Xpeng Explains Why X9 Airbags Stayed Silent in Total-Loss Crash

An Xpeng X9 owner in China says his seven-seat electric MPV’s airbags failed to deploy during a severe crash that left the vehicle totaled, while the automaker maintains that the impact failed to reach the required sensor trigger threshold. According to Jiemian News, the owner, Mr. Liu, was driving his X9 on October 15 when he struck a curb. The vehicle subsequently lost control, hit a roadside tree and a utility pole, and rolled over, resulting in heavy crushing to the front end. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. Following the accident, the insurer inspected the vehicle, deemed it beyond repair, and recommended it be scrapped. Mr. Liu purchased the car two years ago for nearly 500,000 yuan, which translates to roughly 74,600 USD. Responding via email to reporters, Xpeng stated that backend data and driving footage indicate the vehicle was operating in manual driving mode during the collision. The data showed the driver repeatedly pressing the accelerator and turning the steering wheel sharply right before impact. The company emphasized that the crash dynamics did not meet the conditions required to trigger the airbag sensors, though it added that it would respect Mr. Liu’s request for a third-party appraisal and cooperate with ongoing evaluations. The X9 serves as Xpeng’s flagship MPV and its most expensive model on sale. It initially launched on January 1, 2024, as a pure-electric seven-seat MPV offering four configurations priced from 359,800 to 419,800 yuan, or about 53,700 to 62,700 USD. In November of the previous year, Xpeng introduced the X9 EREV as its inaugural extended-range model, releasing Max and Ultra trims priced at 309,800 yuan (46,200 USD) and 329,800 yuan (49,200 USD), respectively. The vehicle has also encountered other quality hurdles this year. In June, Xpeng reported that global X9 deliveries had surpassed 60,000 units, around the time owners began reporting sudden air suspension failures in hot weather, causing sections of the body or entire vehicles to sag. Xpeng issued an apology and a subsequent recall. On July 15, the company extended the warranty on the front air spring system for impacted X9 models to 8 years or 160,000 km, regardless of whether the vehicle changed hands. Shortly after on July 24, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation released a recall filing from Xpeng affecting 33,473 X9 units manufactured between August 8, 2023, and August 11, 2025. The filing noted that manufacturing variations could cause certain front air springs to leak slowly in high heat and humidity, setting off warning lights and potentially impairing handling in extreme scenarios. Xpeng agreed to replace the front air spring strut assemblies free of charge. Data from China EV DataTracker shows that 15,805 units of the Xpeng X9 were sold in China between January and September of this year.