Xiaomi Product Fires and Consumer Safety Concerns

Xiaomi's popularity stems from government promotion of domestic brands, but frequent product safety incidents raise serious concerns.

### Xiaomi's Safety Concerns: A Growing Crisis Amidst Domestic Popularity
* 🔥 In the past two years, the rising use of '**Made in China**' products has led to increased household penetration of Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics manufacturer, despite frequent incidents of their products **spontaneously catching fire**.
* A notable case occurred on May 26th when Ms. Jang's Xiaomi Mijia vacuum robot caught fire, resulting in **extensive damage to her home**, with initial investigations attributing the cause to an **electrical short circuit**.
* 💰 Xiaomi's compensation offer of just over **30,000 yuan (approximately $4,100)** for the damages was met with dissatisfaction from Ms. Jang, who argued that the costs for repairs and accommodation were **significantly underestimated**.
* ⚠ Similar incidents have been reported, including a fire in Mr. Jang's home caused by a Xiaomi vacuum robot, leading to an estimated **loss of over 600,000 yuan (approximately $83,000)** and **extensive damage to personal belongings**.
* 📱 Beyond vacuum robots, Xiaomi smartphones have also faced scrutiny, with several users reporting devices **catching fire during charging**, resulting in **severe injuries** and **unsatisfactory responses** from Xiaomi's customer service.
* 🚗 The company’s automotive division has not escaped criticism either, with issues ranging from **paint damage to safety concerns** regarding their vehicles, which have sparked **outrage on social media**.
* 🇨🇳 Despite these safety concerns, Xiaomi's products remain popular, largely due to **government promotion of domestic brands** amidst economic downturns and a shift in consumer sentiment towards **cost-effective local alternatives**.
* 🔍 Observers note that the push for domestic brands may also serve as a means for the Chinese government to **maintain control and monitor the populace**, raising concerns about **user privacy** and the implications of **surveillance technology** embedded in Xiaomi's products.

In the past two years, the surge in using domestically produced, 'Made in China' products has brought Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics manufacturer, into more and more households. However, incidents of Xiaomi products spontaneously catching fire have been occurring frequently. On June 17th, the topic of a Xiaomi vacuum

robot catching fire and causing a blaze once again drew attention on Chinese social media. Ms. Jang from Nantong City, Jiangsu, posted that on the morning of May 26th, the mid-to-high-end product, Xiaomi Mijia vacuum robot, which her family

purchased for 2299 yuan (about $317), spontaneously caught fire and caused a blaze. According to the initial investigation by the fire department, the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit. The entire house was charred; the floors and door frames were burned, and

all furniture, appliances, and linen were blackened and rendered unusable. Ms. Jang also shared a simplified investigation report on the fire incident, which indicated that the fire was caused by a malfunction in the charging base of the vacuum robot, which ignited nearby flammable materials. Ms.

Jang stated that after the incident, Xiaomi's after-sales service and factory staff inspected the site and inquired about the situation. They did not deny that the issue was their product; however, Xiaomi's after-sales service did not involve a third-party valuation company for damage

assessment and concluded that the cost for repairing the 143-square-meter house, cleaning the entire house, cleaning the clothes, and accommodating the residents would only require Xiaomi to compensate a bit over 30,000 yuan (about $4,100). Ms. Jang disagrees with Xiaomi's

Compensation Plan: She points out that, according to her consultations, no renovation company could complete the work for the price Sheli offered. Additionally, Sheli only agreed to compensate for 20 days of accommodation during the renovation period and did not address the accommodation costs incurred.

by Miss Jang and her family from the time of the incident to the present. Sheli also only agreed to compensate based on the cost of one room, even though three people were living in the house. Sheli insisted on this compensation amount and refused mediation by the authorities.

supervision administration in response. Once Miss Jung stated that she is prepared to take legal action to resolve the matter and has already filed a complaint with the relevant authorities regarding the product's quality issues, Miss Jung's case inevitably reminds people of a similar fire incident that

occurred on February 21st this year at the CTIC D Thai Garden community in Dongen Dong'an, at the home of Mr. Jang. On the day of the incident, Mr. Jang and his wife were at work while his parents were having tea and chatting on the first

floor balcony. At 8:30 a.m., a resident noticed thick smoke billowing from Miss Jung's window and contacted the community property management. The security guard responded and found the fire to be severe, so they called 119 for emergency services. Thanks to the joint

efforts of the security guards and firefighters, the fire was extinguished in about half an hour, and fortunately, there were no casualties. Reporters from Dongwan observed that the ceiling and walls of the second floor in Mr. Jang's home were charred black, with burnt furniture scattered on the floor. It was

