China woman undergoes emergency C-section in labour cause unable to start car due to software update

A pregnant woman in China, ready to give birth, faced an unexpected hurdle when her car refused to start due to a pesky 51-minute OTA update. Amid her labour pains, she had to hobble to a taxi to make her way to the hospital, where she ultimately had an emergency C-section.

A man from Shandong province in eastern China—the husband—posted a video on Douyin explaining that his wife endured the pain as he inadvertently activated the system upgrade prompted on the car’s screen.

Their vehicle was an SUV from Li Auto, a Chinese smart electric vehicle manufacturer, with average prices typically exceeding US$41,000 (RM1.78k)

When he called Li Auto customer service to cancel the upgrade, he was informed that it could not be stopped.

The pregnant woman and her husband had to navigate a harrowing situation, trudging through the cold to hail a taxi with the wife struggling through every painful step, all the while experiencing dilating cervix contractions. The emotional distress and physical exertion caused the fetal heart rate to spike, forcing the hospital to perform an emergency C-section.

The incident quickly gained traction on mainland social media, with related topics amassing 35 million views on Weibo.

Li Auto’s staff indicated that the case is under investigation.

A representative explained that car owners are notified before the upgrade and can choose to schedule or delay it immediately.