Tourist’s car locks itself after entering Kazakhstan
Tengrinews.kz — The owner of a Zeekr 9X crossover from China encountered problems with the car’s operation after crossing the border into Kazakhstan, citing CarNewsChina.
According to the publication, the car owner, surnamed Liu, said that after entering Kazakhstan, some of the vehicle’s intelligent functions stopped working for more than 30 hours.
He said navigation, trunk control and the electronic fuel tank flap became unavailable, complicating the rest of his trip to Europe.
Photo: carnewschina.com
The journey began on July 8, and on July 16, after crossing the Kazakh border, the vehicle’s system activated a protective mode.
According to the owner, before the trip he informed an official dealer about his planned route, but he was not warned that such restrictions could arise when leaving China.
Company response
Zeekr explained that the cause was a built-in security mechanism that automatically activates if the vehicle remains outside the country for an extended period.
The company noted that this system is used to protect vehicles from theft, illegal export and other risks related to international transportation.
At the same time, the manufacturer emphasized that the restrictions do not affect the vehicle’s core systems. Steering, brakes and the powertrain continue to operate normally, so it would be incorrect to speak of the car being completely locked.
Zeekr also explained that the charging port can be opened manually, while the fuel tank flap can be unlocked by holding the hazard light button for five seconds.
After confirming the legality of the trip, the company can remove the restrictions using a special authorization code. However, such unlocking works only within one region. If the vehicle continues to move through several countries, the system may be triggered again.
The company said it had already resolved the owner’s problem and promised to refine the security mechanism based on user feedback to make international travel more convenient.