CRI听力:Navigation Programs in Vehicles Blamed for Killing Batteries

"If the power consumption of an electronic product is beyond the limits specified, it will affect the use of other electronic devices in the car. In some cases it can affect the normal operation of critical devices such as the breaking and collision avoidance systems, which can threaten people's safety."

An engineer with the China Electronic Product Quality Inspection Center, outlining some of the growing concerns being raised by vehicle owners about the electronics in their vehicles.

One of the growing concerns is auto navigation systems.

Mr. Wu bought a vehicle with a factory-installed auto navigation system.

After he left his car parked for 3-days, he discovered he couldn't start it when he came back.

He says technicians determined it was the auto navigation system which bled his battery.

"When the navigation was removed, the vehicle returned to normal. But after we put it back, the engine wouldn't start. It's clear the navigation has some defects. It steals the electricity."

Technical specialists with the China Electronic Product Quality Inspection Center say some of the auto-nav systems on the market have design flaws which continue to steal power from the battery, even when the vehicle is not running.

"In general, electric products are supposed to consume a certain amount power as part of the process to store information. Usually, this only requires a little bit of power, and shouldn't drain the battery."

However, engineers with the China Electronic Product Quality Inpsection Center did tests on 20 different brands of auto navigation systems.

They've found that most will burn out a vehicle's battery if the car isn't started for an average of 9-days.

Problems with auto navigation systems have become one of the leading complaints by vehicle owners in China.

For CRI, I'm Wang Mengzhen.