OP was talking about tractors software and machines that can run people over and kill them, not washing machines or serviceable parts.
Washing machines can malfunction and cause fires, hypothetically. Just because one device is designed in a way that is particularly dangerous doesn't mean the same reasoning can't be applied to another device that is dangerous to a lesser degree.
Not just hypothetically: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12610218
Mind you, those were unmodified so the maker does take the blame; but if the cause is known, modifications can make them safer too.
Very much this! I have a large agricultural tractor that has a transmission controlled by software. While it works great most of the time, there is a bug where it will occasionally not disengage the clutch for about a minute when this condition occurs. One time, due to the tractor showing no signs of going anywhere, I accidentally left the tractor in gear and left the cab. Everything seemed fine until about a minute later when it finally kicked into gear and started moving with me standing beside it.
Fortunately, I happened to be in a low gear and was just creeping along when it started moving. I was able to get back in it and get it stopped. If it had been going faster, who knows how bad the outcome could have been. This is something I would be fixing if I had access to the code.
Even the compact/subcompacts regularly maim/kill people. I can totally understand wanting to minimize every possible new vector.