Software Quality as a Competitive Advantage: Lessons from the Infotainment Crisis

Now, as we wrap up the series, it’s time to ask: what have we learned, and what comes next?

In recent years, the percentage of vehicle recalls caused by software issues has been growing steadily. Infotainment and connected systems are no longer secondary concerns. They are a leading source of system failures and regulatory action, affecting millions of vehicles annually.

Infotainment failures aren’t just frustrating — they’re dangerous. Blacked-out screens, endless system resets, and malfunctioning camera systems have prompted high-profile safety recalls across nearly every major OEM.

Legal action is following close behind. Stellantis, Honda, Subaru, and Mazda have all faced class-action lawsuits over defective infotainment systems, with settlements reaching into the tens of millions. The message is clear: if you don’t fix it, you’ll pay for it.

Some OEMs are learning this the hard way. Ford was fined $165 million for delayed recall actions. GM continues to face backlash over an unresolved backlog of infotainment bugs — even as it promotes its “best-in-class” AI-based QA system. In today’s market, inaction can be just as damaging as the defect itself.

So why does this keep happening? Our previous chapter broke it down: most OEMs are still reactive rather than proactive in their QA efforts, and they sometimes outsource development to partners without thinking that when issues arise, it’s the OEM brand that customers will blame. Others are working on their own tooling, but even the most well-funded in-house systems lack the domain expertise to uncover the kind of subtle, system-level bugs that arise in real-world use.

The rise of software-defined vehicles means these challenges aren’t going to fade — they’ll intensify. With infotainment systems now deeply integrated with cameras, sensors, connectivity modules, and even safety features, software defects don’t stay in one lane. They ripple across the entire vehicle experience.

The only way forward is a mindset shift. From seeing QA as a final gate to treating it as a continuous, strategic function. From generic tools to domain-specific diagnostics. From isolated testing to cross-system validation.

Here’s what tomorrow’s leaders will do:

The quality of your software is your brand. And in the software-defined vehicle era, speed, transparency, and expertise in fixing defects will set industry leaders apart from those who fall behind.

This article may close the series, but it should open the door for deeper conversations. Because the software quality crisis isn’t just about infotainment. It’s about the future of the automotive industry itself.

Thank you for reading to the end of our series! We hope you enjoyed the journey and learned something new along the way.

Other articles in this series: