Xiaomi SU7 Mysteriously Drives Off on Its Own While Owner is Indoors

A Spooked Xiaomi SU7 Rolls Away While Owner's Indoors

In a scene straight out of a science fiction movie, a Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle in Shandong province, China, inexplicably began to move on its own from a private yard. The incident, which occurred in late September, left the owner bewildered and ignited a fresh debate about the reliability of modern autonomous driving systems.

Unexplained Departure

The owner, who was inside his home attending to domestic chores, received a shock when he observed his parked SU7 in the yard spontaneously start to drive away. Crucially, there was no one inside the vehicle, and the owner explicitly denied initiating any remote commands via his smartphone. Footage from a home security camera captured the startling moment, showing the car beginning its unassisted journey. The owner's wife let out a gasp of alarm, prompting him to rush outside immediately to halt the runaway electric car and avert a potential accident. The footage quickly went viral, sparking widespread discussion and concern.

Investigation and Accusations

Following the unnerving event, the owner contacted Xiaomi's customer support. Initially, the company's representatives suggested the possibility of an accidental remote activation from a smartphone. However, the owner firmly refuted this, providing the complete video evidence to demonstrate that no device was in his hand during the entire sequence of events. Later, industry insiders reported that the vehicle's data log contained an entry indicating the activation of the 'Remote Parking Assist' function. This feature is designed to allow the electric car to automatically maneuver into a parking space upon a request initiated through the companion app. The logs, allegedly, pointed to this command being sent from an Apple device linked to the owner's account.

Questions of Safety and Oversight

Critics, however, argue that robust safety protocols should have prevented such a movement without a driver present. The owner pressed Xiaomi for the full, unaltered operational logs, not just selective excerpts. As of October 3rd, the company had yet to issue a comprehensive official statement. Fortunately, the incident resulted in no injuries or property damage, but it undeniably amplified anxieties surrounding the security and trustworthiness of sophisticated intelligent vehicle systems. This occurrence comes at a sensitive time, as China has recently moved to prohibit automakers from using terms like 'autonomous' and 'intelligent driving' in advertising, a directive that followed a tragic fatal accident involving a Xiaomi SUV7 in April 2025. In that earlier incident, the car collided with a pole, and although the driver attempted to regain control from the ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) just seconds before impact, a fire ensued, leading to the deaths of three individuals.

Echoes of Past Incidents

This unsettling event with the SU7 also brings to mind other peculiar AI-related automotive incidents. For instance, reports have surfaced about Xiaomi SU7 vehicles erroneously activating their 'wake-up' features, startling drivers who have momentarily dozed off at the wheel, suggesting a potential oversensitivity or misinterpretation of system parameters by the AI. These recurring instances, whether mechanical glitches or software anomalies, underscore the critical need for stringent testing and transparency in the rapidly evolving field of smart automotive technology.