BYD’s latest recall involves over 115,000 vehicles: Should Malaysians be concerned?

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has recently announced a recall involving over 115,000 BYD vehicles. Given the scale of the recall and perhaps BYD’s status as one of the leading New Energy Vehicle (NEV) manufacturers in the world, the recall notice has garnered significant attention across the globe.

Which models are affected by the recall?

According to SAMR’s announcement, there are two BYD models involved in this particular recall program. One of them is the 2015 Tang series plug-in hybrid SUV, which involved 44,535 units that were manufactured between 28 March 2015 and 28 July 2017.

The regulator pointed out that there is an issue with the design and electronic components within the SUV’s drive motor controller, which could affect its active discharge function. In some extreme cases, the car’s circuit board was fried, which led to the failure of the SUV’s pure electric drive mode.

The second model in the list is the 2021 Yuan Pro all-electric SUV, involving 71,428 units that were manufactured between 6 February 2021 and 5 August 2022. According to the SAMR’s announcement, a manufacturing issue has resulted in improper installation of the sealing gasket within the car’s high-voltage battery.

This has jeopardised the waterproofing capability of the battery, and water might go in when the car wades through water at high speed for an extended period. In extreme cases, this may reduce the power output of the battery.

SAMR deemed both issues as safety hazards and has said owners who are affected by the recall will be able to get their vehicles fixed for free at authorised BYD dealerships. For the Tang SUV, the fix comes in the form of a software update, while Yuan Pro would receive a new sealant on the casing of its high-voltage battery.

Both models predate BYD’s entry into Malaysia’s passenger car market

In general, the recall notice should not be a concern to BYD owners in Malaysia because neither Tang nor Yuan Pro were sold in our market. In fact, both models were older-generation BYD products that predate the company’s arrival into the passenger car market in Malaysia.

As a reference, BYD’s first passenger car offering for Malaysia, the original Atto 3, was launched in December 2022. From two variants, the model has since been toned down to a single variant with the rollout of Atto 3 Ultra in March this year.

BYD has a rather sizeable EV customer base in Malaysia as the company has already delivered over 20,000 units of pure electric models in our market in under 3 years. Furthermore, BYD is in the midst of establishing a local assembly CKD plant in Tanjung Malim that is set to be operational in 2026.

Hence, not surprising that some may feel a little bit concerned seeing the news of the recall. However, we don’t see any real reason for BYD owners and EV enthusiasts in Malaysia to panic based on the information provided by SAMR.

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