A pregnant woman in China, on the verge of going into labour, was unable to start her car due to a system upgrade. In pain, she walked to a taxi to reach the hospital, where she later underwent an emergency C-section.
On December 5, a man from Shandong province in eastern China posted a video on Douyin, explaining that his wife, while experiencing labour pains, found their car requiring a 51-minute over-the-air (OTA) update and unable to start.
Their vehicle was an SUV from Li Auto, a Chinese smart electric vehicle manufacturer, with average prices typically exceeding 300,000 yuan (US$41,000).
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The man, who chose to remain anonymous, explained that he inadvertently activated the system upgrade prompted on the car’s screen.
When he called Li Auto customer service to cancel the upgrade, he was informed that it could not be stopped.
With their driveway blocked by other cars and an ambulance unable to enter, they walked out of their community in the cold and eventually took a taxi to the hospital.
In the video, the wife described enduring intense pain while walking, saying: “I have a car, but I had to walk through the agony of a dilated cervix just to hail a taxi. Every step is excruciating.”
The man noted that his wife’s emotional distress and rapid walking caused the fetal heart rate to rise. At the hospital, an emergency C-section was performed.
On December 9, he posted an update, confirming that both his wife and daughter were now safe.
The incident quickly gained traction on mainland social media, with related topics amassing 35 million views on Weibo.
One online observer commented: “This is clearly the husband’s fault. He panicked and pressed the wrong button to confirm the upgrade! Now he is blaming the car company for his mistake.”
Another user disagreed, stating: “Once the car system upgrade starts, it can’t be stopped. This is unreasonable – it doesn’t account for emergencies that car owners might face.”
The man mentioned that the criticism directed at Li Auto and their family had caused significant stress for his wife, prompting him to report the matter to the police.
In his video, he stated: “I don’t think, and never said, that my car is the problem. I was just documenting the awkward situation of taking my wife to the hospital.”
Li Auto’s staff indicated that the case is under investigation.
A representative explained that car owners are notified before the upgrade and can choose to schedule it immediately or delay it. “Once the OTA upgrade begins, it cannot be stopped for safety reasons,” they said.
As of this writing, the company has not disclosed whether it will offer any compensation.
Fu Jian, a lawyer from Zejin Law Firm in Henan province, told mainland media that the car manufacturer may not be liable for harm, but the couple could seek compensation for economic losses, such as taxi fares, due to a design flaw.
This incident is not the first time system upgrades in EVs have faced criticism for causing inconvenience.
A Xiaohongshu user once shared that while stopping their car in the middle of the road to pick up their child, they were unable to open the boot or hazard lights due to an OTA upgrade.
China’s electric vehicle market has surged, with manufacturers delivering 9.75 million EVs to mainland buyers between January and October, marking a 34 per-cent increase from the previous year.
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