RX8_West_County

Right off, I have to admit that I don't know the technical details of how the DSC system works its magic (by throttling back and applying selective braking if the car is pushed into a potentially dangerous situation). But, since this is probably done through a "fly by wire" computer system, what happens if the DSC goes wrong? Is a dangerous failure possible - say, applying the brakes on one wheel at seventy miles an hour!? Scary thought.

MX6_2_RX8

How about anti-lock brakes that can decide to reduce your braking to near zero all based on a $0.35 wheel speed sensor. Scary! The truth is that there is (should be) redundancy and fail-safe operation where the system takes no action. All of this is monitored by NHTSA and if the car is sold in Germany the TUV, who are very thorough. That’s not to say that it couldn’t happen but it shouldn’t. It might be more comforting thinking of it as magic.