Recently, Mr. Liu, a car owner from Henan, encountered a terrifying incident while driving across borders. After driving his new energy vehicle outside of China’s borders, the vehicle was remotely locked by the manufacturer for over 30 hours, causing the intelligent functions to be completely paralyzed. The car was almost rendered useless, leaving his family stranded in a foreign country. This incident has sparked discussions in the public about the remote control rights of new energy vehicles and the protection of car owners’ rights.
Many netizens shared videos on social media platforms recently, revealing incidents where the car’s system of new energy vehicles was suddenly locked remotely by the manufacturer during cross-border driving, leading to the failure of most intelligent functions and disrupting their journeys.
On July 22, Mr. Liu from Henan told “Cover News” that he initially planned to drive with his children through Central Asia during the summer vacation and then travel to multiple European countries. However, on July 16, when he drove through the Horgos Port in Xinjiang into Kazakhstan, only the second day, he found that the car’s system had been locked.
“When we were getting ready to drive downstairs, the central control screen popped up with a ‘Unlock Application’ screen. All other functions became unusable,” Mr. Liu said. After the system was locked, the vehicle retained only the basic driving function, while navigation, music, smart controls, unlocking the storage box, among others, all became inoperative. Even the fuel tank cap couldn’t be opened, making it impossible to retrieve documents, cash, or refuel normally.
He mentioned that the new energy SUV, purchased only six months ago for over 500,000 RMB, was chosen for its intelligent features. However, once the system was locked, the whole vehicle became almost like a “semi-useless product.”
After noticing the issue, Mr. Liu immediately contacted the brand’s after-sales service and customer support. Due to limited internet and communication conditions abroad, he could only submit the unlock request via WeChat.
According to him, the manufacturer requested customs clearance documents, passports, car purchase contracts, invoices, international driver’s licenses, and visas. The manufacturer explained that for vehicles purchased in China, the system’s functions are generally authorized only for use within China. If used abroad without authorization, the system may automatically lock to prevent illegal resale or theft of the vehicle.
Initially, Mr. Liu thought that after submitting the documents, the system would be restored promptly. However, he and his son waited until noon the following day before the system was finally unlocked.
“Although the car could still function, we were anxious the whole way, fearing another lock, making the entire trip very passive,” he said. The unexpected situation also made his child nervous throughout the journey.
He also mentioned that after the system was locked, the fuel tank cap couldn’t be opened. He had to search online for emergency solutions to successfully refuel.
“The storage box required the entry of the system password to open. Luckily, the password input area was not completely covered by the ‘Unlock Application’ screen, or we wouldn’t have been able to retrieve cash and documents,” Mr. Liu expressed.
Mr. Liu stated that the journey started on July 8 with the plan to drive all the way to Europe. Before departure, he specifically went to a local brand store in Henan for a full car maintenance and informed the staff about his cross-border driving, hoping to promote the brand through this trip.
“At that time, they even gave me a neck pillow, but they never reminded me throughout that the car system might be locked once leaving the country, nor did they inform me about the need for prior reporting,” he said.
Regarding the manufacturer’s handling, Mr. Liu found it difficult to accept. He believes that even if the car manufacturer aims to prevent vehicle theft or illegal resale, upon detecting the vehicle leaving the country on the backend, they should first contact the owner via phone or WeChat for confirmation before remotely locking the system. Moreover, they should not take over 30 hours to unlock the system when the owner is stranded overseas.
Currently, Mr. Liu and his son have driven into Russia and continue their incomplete cross-border driving journey.
On the afternoon of July 22, “Cover News” called the customer service of the involved new energy vehicle brand to inquire about regulations regarding cross-border driving. The customer service staff confirmed the risk of the owner’s system being remotely locked when driving out of the country.