Skip to content

How do I get a Chinese EV driving again after a collision locked the high-voltage system?

After a collision the airbag controller stores a crash record and the battery management system opens the high-voltage contactors. The body repair can be perfect and the car still refuses to drive. An OEM engineer clears the crash record and re-enables high voltage remotely, after checking the airbag system and isolation, in 45 to 60 minutes.

45 to 60 minBYD · Denza · LeapmotorB1901P0A0D
01 Why it happens

Why does this happen to imported Chinese EVs?

Every EV isolates its traction battery when an airbag fires. On Chinese models the lock is released only by the OEM tool after the airbag controller and the battery system have been checked, a step a body shop abroad cannot perform.

Without that reset a repaired car is worthless: it will not move, cannot be charged properly and is often written off by the insurer for want of a one-hour software procedure.

02 The session

What happens in the remote session?

  1. You send photos of the damage and the repair invoice; we confirm the model and quote.

  2. Cable in, engineer connected. The engineer reads the airbag controller, the battery system and the high-voltage isolation values.

  3. If the checks pass, the crash record is cleared and high voltage re-enabled. Deployed airbag modules still have to be replaced; the engineer tells you which.

  4. Power-up test with you at the car, codes cleared, report issued for your insurer.

03 Questions

What else do owners ask about this?

Is it safe to re-enable high voltage remotely?

The engineer runs the OEM’s own checks first: airbag controller state, battery insulation and contactor tests. If anything is out of range the car stays locked and you are not charged.

Does the airbag controller have to be replaced?

On most Chinese EVs the controller can be reset and reused; the deployed airbags and pretensioners cannot. The engineer confirms this after reading it, before any work is billed.