Xiaomi recalls over 30,000 SU7 units

Author | Wang Xiaojun

Editor | Zhou Zhiyu

Current smart cars meet more user needs, but it also means ensuring more safety.

On the afternoon of January 24th, according to an announcement on the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation, Xiaomi Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. filed a recall plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation.

Xiaomi Automobile has decided to recall some SU7 standard version electric vehicles produced from February 6, 2024, to November 26, 2024, totaling 30,931 units (vehicle model BJ7000MBEVR2 involves 18,410 units; vehicle model XMA7000MBEVR2 involves 12,117 units; vehicle model XMA7000MBEVR5 involves 404 units).

Some vehicles within the recall range may experience abnormal time synchronization due to software strategy issues, affecting the intelligent parking assist function's detection of static obstacles, increasing the risk of scraping or collision, posing safety hazards.

This recall does not require vehicles to be returned to offline stores; Xiaomi Automobile will provide free software upgrades via Over-The-Air (OTA) technology for vehicles within the recall range to eliminate safety hazards.

Subsequently, Xiaomi Automobile also provided detailed responses regarding the incident during a routine Q&A session on social media.

Xiaomi stated that the total number of relevant complaints confirmed by the competent authority regarding the Xiaomi SU7 standard version was 255 cases, only involving the standard version model. The production time of the recalled models was earlier than the official release time because a large number of engineering vehicles were produced for internal testing before the launch. Some of these test vehicles are also included in the range of vehicles recalled through the OTA software upgrade.

The reason for this recall stems from multiple scraping incidents reported by several Xiaomi SU7 standard version owners while using the automatic parking feature in mid-November.

Xiaomi Automobile stated that after the incidents, it underwent two months of extensive version testing and verification to confirm safety and stability. After communicating and negotiating with the competent authority, it proactively initiated this OTA software upgrade recall.

At that time, several Xiaomi SU7 standard version owners reported that from noon on November 14 to early morning on November 15, due to a malfunction in the automatic parking function, their vehicles experienced scraping and collisions during the parking process. In severe cases, the rear bumper of the vehicle was also damaged.

According to Wall Street News, over 70 registered owners had reported accidents at that time, with the cause of the accidents almost all being that the system failed to recognize pillars/walls during the automatic parking process, ultimately leading to collisions.

Xiaomi's handling of the incidents was relatively timely. Xiaomi customer service stated that the main cause of the accidents was a system bug, and they were willing to bear all repair costs, providing a daily subsidy of 1,500 Xiaomi points (worth 150 yuan) as transportation compensation during the repair period.

However, some owners were dissatisfied with Xiaomi's handling plan, believing that the accidents affected the vehicle's resale value and hoping for higher compensation. Individuals close to Xiaomi indicated that each vehicle's condition varies, and specific compensation would be determined based on actual circumstances, assuring that user issues would be resolved.

It is worth mentioning that after the incidents occurred, Xiaomi Automobile also stated in a Q&A session on November 18 that Xiaomi's intelligent parking could still function normally without a network All models of Xiaomi are equipped with a valet parking assistance feature based on an end-to-end model, capable of achieving a cruising speed of up to 23 km/h in underground parking lots. It can accurately perceive lanes and obstacles within the parking lot, allowing for obstacle avoidance and even reverse maneuvering.

The frequent accidents have raised doubts among many car owners regarding Xiaomi's "ceiling-level valet parking." Especially in terms of automatic parking, Xiaomi founder Lei Jun once praised Xiaomi's automatic parking as a "ceiling-level existence." The series of collisions has also doused Lei Jun's ambitious claim to place Xiaomi in the forefront of intelligent driving by the end of this year.

However, Xiaomi's intelligent driving continues to advance at full speed. Tomorrow (January 25), Lei Jun has already announced the last live broadcast of the Year of the Dragon, where he will drive the dazzling magenta SU7 to experience Xiaomi's intelligent driving from parking space to parking space.

This recent malfunction and the extensive recall will make Xiaomi more cautious in intelligent driving in the future, placing greater emphasis on safety boundaries, and providing more insights for the industry regarding the promotion and safety assurance of intelligent driving