BEIJING: BYD will immediately recall 88,981 plug-in hybrids over a potential battery-related safety hazard, China’s market regulator said in a notice on Friday, weeks after the electric vehicle maker’s largest recall to date.
The Qin PLUS DM-i models affected were produced between January 2021 and September 2023 and “may have limited power output due to problems with the consistency of power battery packs during the production process”, the notice said.
In extreme cases, they will not be able to drive in pure electric mode, the market regulator said, adding that the recall was based on a defect investigation it had initiated.
BYD, which is facing sliding sales and profit, has so far recalled more than 210,000 vehicles this year, including nearly 7,000 of its plug-in hybrid off-road SUVs.
In mid-October, BYD announced its largest recall yet of more than 115,000 Tang and Yuan Pro vehicles produced between 2015 and 2022 due to design defects and battery-related safety risks.
BYD’s October sales dropped 12% from the same month a year earlier, after a 33% drop in third-quarter profit.
In September 2024, BYD had recalled nearly 97,000 Dolphin and Yuan Plus EVs due to a manufacturing fault involving a steering control unit that posed risks of fire.
