This would be a good time to point out that a similar auto software story found its way to HN recently: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9643204 Once Toyota's ECU code was reviewed by domain experts, they found extraordinary lapses in basic software quality practices. This and the VW fiasco clearly show that hiding ECU code is the wrong way to go. We can directly measure the negative consequences, and these are only 2 such incidents discovered recently. Who knows how many more issues are still hiding. We won't really know how at risk we are unless there is some kind of 3rd party review process, required by law. Clearly, the auto industry will prioritize profits and liability over actual quality, in much the same way that banks will never voluntarily limit their risk at the sacrifice of profits. Self-regulation is not working.