IIRC for the Audi 5000s it was because the brake and throttle were too close and your foot or floormat frequently got stuck on top of the throttle. People would shift out of park not realizing this and go flying, not any kind of software or security issue.
You are correct it was mechanical, I was just drawing a connection that mandatory recalls exist for issues the auto industry is use to (I.E. mechanical), but nothing exists to track and force updates to software issues (like a CVE database, Perhaps something does exist and I have not heard of it) and have not in the past been the best at software assurance.
It is kind of an apples to oranges comparison, but nonetheless it gets the point across.
They don't issue recalls for every mechanical catastrophe, and they don't ignore them for software issues either. When an automaker has a problem that merits a recall, it's because very careful accounting has indicated it is cheaper to roll out the recall than it would be to litigate or settle in court, not from any kind of good faith action. Even Audi would have never had that recall if only just a handful of people were injured or died from the issue.