A scene of chaos: two of the rooms suffered particularly severe fire damage. Mr. Jung reported that the room where the fire started was his daughter's room, and most of her belongings were destroyed.  Additionally, the fire severely damaged some furniture and appliances, affecting the top

floor, ceiling, and compromising the waterproof layer. The insurance company estimated the total economic loss from the fire to be over 600,000 Yen (approximately $83,000). The cause of this fire was a Xiaomi vacuum robot in Mr. Jung's home, according to the

investigation by the Dongwan Fire Department. There were burn marks on the desk, bookshelf, bed, and wardrobe in Mr. Jung's daughter's room. Under the desk, they found a burnt vacuum robot with its four lithium batteries scattered around; one was severely burned, with

the top cover detached. The burn marks spread from the desk and bookshelf to the surrounding areas. The Dongwan Fire Department's simplified investigation report indicated that, after excluding lightning strikes, arson, and leftover fire sources, they could not rule out the possibility that a malfunction in the

vacuum robot ignited nearby flammable materials, causing the fire. It's not just vacuum robots; Xiaomi's smartphones have also become major safety hazards. On June 14th of this year, a netizen from Yan'an posted a video explaining that while charging a device, he had placed his

phone under his thigh against the chair. Suddenly, he felt a burning pain, jumped up, and saw the phone emitting black smoke and red light. His inner thigh was diagnosed with second-degree burns. The phone was a Redmi 2, purchased in September 2023. However, the after-sales service

responded by saying that the battery damage was caused by an external force and was unrelated to the phone's quality. The person involved said that he found this response unacceptable. On April 18th, a girl posted online that the Redmi K60 phone she bought for her father suddenly

caught fire, burning through his outer pants, long johns, and underwear, resulting in severe burns. Her mother, who witnessed the entire incident, was so shocked that she had nightmares for several days afterwards. On April 22nd, the girl took her parents to the hospital for an

examination, which revealed that her father had severe flame burns and her mother was diagnosed with anxiety and mild depression. The girl shared online that the process of communicating with Xiaomi after the incident was very unpleasant; Xiaomi continuously shirked responsibility and refused to provide a

testing report. On May 13th, a man also exposed an incident of his Xiaomi phone catching fire online. He stated that when he plugged his phone into charge first thing in the morning, it immediately started smoking, burning both the charging cable and the phone. Frustrated, the man

contacted Xiaomi customer service, only to be told that he had to pay for the inspection himself. If the issue was found to be Xiaomi's fault, they would only repair the device and would not accept a return. Ultimately, the man paid out of pocket to have his phone repaired.

In 2014, Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi K Smart socket, which swept crowdfunding platforms. The smart socket could be remotely controlled via smartphone. The same year, Xiaomi introduced the Xiaomi socket. In 2016, the media ecosystem concept was officially introduced, ranging from

Small appliances like routers, power strips, and cameras, to large appliances such as washing machines, TVs, and refrigerators. Despite Xiaomi's constant innovation, the reputation of Xiaomi appliances has been consistently poor, with consumers frequently criticizing their products. One consumer mentioned that

using a Xiaomi rice cooker to steam red glutinous rice was increasingly frustrating. 'Is the designer of your rice cooker brainless, or did you not test this product at all before launching it? Every time after cooking, the damn thing won't close! It won't close! Do you

understand? This thing just gets stuck inside.' News on Xiaomi hair dryers emitting smoke is also quite common. 'Oh my God! My Xiaomi hair dryer, which I've used for 2 years, suddenly caught fire! It was terrifying! Look at this big black hole burned into the cord

and it's emitting a horrible smell. It's completely unusable now.' Another report indicated that in 2023, Ms. Gal from Taichung spent approximately $620 on a Xiaomi mopping robot. However, in January of this year, while it was

still under warranty, the mopping robot started leaking water. Ms. Gal described the situation, saying that the water poured out as if the entire water tank was emptying at once. The amount of water was so large that it seeped into the gaps between the floorboards, causing water

damage. After reporting the issue to the company, they sent her a brand new mopping robot. However, the new robot also leaked water, which spread to the charging base and nearly caused an electrical fire. This left Ms. Gal on the verge of a breakdown because replacing

The damage to the imported wooden flooring alone would cost approximately $122,000. Another consumer shared that they bought a Xiaomi all-in-one vacuum robot on Singles Day, November 11th, but after less than a month of use, their house became dirtier with each clean.

