Three Maextro V800 units have broken their brake mounting. The brand plans to replace them.
Dongchedi released the results of emergency braking tests on the luxury Maextro V800, produced by JAC in collaboration with Huawei, on October 9. In three of the vehicles, the brake pedal mounting broke after 2–4 attempts to stop from 100 km/h, causing the pedal to fall onto the floor.
This wasn’t just one faulty unit. The first V800 failed during the third braking attempt, the second during the fourth, and the third, purchased specifically for repeated testing, failed already on the second attempt. All vehicles had low mileage.
The pedal broke under different braking forces
The sensors used by Dongchedi recorded a maximum pressure of 4589 N before failure. However, in the third car, the mounting broke at 1612 N. Chinese standards require the pedal to withstand a load of 2000 N for 5 seconds, but the portal’s measurement was not a certified test against this standard. The result still appears poor, especially since the issue recurred in each car.
According to preliminary analysis by Dongchedi, the center of the pedal is about 130 mm from the axis of rotation, which increases the stress on the mounting. A single vertical structural layer was used at the support point, whereas the pedal assemblies being compared had two or three layers. Testers also noted thin walls, a small number of reinforcing ribs, and joint marks in the areas subjected to high stress.
The base of the V800’s pedal assembly is made of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene. The use of this material alone does not constitute a defect, as similar materials have been used in cars for years. What matters is the geometry, thickness, support method, and quality control during production. That’s where the problems begin.
After cracking, the driver lost the ability to brake using the pedal and had to rely on the emergency deceleration function when switching to mode P. The stopping distance increased from around 38 meters to 140 meters according to tests. The V800’s manual states that this function is intended for slowing down only and does not replace the regular braking system.
A million yuan and marketing about redundancy
The Maextro V800 costs between 766,000 and 1,016,000 yuan in China. It is the first model from a brand created within HIMA’s ecosystem, backed by Huawei, with JAC handling production. The van is marketed with features such as the Tuling Longxing platform, 800 V wiring, active suspension, and the Qiankun ADS 5.0 assisted driving system.
The manufacturer also highlighted redundancy in eight key systems, including braking and steering. Tests by Dongchedi exposed limitations of this claim. Electronic safeguards offer little protection if a mechanical component that transmits the driver’s foot pressure fails.
After the incident, Maextro announced free replacement of the redesigned mounts in customers’ vehicles. However, no final technical report has been released, so it is unclear which batches of cars may be affected and whether the replacement will cover all V800 models produced.
Yangwang quickly took advantage of the situation. Zheng Yu, deputy general manager of the luxury brand BYD, showcased the metal pedal assemblies from the U7, U8, and U8L models. The company claims a maximum load capacity of 2500 N, along with the ability for emergency regenerative braking using four engines from the e4 platform. However, it was not clarified whether the vehicle can automatically detect a cracked pedal mounting.
Dongchedi already had a dispute with Huawei following the winter test of the Aito M7, which achieved only 31.6% of its claimed range. This time, it’s harder to dismiss the issue due to differences in methodology. Three vehicles, three cracks, and promises of new mountings require a more detailed response than just a video from a competitor showing metal pedals.
LovEV Newsletter
Want more content like this?
Sign up — we’ll send you a weekly summary once the newsletter starts.