A method and system for performing diagnostics or software maintenance on a vehicle comprises a data processor for performing a particular task. A resource monitor is arranged for determining if resource consumption of the data processor for the respective particular task exceeds a threshold amount of resource consumption. A loop counter is arranged to increment a loop counter in a data storage device associated with the data processor if the resource consumption for the respective particular task exceeds the threshold amount. A poison task module is capable of designating the particular task as a poison message if the data processor has been rebooted a maximum number of times as indicated by the loop counter.