When they finally had time to clean the robot, they found it to be a disaster. The rollers would get tangled with hair and were impossible to empty, and the wheels had irregular grooves that trapped hair and debris, making cleaning extremely difficult. This consumer,

a heavy user of Xiaomi products due to their low prices, openly expressed their frustration with Xiaomi devices. For instance, after a year of use, four or five claps on their ceiling light broke the inside of the lampshade; their Bluetooth device frequently disconnected and

required weekly router reboots to reconnect. In addition to these home appliances,  Sheli's SU7 pure electric full-size sedan, which the company has proudly promoted since its launch, has also been surrounded by controversy. On April 4th this year, Miss Mo from

Shenzhen, Guangdong, posted online that she purchased the Sheli SU7 Founder's Edition car. She was informed that during transportation, the car sustained a minor collision causing a paint chip on the front hood. They offered to repair the paint and compensate her with 5,000

points (equivalent to 500 yuan) in the Sheli store before delivering the car. Miss Mo refused this offer, after which they proposed a maximum compensation of 20,000 points, but she did not accept replacing the car with a new one, nor could they refund the car deposit. Ms. Mo

Rejected this proposal as well, insisting on getting a new car. Xiaomi's automotive customer service responded firmly, stating that they could not replace the car and that if she reordered, she would have to wait a long time. On March 30th, a Xiaomi SUV in Gulf Blue lost

control and crashed into a curb after making a right turn at an intersection under an overpass in Wuhan. Fortunately, there were no casualties. On April 1st, staff from the Wuhan Xiaoi card delivery center responded, stating that the incident was due to the driver's lack of

experience. In addition to this, the Xiaomi SUV has faced a series of criticisms, including seat bulging, brand-new cars with chipped paint, cutting corners, and test drive cars continuously having accidents. Many of these issues have trended on social media. However, despite the poor quality of Xiaomi's

products, why are they so popular? A significant reason is that the Chinese government heavily promotes these domestic brands to bolster the Chinese economy. Attentive netizens might notice that since the pandemic, the Chinese government has been heavily promoting domestic brands. On one hand, the state-

run People's Daily has reported calls to expand new forms of consumption, which includes supporting live-streaming e-commerce and promoting the consumption of domestic trend products. Simultaneously, China Economic Weekly has proclaimed that, driven by national sentiment and cultural confidence, domestic brands are no longer mere

substitutes for international brands but are set to enter a great new era. Quickly, the popularity of domestic brands has grown year by year. For instance, during Singles Day in 2023, the domestic beauty brand, Perfect Diary, surpassed foreign brands like L'Oréal for the

For the first time, topping the e-commerce platform charts, and additionally, the iiMedia Rankings 2023 top Chinese new brands list shows that Huawei, BYD, MediaTek, and Xiaomi dominated the top spots. According to data from iiMedia Research in December 2023, nearly 50% of consumers

acknowledge that domestic brands have the advantage of patriotic sentiment. Another 39% of consumers prioritize purchasing domestic brands because their products align with Chinese culture. However, despite the unified praise for domestic brands from the Chinese government and state media, some observers believe this push is closely

related to China's economic downturn and declining consumer spending power. It is well known that a significant characteristic of domestic brands is their low prices. In recent years, the phenomenon of reverse consumption, or consumption downgrade, has become mainstream in China, with an emphasis on

cost-effectiveness in purchasing everything from clothing, accessories, and food to electronic products. For example, a high-end lipstick costing around 300 yuan (about $41) while a domestic brand of the same color can be found for under 100 yuan, making it highly popular among young

people. Additionally, there are signs that the Chinese public's pursuit of luxury brands is waning, and it is no longer considered shameful to favor domestic products. However, economists have noticed that this is not the first time China has experienced a domestic product trend. According to a report by the state-run

