Correct, but you seem to have disregarded half my comment. ECUs are not failure-proof and fail all the time.
I've never heard of anyone dying due to ECU failure either..I'm not sure how that would even happen given all the critical systems on a car are mechanical first with electronic assist. So you can't lose steering, braking, etc. The worst that happens is you lose power, which is about the same risk as a subpar standard transmission driver stalling out (and can also happen in a number of different ways). Can you expand on how an ECU failing might kill you?
I would love if someone could elaborate on why I'm wrong instead of drive by downvoting. This isn't reddit.
Its easier and more realistic to kill the company via a recall.
Take for example the Boeing 737-MAX. Eh, its bigger, needs a little more elevator movement to simulate the older model, just flex the software so it can wiggle a bit more what could possibly go wrong?
Likewise, remember the VW Diesel emissions "scandal". You can nearly kill a company without actually killing anyone.
So, the specified ECU chip (which is no longer in stock) could output 40 mA to the gas tank vacuum solenoid so we spec'd the solenoid to draw 30 mA on the coldest day of the year, usually it draws much less. Got a substitute chip only rated to 20 mA usually it'll work fine, what could possibly go wrong? Until it burns out and the vacuum solenoid fails open and nationwide millions of gallons of "excess" gas evaporate per year from sitting cars. Harmless on an individual scale but on a nationwide scale its a lot of ozone... Insert yet ANOTHER $35B recall to replace all the ECUs for willful emissions violations ...
I'm just saying its not binary where either people die and it kills the company or people aren't even harmed and nothing bad happens at all. Plenty of "company killer" situations where "what could possibly go wrong" got the F-around and find out treatment.
