KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — BYD has issued a recall for nearly 100,000 units of its Dolphin and Yuan Plus electric vehicles in China due to issues with the column-assist electric power steering (CEPS) controller. Manufacturing defects have led to microcracks in the capacitors of the controller, which could expand and cause overheating or fires. Owners are advised to visit BYD dealers for free installation of “controller insulation gaskets” to resolve the issue.

The recall affects two batches: 87,762 units produced between February 4 and December 26, 2023, and 8,952 Yuan Plus units manufactured from November 2, 2022, to June 19, 2023. In Malaysia, the Yuan Plus is marketed as the Atto 3, and both models are popular electric vehicles, with 2,217 Atto 3 and 1,119 Dolphin registrations this year alone.

*BYD recently launched the 2024 Atto 3 with upgraded features. Malaysian versions of the vehicles are right-hand drive and may use different components than the left-hand drive models in China. Although initial reports suggest that Malaysian units may not be affected, we await an official statement from BYD's local partner, Sime Darby Motors.