more: Your car computer may kill you John Dvorak's Second Opinion - MarketWatch