Xiaomi YU7 Brake Pad Fire During Track Test: Official Responds No Brake Failure
Recently, a video showing the brake pads of the Xiaomi YU7 catching fire during a track test has attracted widespread attention online. The video reveals that after the vehicle was driven on the track, open flames appeared near the brake pad area, which quickly raised public concerns about the vehicle's safety performance.
On the evening of June 28, Xiaomi Auto officially responded to the incident. After investigation, the Xiaomi YU7 Max in the video completed 1 warm-up lap and 1 flying lap at the Tianjin V1 Circuit, then parked directly without performing a cooling lap. This extreme operation caused the organic materials of the brake pads to catch fire due to high temperatures. However, Xiaomi emphasized that despite the fire, the overall function of the vehicle's braking system remained intact, with no brake failure or similar issues, and the vehicle could still be used normally.
It is understood that the "Enhanced Energy Recovery" function in the Master Mode of the Xiaomi YU7 Max was not activated for the test vehicle. This function can increase the intensity of energy recovery under track conditions, effectively reducing the load on the mechanical braking system. Even when ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) is engaged, it can provide a maximum of 0.2G brake energy recovery, thereby reducing the occurrence of extreme situations where the temperature of the braking system exceeds 600°C.
There are significant differences between track driving and daily driving. On the track, vehicles need to perform frequent emergency braking during high-speed driving, which places a much higher load on the braking system than in daily use scenarios. Under such high-intensity working conditions, the temperature of the brake disc rises sharply. If heat dissipation measures are inadequate, it is highly likely to cause the materials to catch fire. As a mid-to-large SUV, the Xiaomi YU7 has a relatively high vehicle weight, and the high power output results in a faster top speed on the track. This leads to more significant heat generation in the braking system during braking; therefore, effective heat dissipation is crucial for track driving.
The low-metallic brake pads used in the Xiaomi YU7 Max consist of materials such as metal fibers, abrasives, resins, and other organic substances. In high-temperature environments (generally above 300°C), resins and other organic materials undergo polymer side-chain cracking reactions, producing substances such as moisture, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, alkyl groups, and aromatic gases. When the temperature of the brake disc exceeds 600°C and oxygen is sufficient, some flammable gases may cause short-term open flames. Although this is a normal physical phenomenon, the braking performance remains unaffected.
Xiaomi Auto stressed that the Xiaomi YU7 is positioned as a urban luxury high-performance SUV, and consumers are not advised to attempt track driving without professional upgrades and preparations for the original vehicle. If consumers wish to engage in professional track driving, they should fully understand the performance limits of the product and professional driving knowledge, make necessary upgrades to the vehicle's tires, braking system, and heat dissipation, and activate the Enhanced Energy Recovery function in the Master Mode to avoid potential safety hazards under extreme working conditions.
This incident has sparked public discussions about the performance of electric vehicles under extreme conditions. With the rapid development of the electric vehicle market, consumers are paying increasing attention to the safety performance of vehicles in different scenarios. Xiaomi Auto's prompt response and detailed explanation of the incident's cause have helped alleviate public concerns. In the future, electric vehicle manufacturers may need to further strengthen the performance optimization of products under extreme conditions and user education, ensuring that consumers can use vehicles correctly, giving full play to their performance advantages while ensuring driving safety.
