BYD recalls 96,714 vehicles for potential fire risk in power steering system, Malaysian cars not affected

A recall of nearly 96,714 vehicles has been filed by BYD due to a manufacturing fault that presents a potential fire risk, reported Car News China citing the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) of China. The sum of vehicles recalled involve the Dolphin and Atto 3 (also known as the Yuan Plus), and BYD has filed a recall plan with the SAMR defective product recall centre.

Two BYD entities will conduct the recall, and these are BYD Auto Industry, which will recall 87,762 units of the Dolphin and Yuan Plus manufactured between February 4, 2023 and December 26, 2023, and BYD Auto, which will recall 8,952 units of the Yuan Plus manufactured between November 2, 2022 and June 19, 2023.

These vehicles have been recalled due to defects in the manufacturing process of the electric power steering column assembly controller, said Car News China. When the equipment tool cover is closed, this may interfere with capacitors on the controller circuit board, causing micro-cracks in the capacitors. These cracks may grow when the vehicle is in use, and could lead to short circuits, overheating and potentially lead to fires.

The repair, as instructed to BYD dealers, is to install insulation pads on the controller, and the repairs will be carried out for customer vehicles free of charge. Affected vehicle owners will be contacted by registered mail, WeChat and via phone calls.

While this recall is the largest in BYD’s history, all affected vehicles are made in China, and Malaysian units are not affected. Given that Malaysian market models are right-hand-drive, these vehicles likely use a different part from those affected in China.

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