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Those aren't good alternatives unless the point is to also overload "hardware" and "software".

A software recall can require bringing the vehicle in physically. That happened with Rivian's update recall in 2023. Likewise, there are hardware recalls that don't involve taking the vehicle in physically, like the Kia immobilizer recall that involved them mailing a lock bar to certain customers.

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those are still hardware issues.

if you can't fix it via a software update, it's hardware.

not a hard concept to grasp.

you aren't overloading those words as "recall" is in the phrase.

The Rivian recall (and ones I've been a part of myself) have been software updates. Not all software updates can be applied remotely in automotive, particularly when things go wrong. Sometimes you'll need to unseal casings to access a recovery port, for example.

And the Kia recall was an example of a hardware recall that didn't require the owner to visit a shop. Both are possible, so trying using software and hardware to differentiate between shop visits is overloading the terms.

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