Mengshi 917 Totaled in High-Speed Rear-End Crash; Owner Questions ADAS Failure

In January 2024, Mr. Yu from Ningbo purchased a Dongfeng Mengshi 917 off-road vehicle for over RMB 800,000. After driving only 54,700 kilometers, the vehicle was involved in a severe rear-end collision on the G50 expressway in Xuancheng, Anhui Province. At the time of the accident, the car’s Level 2 driver-assistance system was engaged, and it was traveling at 130 km/h when it suddenly veered right and crashed into a large truck. The crash totaled the vehicle and injured two occupants. Mr. Yu questioned why the automatic emergency braking system—advertised by the manufacturer—failed to activate as claimed. He also reported that after the crash, the doors locked automatically and the car began playing music, forcing the occupants to break a window to escape. The manufacturer responded that the emergency braking system might not activate under certain high-speed or lane-departure conditions. However, Mr. Yu rejected this explanation, arguing that the system’s actual performance did not match its advertised capabilities. He is demanding that the manufacturer replace his vehicle with a new one, publicly disclose the cause of the malfunction, and improve the system. The manufacturer has since launched an investigation into the incident.