Introduction: There are many new problems in new energy smart car consumption disputes, and there are difficulties in rights protection. For example, in disputes such as power failure during driving, reduction in cruising range, failure of the assisted automatic driving system, and battery charging failure, there are problems such as difficulty in determining the cause and responsibility to varying degrees.

  On April 22, the China Consumers Association released the "Annual Report on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests in China (2021)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Annual Report").

The "Annual Report" shows that the consumption of new energy smart vehicles is causing new problems in rights protection. In 2021, the National Consumers Association will accept more than 40,000 complaints about automobiles and parts, an increase of nearly 20 percentage points compared with 2020. Mainly in the following aspects:

  First, car safety issues, such as sudden acceleration, flameout, oil leakage, abnormal engine noise, brake steering failure, etc. during driving. The existence of these problems shows that relevant producers and operators need to continuously enhance their awareness of quality and safety responsibility and quality integrity and self-discipline, so as to promote the continuous improvement of product and service quality.

  Second, there are many new problems in the consumption disputes of new energy smart vehicles, and there are difficulties in safeguarding rights. For example, in disputes such as power failure during driving, reduction in cruising range, failure of the assisted automatic driving system, and battery charging failure, there are problems such as difficulty in determining the cause and responsibility to varying degrees. On April 19, 2021, a video of a car owner defending his rights on the roof of Tesla‘s booth at the Shanghai Auto Show was widely circulated on the Internet, and the statement of the relevant person in charge of Tesla caused controversy. With the development of the situation, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Consumers Association and other relevant departments have successively spoken out in response to public concerns. At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2021, there were also cases of car owners defending their rights on the spot. The phenomenon of rights protection at the auto show is repeated, reflecting that consumers still have pain points, difficulties and blocking points in the field of automobiles, especially in the field of intelligent networked vehicles.

  The third is that the sales information of used cars does not match the actual situation, and there are quality problems in the cars after the transaction. Operators delay or fail to fulfill their after-sales service commitments, resulting in low maintenance efficiency and poor effect. Multiple maintenance of the same fault cannot solve the problem. Consumers frequently travel to and from 4S stores, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

  Fourth, the car can only be picked up after the price is clearly marked. However, the dealer will not show the word "price increase" in the sales agreement, and will not issue an invoice to the consumer after the price increase, or stipulate that the part of the price increase needs to be paid separately to make up the tax point of the invoice. The existence of price-plus-price problems indicates that the relevant supply methods are extensive and unreasonable in structure, and cannot be accurately matched to fully meet the diverse needs of consumers. At the same time, it also shows that the cost of breaking the law is relatively low, and the impulse to violate the rules is difficult to completely suppress.

  In addition, the monitoring data of consumer rights protection public opinion carried out by the China Consumers Association during the "November" holiday in 2021 shows that there are more than 700,000 pieces of negative information about "traffic", with an average of about 74,000 pieces per day. There are tens of thousands of charging piles on highways across the country. However, due to inconsistent production standards, incompatible charging interfaces, and inadequate management and maintenance, the phenomenon of charging "zombie piles" is more common. During the holiday intensive travel period, new energy vehicles lined up in the service area for charging, amplifying consumers‘ "mileage anxiety" and reducing consumer satisfaction.

  In addition, according to the notice issued by the Quality Development Bureau of the State Administration for Market Regulation in March this year on the recall of automobiles and consumer products nationwide in 2021, in 2021, my country will implement a total of 232 automobile recalls, involving 8.736 million vehicles, an increase of 16.6% over the previous year. 28.8%; 59 recalls of new energy vehicles were implemented, involving 830,000 vehicles, accounting for 9.5% of the total number of recalls throughout the year; the number and number of recalls of new energy vehicles increased by 31.1% and 75.9% over the previous year.

  From the perspective of defect clues, in 2021, the State Administration of Market Supervision will receive 42,886 defect clues for automotive products, involving engine assembly (32.3%), power train (17.6%), body (17.6%), and electrical equipment (15.3%) )Wait. Among them, 3,033 new energy vehicle defect clues were reported, reflecting that the power battery, motor, and electronic control system problems accounted for 52.5% of the new energy vehicle defect clues.

  The China Consumers Association said that auto consumption disputes have attracted widespread attention in recent years. On January 1, 2022, the implementation of the "new three-guarantee" system for automobiles 85 degrees will respond to the conditions for consumers to return and exchange cars, and the three-guarantee for new energy vehicles. Social concerns have been raised and the protection of consumer rights has been strengthened. Implementing the "New Three Guarantees" system for automobiles will be an important part of consumer protection work in 2022.