Maextro V800 is a premium car jointly developed by JAC Motors and Huawei. (Photo/HIMA)

Chongqing - A video released by Chinese auto information and testing platform Dongchedi on October 8 showed brake pedal support failures in three Maextro V800 luxury MPVs during repeated emergency-braking tests, sparking debate over vehicle safety and testing standards in China’s auto market.

According to the Shanghai Securities Journal on October 13, Maextro said a nationally accredited third-party agency tested the V800’s brake pedal on October 11. The vehicle met the QC/T 788-2018 standard, withstanding a 1,500-newton longitudinal force and less than 5mm displacement, and showed no cracks or damage under a stricter 3,000-newton test.

Brake pedal failures raise questions over testing standards

According to the about 19-minute video released by Dongchedi, the testing team conducted emergency braking tests on three Maextro V800 vehicles, bringing them from 100 kilometers per hour to a complete stop on a closed test course. The brake pedal supports broke during the third, fourth, and second full-force braking attempts, respectively.

The third vehicle, which had an odometer reading of three kilometers upon delivery, recorded a braking distance of 38.44 meters and a maximum pedal force of 1,596 newtons during its first test. On the second attempt, the support broke when pedal force reached 1,612 newtons. The driver then used the vehicle's emergency braking function activated through the P button to stop. According to the testing team, the vehicle traveled about 140 meters before stopping.

Dongchedi then dismantled the brake pedal assembly from one of the vehicles and reported that the fracture locations and patterns were highly similar across all three vehicles. The team suspected that the supports lacked sufficient structural strength under sudden peak loads. To date, no other independent technical assessment has established the cause of the failures.

In a test video released by Dongchedi on October 8, all three Maextro V800 vehicles experienced brake pedal support failures. (Graphic/Dongchedi)

The testing method quickly became a focus of debate. Some online commentators questioned whether the driver had pressed the brake pedal too hard, exceeding normal driving conditions. A reading of 4,589 newtons shown further raised allegations of excessively aggressive testing.

Dongchedi responded on the evening of October 8 that braking from 100 kilometers per hour to a complete stop is a routine automotive test, not an extreme scenario. It explained that the 4,589-newton figure was a visual error caused by differences in camera and screen refresh rates. The platform said the actual peak force was 1,612 newtons, denying that it deliberately subjected the vehicles to destructive testing.

Chinese standards set a 500-newton limit for certain braking tests and require pedals to withstand around 1,500 newtons in separate strength tests. Since these tests measure different things, neither figure can be directly compared with the force recorded during Dongchedi’s vehicle tests.

As a result, the 1,612-newton reading alone is insufficient to establish whether the vehicles violated relevant standards, nor does it rule out potential safety risks under specific conditions.

Maextro responds as JAC shares fall

On October 8, Maextro issued a statement saying its braking systems underwent development and validation under requirements exceeding Chinese standards, and described the tests as involving "non-standard extreme testing conditions," but pledged to optimize the component design further, offer free upgrades to existing customers, and conduct a systematic review.

The controversy also coincided with stock market volatility. Maextro is a premium automotive brand jointly developed by JAC Motors and Huawei. JAC handles complete vehicle manufacturing, while the two companies work closely on product development, technology, and quality management.

On October 8, JAC Motors shares fell to their daily trading limit, closing at 24.72 yuan per share. The stock again hit its daily lower limit on the morning of October 9, trading at 22.25 yuan as of 10 a.m., down 9.99%. Compared with its September 30 closing level, the company's market capitalization had fallen by about 11.77 billion yuan.

As debate leads attention, the video disappeared

By the afternoon of October 9, the original video of Dongchedi could no longer be found on major Chinese video platforms.

Discussions in China and overseas have focused on the reliability of the testing methods, automakers' responsibility for quality control, vehicle safety margins, and why the video disappeared.

Chinese automotive blogger Yan Chuang, who also owns a Maextro V800, said on Weibo that he was shocked all three vehicles experienced support failures. He suggested further testing through static pedal presses or by applying measured loads directly to the pedal.

On Reddit, a user, rnc_turbo, argued that complete vehicle braking performance tests should not be confused with pedal durability tests. Nevertheless, the user said the V800's failures under repeated hard braking were a serious concern and that designers should have identified such risks during design validation before the vehicle reached the market.

Reddit user rnc_turbo questioned the distinction between braking performance tests and pedal durability tests, saying the Maextro V800's repeated brake pedal failures warranted further attention. (Graphic/rnc_turbo)

Chinese automotive blogger Yan Chuang, who owns a Maextro V800, called for further verification through static load tests after Dongchedi reported brake pedal support failures in three vehicles. (Graphic/Yan Chuang)

As an influential automotive testing platform in China, Dongchedi has repeatedly attracted industry attention through large-scale, cross-brand vehicle tests.

In 2023, Huawei and AITO criticized its extreme cold-weather range tests over the AITO M7 results and the testing conditions. In 2025, Dongchedi tested the driver-assistance systems of 36 vehicle models, again sparking debate over test scenarios and evaluation methods.

These tests have often produced findings that differ from automakers' promotional claims, generating widespread discussion across China's automotive industry and offering consumers an alternative perspective on vehicle performance and safety.