Xiaomi—Fatal Xiaomi SU7 crash exposed door-handle design flaw that trapped driver as the vehicle caught fire
A judicial appraisal report confirmed that a low-voltage system failure after an October 13, 2025 collision in Chengdu (driver traveling at 167 km/h) disabled the Xiaomi SU7's electronic door releases, trapping 31-year-old driver Deng inside as the vehicle caught fire; the SU7 had no exterior mechanical backup door handle, with the only manual release hidden inside a door storage compartment inaccessible to rescuers. Chinese regulators (MIIT) approved new mandatory standards on January 28, 2026 requiring mechanical, power-failure-resistant exterior door handles on all vehicles, phased in for new models from January 2027 and existing models from January 2029. Xiaomi founder Lei Jun announced on February 10, 2026 that production of the first-generation SU7 had ended and a compliant updated model would ship in Q4 2026, but the company did not recall the roughly 370,000 first-generation SU7 vehicles already on the road despite public calls from Chinese financial outlet Yicai to do so.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Protection | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.993 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.66)
Evidence (2 signals)
Official appraisal confirmed low-voltage power failure disabled SU7 doors; Xiaomi set up safety advisory committee, ~370,000 older SU7s remain on the road with the flawed design
Chengdu authorities' February 2026 accident appraisal found the crash triggered a short circuit that disabled the low-voltage system controlling the SU7's electronic-only door releases, preventing bystanders from freeing the driver before the car caught fire; the driver was found fully at fault for the crash itself (speeding, suspected drunk driving) but the finding intensified scrutiny of the no-mechanical-handle design used across roughly 370,000 first-generation SU7s still on the road. Xiaomi responded by launching a safety advisory committee on February 27, 2026 and ending first-generation SU7 production, with China separately issuing new mandatory door-handle and battery safety standards (GB 48001-2026, GB18384-2025) taking effect in 2026-2027.
Caixin/Bloomberg: forensic report finds Xiaomi SU7 door-handle failure trapped driver in fatal crash
A judicial appraisal report found that a low-voltage power failure after the October 2025 collision disabled the SU7's electronic door releases, directly causing the driver's death by fire; the car lacked an accessible exterior mechanical door release.