Chinese new electric vehicle giant BYD has issued its largest recall to date, impacting over 115,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles following an investigation by its home country’s regulators.
The company filed a recall plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation on Friday, October 17th, addressing defects related to both design and battery components across two distinct recalls.
The largest of the two recalls affects 71,248 Yuan Pro EV models, manufactured between February 6, 2021, and August 5, 2022. The issue here stems from a manufacturing defect—specifically, insufficient sealing that could allow water to enter the battery pack. BYD has committed to fixing this at the dealership free of charge, using a specialized sealant to reinforce the battery housing of the affected vehicles.
The Yuan Pro has since been replaced in the Chinese market by the compact Yuan Up, which launched in February 2024.
The second recall includes 44,535 Tang series PHEV models, produced between March 28, 2015, and July 28, 2017. For these models, BYD cited a component design issue that could cause the drive motor controller to malfunction, potentially leading to the circuit board failing completely.
While this is BYD’s most significant recall yet, the company has dealt with major recalls before, including nearly 100,000 Dolphin and Yuan Plus EVs last September.
The recall comes amid a mixed period for the automaker. BYD’s aggressive price cuts fueled its success last year. However, this strategy sparked a massive price war, leading BYD to seek out new growth by focusing on overseas markets in Europe and Southeast Asia.
Despite China solidifying its position as the world’s largest EV market—with nearly nine million battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles sold in the first nine months of 2025—BYD’s recent performance has seen some turbulence. The company’s monthly sales actually fell in September for the first time since February 2024 as other Chinese automakers managed to gain market share.
