BYD recalls 115,000 electric cars over fault that could melt battery and cause fire

Chinese car manufacturer BYD has been forced to recall a record number of electric and hybrid vehicles as a result of design defects and battery-related safety risks.

The company has recalled more than 115,000 of its Tang series and Yuan Pro vehicles, produced between 2015 and 2022, due to the significant manufacturing issues.

BYD is working with the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation after filing two separate recalls. The first involved 44,535 Tang series models, built between 28 March 2015 and 28 July 2017, because of a design issue which can cause the drive motor controller to malfunction and in some cases even fry the circuit board.

Meanwhile, 71,248 Yuan Pro EV models made between 6 February 2021 and 5 August 2022 have since been recalled after it was revealed they might have insufficient sealing - which can allow water to get into the battery.

BYD has been forced into a record recall (Maira Erlich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The car manufacturer has promised to fix the issue at its dealerships by using a special sealant to ensure the protection of the battery free of charge for anyone who owns one of the recalled vehicles.

In a statement the State Administration for Market Regulation said: "BYD Auto Industry Co., Ltd. will authorise its dealerships to apply a special sealant to reinforce the battery casing for free on affected vehicles, restoring waterproofing and eliminating the safety risk."

The affected Yuan Pro is no longer produced by BYD and has instead been replaced with the Yuan Up, which has been on sale in China since February 2024.

This most recent electric vehicle recall comes after an investigation by the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation, just a year after BYD was forced to recall nearly 100,000 Dolphin and Yuan plug-in hybrid SUVs.

In January of this year, 6,843 Fangchengbao Bao 5 plug-in hybrid off-road SUVs were also recalled as a result of fire risks.

It's not the first time the company has had to recall vehicles (Ying Tang/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

BYD's sales have grown exponentially in China in recent years, even overtaking Volkswagen to become the highest-selling car maker in China in the last year.

Almost nine million electric battery vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) were sold in China in the first nine months of this year, according to Electrek.

Given the company's track record in recent years, it might not be surprising that monthly sales began to fall last month, for the first time since February 2024, after smaller rival companies, such as Geely, Xiaomi, and XPeng, started to gain some of the market share.