Guangming Daily in July 2022, China saw a similar movement in the 1930s. At that time, the Chinese economy was in decline due to the global economic downturn, prompting the government, media, and intellectuals to advocate for saving the country through industry under the

Banners of patriotism urge people to buy domestic products. However, other observers have pointed out that, beyond boosting the economy, the Chinese government promotes domestic products to better monitor and maintain stability. In February 2023, media reports revealed that Xiaomi's technology, MIUI 13 EU,

the European version of its mobile operating system, was found to contain software called the Communist Party's anti-fraud Center, which users could not delete.  News outlets pointed out that the anti-fraud Center is used by the Chinese government to promote anti-fraud measures; however, after downloading it, the app requests

nearly 20 permissions from the user's phone, including access to the address book, call logs, recording, and taking photos—essentially making it a surveillance tool. It also prevents users from downloading apps that are not approved by the Chinese government. Some users shared their experiences, stating

that after installing the application, browsing overseas websites or installing VPNs and other circumvention software quickly resulted in police visits. According to an investigation by Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC), five popular Chinese brand phones sold in the second half of

2020 initially failed security tests, passing only after improvements were made. In the first half of 2021, only the American brand Apple iPhone 12 met the security requirements out of the 10 different brands tested. Among the phones tested, the Xiaomi 10T 5G sold in Taiwan

had seven pre-installed apps, including personal themes, music software, installer, security manager, junk cleaner, download manager, and Xiaomi video. These apps would download a blacklist comparison file from a specific server to automatically censor over 2,000 politically sensitive terms recognized by Beijing, such as "free Tibet" and "Taiwan".

Independent Hong Kong, independent media, the June 4th incident, and the ties with the CCP. Also, express concerns that Xiaomi phones might send user privacy data back to China, potentially infringing on the personal information or privacy of its users, despite Shi's denial and emphasis

that they do not restrict users' personal behavior.  Tin Inu, an assistant researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research's division of cybersecurity and decision-making simulation in Taipei, stated that digital surveillance is commonly used in the commercial sector for collecting business intelligence and analyzing

big data. However, it is noteworthy that Sheli includes many politically sensitive keywords in their censorship and monitoring. Given that Sheli users are spread worldwide, this practice could infringe on the information rights of overseas users, including Chinese people in free regions. However, according to a

recent sanctions list released by the US Department of Defense, nine Chinese companies, primarily from the semiconductor and aviation industries, were named, including the smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi Group. Additionally, reports indicate that Sheli's founder, Lei Jun, is a delegate for the National People's Congress of the Chinese

Communist Party. He also held senior positions and shares in Kingsoft, a Beijing-based Chinese software company. Kingsoft was established at the request of the Chinese Defense Science and Technology Commission, which is affiliated with the Central Military Commission of the CCP. Thus, examining Jun's business connections and

networks reveal a close relationship between Sheli and the Chinese military. In response, many netizens have commented that while products may lack a conscience, the people who make them should have one. Some money is not worth earning because it would hurt one's conscience. This is a lesson that Sheli

Xiaomi Is Trash: Its Quality Is Shockingly Bad! Vacuum Robots and Phones Often Self-Ignite

China Observer

Frequent incidents of Xiaomi products spontaneously catching fire, drawing attention on Chinese social media.

A Xiaomi Mijia vacuum robot fire in May 2024 caused significant damage to a home, attributed to an electrical short circuit.

Similar incident in February 2024, also involving a Xiaomi vacuum robot, resulted in extensive fire damage to another home.

Multiple incidents of Xiaomi smartphones catching fire and causing burns to users.

Reports of other Xiaomi appliances malfunctioning, including rice cookers, hair dryers, and mopping robots.

Popularity of Xiaomi and Domestic Brands in China

Government promotion of domestic brands to boost the Chinese economy.

Rising popularity of domestic brands, exemplified by Perfect Diary surpassing L'Oréal in sales.

Link between the push for domestic brands and China's economic downturn and declining consumer spending.

Increased emphasis on cost-effectiveness and the popularity of domestic brands due to lower prices.

Historical precedent of similar domestic product trends in China during economic decline.

Discovery of government surveillance software pre-installed on Xiaomi phones.

Security concerns regarding Xiaomi phones and censorship of politically sensitive terms.

Links between Xiaomi's founder and the Chinese military.