MG Confronts Increasing Doubts After EV Failed to Halt Until It Collided with an Object | Carscoops

      A family reportedly faced a malfunction at a charging station, resulting in their car surging forward and crashing into a parked van.

      Recently, one user of the MG5 experienced a fault while charging the vehicle. The electric car unexpectedly surged forward when a technician attempted to put it in reverse. Following media pressure, MG closed the case only to reopen it later.

      Is there an issue with runaway cars from MG? As scrutiny rises regarding the safety of Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles (EVs), there is a concerning pattern of unaddressed reported problems, both in China and Europe.

      For one UK MG5 owner, these worries became a pressing reality. After what seemed to be a charging malfunction, their electric car acted uncontrollably, reminiscent of a related incident in 2023 involving an MG ZS EV that similarly lost control.

      In a letter to The Guardian, the MG5 owner described how their vehicle went “out of control” after being charged at a service station. The car did not respond to any commands, prompting the owner to contact the AA for assistance.

      When an AA technician tried to reverse the car, it reportedly surged forward instead. The vehicle collided with the AA van and continued to spin its wheels. The technician was ultimately able to shut down the MG5 from outside, deeming it unsafe to drive.

      Despite the incident and a repair cost of £2,500, which the AA covered, MG initially investigated the issue and charged the owner an additional £500 before closing the case. Following further intervention from The Guardian, the company agreed to conduct a more thorough 25-mile test drive but again found “no malfunctions” with the vehicle, attributing the problem to an unidentified external error.

      However, MG did not charge for the second test and retracted the earlier bill, which is a credit to them.

      In a separate incident in 2023, reported by the BBC, a driver in Glasgow experienced a loss of all braking capabilities in their MG ZS EV while driving at 30 mph. Brian Morrison, aged 53, had to call emergency services when his car was unable to stop. Police officers carried out a “controlled halt,” directing Morrison to collide with a police van to stop the runaway vehicle.

      Upon inspection by the RAC, the technician reportedly discovered “pages of faults” in the vehicle's diagnostic logs and refused to restart it.

      While both MG5 and MG ZS EV drivers fortunately avoided injury, these occurrences have left owners feeling uneasy, particularly given the increasing dependence on complex electronic systems in modern electric vehicles. With MG's UK sales rising in recent years, these incidents highlight the vital need for transparency and prompt investigations when software or control issues in electric vehicles arise, as well as a potential need for quicker responses from regulatory bodies.