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"  Nissan is recalling 23 of its 2014 Infiniti Q50 luxury sedans because the steer-by-wire system could fail if the temperature in the engine compartment drops below freezing, according to a recall report filed with NHTSA. (This is a preventative measure by Nissan\u2014the failure has not happened in the real world.) The system, which uses software and electronics to steer the car&amp;#039;s front wheels rather than a traditional mechanical link between the steering wheel and steering rack, can reengage the mechanical connection if a failure is detected. But according to the release, the failure could also delay this backup system, potentially rendering the Q50 a 3500-pound, undriveable projectile. Considering Infiniti&amp;#039;s direct adaptive steering is the first of its kind in a passenger vehicle and hasn&amp;#039;t been on the roads for long, this is more than a little unfortunate. For one thing, we know NHTSA and carmakers tend to err on the side of caution with recalls, and this is certainly a case where being preemptive isn&amp;#039;t being excessive. Not being able to steer your car is a big deal. But for a recall of a mere 23 cars to get this much attention highlights exactly why carmakers need to proceed with the utmost caution as they introduce more and more electronic and automated systems into our cars. People are wary of these systems, which means they will be the focus of increased scrutiny. With Google cars roaming public roads and most major carmakers showing off their own semiautonomous research vehicles, self-driving cars tend to incite two very different reactions in the general public. There are the Yes, let me take a nap in one of those right now people, and then there are the I&amp;#039;m not so sure about this people. Any stumble that supports the second group&amp;#039;s skepticism makes it that much more difficult for carmakers to convince people to trust the technologies, such as steer-by-wire, that will make up a self-driving car. And like it or not, our vehicles will only continue to get more automated.  Am I making too big of a deal out of this? I don&amp;#039;t think so. Twenty-three is a very low number for a recall, and remember: There wasn&amp;#039;t actually a failure yet. But what if there had been an accident\u2014maybe even a fatality? For those of us who cover and work in the automotive and technology fields, it&amp;#039;s understood that there will be accidents involving these systems. Driving any vehicle inherently has risks, and the introduction of new technologies always comes with challenges. The key is that these systems and cars need to have solid track records for when something does go wrong. The first time one of these electronic systems fails in a disastrous way, or a semiautonomous car is the cause of an accident, the backlash will be immediate and intense. In a world of click-bait news stories and suffering newsstand sales, the headlines will be merciless: Robot car kills two.  Nissan played this one right, and it is lucky nothing did fail. But for the very first production steer-by-wire system to see a recall already is not a good start toward winning over the naysayers. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a9940/infiniti-recalls-steer-by-wire-system-16276674/>