Defect in Assistance System Triggers Recall
OTA Update to Address the Issue
Chinese electronics company Xiaomi is recalling 116,887 units of its first electric vehicle model, the SU7 sedan. The recall is due to a defect in the autonomous driving assistance system, which is directly linked to a fatal accident that occurred in March.
The State Administration for Market Regulation of China announced that Xiaomi Auto has decided to recall 116,887 vehicles in accordance with the "Regulations on the Recall of Defective Automobile Products." The recall covers standard SU7 models produced between February 6, 2023, and August 30, 2025.
The State Administration for Market Regulation explained, "When the Level 2 (L2) highway driving assistance function is in operation, the system may lack sufficient identification, warning, and response in certain special situations. If the driver does not intervene in time, the risk of a collision increases, which poses a potential safety hazard."
Xiaomi plans to address this defect through an over-the-air (OTA) update. According to Bloomberg, Xiaomi stated on Weibo, "As part of efforts to enhance the reliability of the driving assistance function, speed control optimization will be included," and added, "The system's ability to adjust driving speed in complex conditions such as rainy weather and nighttime will be strengthened."
According to Chinese electric vehicle news site CNEV Post, cumulative sales of the SU7 reached 339,421 units as of the end of August, with about one-third of these vehicles subject to the current recall.
Previously, at the end of March, a fatal accident occurred on a highway in Anhui Province when a standard SU7 vehicle, operating in autonomous driving mode, crashed into a guardrail, resulting in the deaths of three passengers. Following this incident, Xiaomi faced criticism for exaggerated advertising and experienced sluggish sales, while the Chinese government began drafting national standards to specify safety requirements for each level of autonomous driving.
According to a recently released draft by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Level 2 systems are classified as "driving assistance" rather than autonomous driving, stating, "Since the vehicle cannot independently recognize and respond to all situations, the driver must remain attentive at all times."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
