BYD issues major Dolphin recall in China for fire risk

Chinese car manufacturer BYD has filed a recall of nearly 100,000 vehicles due to a manufacturing fault in the electric power steering column assembly (CEPS) controller.

According to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), due to fire risks, the automaker will recall 96,714 Dolphin and Yuan Plus vehicles in China starting September 30th, 2024.

BYD filed a recall plan with SAMR’s Defective Product Recall Center yesterday. Two BYD operating entities will conduct the recall. BYD will recall 87,762 domestically produced Dolphin and Yuan Plus electric vehicles manufactured between February 4, 2023, and December 26, 2023, and 8,952 domestically produced Yuan Plus electric vehicles manufactured between November 2, 2022, and June 19, 2023.

Safety risk

The recall targets certain vehicles due to defects in the manufacturing process of the electric power steering column assembly (CEPS) controller. When the equipment tool cover is closed, it may interfere with the capacitors on the controller circuit board, causing micro-cracks in the capacitors. These cracks may expand during vehicle use, leading to short circuits, overheating, and potentially fires, posing a safety risk.

BYD dealers will install insulation pads on the controllers free of charge to eliminate these safety hazards. Affected vehicle owners will be notified via registered mail, WeChat, and phone calls. BYD has also set up a customer service hotline for users affected by the recall.

Largest recall until now

Recalls have been rare for BYD, and this recall is the largest in its history. The BYD Dolphin and BYD Yuan Plus (also known as BYD Atto 3 in Europe) are some of BYD’s most popular vehicles. BYD is exporting both models to overseas markets.

It’s unclear if some of these exported vehicles will also be recalled. BYD hasn’t reacted to the issue yet. Many Atto 3 and Dolphin vehicles have already been sold in Europe.