The pedal controversy surrounding the Zunjie V800 has seen new developments.

On the morning of October 13, Zunjie Automobile was learned to have sent users an explanation regarding the brake pedal inspection. According to the statement, a third-party testing institution conducted an inspection of the Zunjie V800 brake pedal on October 11, and in a stricter test where longitudinal force was increased to 3000N, the tested samples showed no cracks or damage.

However, Zunjie Automobile stated that it will continue to upgrade the brake pedal to expand safety redundancy.

It was learned that this test was carried out by the Testing Center of China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd.

This testing center is also the National Motor Vehicle Quality Inspection and Testing Center (Chongqing). According to the list of testing institutions published by the Ministry of Transport, it has the capability to test road transport vehicles such as passenger cars, buses, and trucks for compliance with standards.

According to China Automotive Engineering Research Institute's 2026 semi-annual report, the company is a testing and inspection institution with national-level qualification accreditation (CMA), and is also an inspection body and laboratory accredited by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS).

The inspection disclosed this time was divided into standard load testing and stricter testing. The report summary shows that four samples underwent a 1500N longitudinal force test, with permanent deformations of 2.04 mm, 4.07 mm, 2.05 mm, and 2.28 mm respectively, averaging 2.61 mm, and none showed cracks or damage. The tested strength items were judged to meet the requirements of QC/T 788-2018 "Performance Requirements and Bench Test Methods for Automobile Pedal Devices."

The strength test method cited in the report requires applying a longitudinal force of 1500N±20N to the brake pedal, holding it for 5 seconds each time and then unloading, repeating 5 times, then measuring the permanent deformation and checking for cracks or damage. The permanent deformation must not exceed 5 mm. QC/T 788-2018 is the current recommended automotive industry standard.

The stricter inspection listed another 14 brake pedal assembly components, each subjected to longitudinal force tests ranging from 2000N to 3000N, with two samples tested at a load of 3000N. The report disclosed that the loading speed was 20 mm/min, with each load held for 5 seconds before unloading, for a total of 5 times, and no cracks or damage were found in visual inspections after the test.

This controversy began on October 8. A test video released by Dongchedi that day claimed that in emergency braking tests from 100 km/h to a standstill, three brand-new Zunjie V800 vehicles all experienced pedal bracket fracture on the 2nd to 4th braking. Among them, for the third vehicle, during the second braking when the bracket fractured, the video showed a peak pedal force of 1612N.

That evening, Zunjie Automobile issued a statement saying that its brake system had been developed and verified to requirements higher than national and industry standards, and that since the first batch of vehicles was delivered, no brake pedal bracket base fracture failures had occurred in actual user usage scenarios. The company also said it would optimize the component design, provide existing users with a free upgrade option, and review design verification, test boundaries, and production quality management.

The two sides differ in their judgment of the test conditions. In its earlier statement, Zunjie called it a non-standard extreme test condition; relevant personnel from Dongchedi responded that braking from 100 kilometers per hour is a basic subject in vehicle testing, and this time a normal hard braking test was conducted.

This report supplements Zunjie's earlier response on pedal strength with third-party testing evidence. The four submitted samples received a qualified judgment for the tested strength items under the industry standard, and the stricter test also provided a record of no cracks or damage under higher loads, with the highest test load reaching twice the load specified by the industry standard.

The pedal upgrade previously announced by Zunjie will still proceed, with the company's stated goal of continuing to expand safety redundancy. The earlier video recorded continuous emergency braking of the complete vehicle, while this report disclosed bench loading inspection; the loading methods of the two tests are different.

Meanwhile, the pedal upgrade has already been scheduled. On the afternoon of October 11, Zunjie customer service confirmed that the upgrade plan for the V800 brake pedal bracket base is expected to be finalized by the end of October, with upgrades starting successively from November. At that time, the specific upgrade plan had not yet been determined.

According to the arrangements previously disclosed by Zunjie customer service, users who have already taken delivery of their vehicles can make an appointment and register through any service center or purchasing store nationwide, and the user center will contact them to arrange the upgrade; vehicles not yet shipped will be delivered after the upgrade, and users do not need to take additional action.