Li Auto is recalling 11,411 of its flagship Mega multi-purpose electric vehicles in China following a dramatic battery fire in Shanghai on October 23, 2025, according to Bloomberg. The recall covers all 2024 Mega models produced between February 18, 2024, and December 27, 2024, citing a coolant defect that could trigger thermal runaway in the battery under extreme conditions.

The announcement comes as Chinese regulators intensify scrutiny of electric vehicle safety following a series of high-profile fire incidents and concerns about electronic door systems that have trapped occupants in burning vehicles.

Shanghai Fire Incident Sparks Urgent Response

The October 23 fire occurred while a Li Auto Mega was driving through Shanghai’s Xuhui District with no collision preceding the incident, according to Car News China. Flames rapidly engulfed the vehicle within seconds, but the Mega’s automatic door release system functioned correctly, allowing both the driver and passenger to escape safely before the vehicle was completely destroyed.

In a detailed statement posted on WeChat, Li Auto revealed that its cloud-based early warning system had received alerts approximately four hours before the fire occurred. Staff contacted the owner and driver immediately, but the company admitted it “was unable to take emergency measures at the earliest opportunity” because there had been no prior instances of non-collision fires in the Mega fleet.

Li Auto pledged to “eliminate all hidden dangers” and ensure “no further self-ignition accidents,” while acknowledging the incident “exposed shortcomings in our foresight and decisiveness when facing unprecedented, low-probability risk scenarios.”

Technical Details: Coolant Defect and CATL Battery System

The recall, filed with China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), identifies insufficient coolant corrosion protection as the root cause. Under specific conditions, inadequate anti-corrosion properties in the coolant could lead to corrosion and leakage in the aluminum cooling plates of both the power battery and front motor controller.

The Li Auto Mega uses battery cells manufactured by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), the world’s largest EV battery supplier. Li Auto’s investigation explicitly ruled out the battery cells themselves as the fire source, stating that “all cell status parameters were normal before this incident.”

The Mega’s CATL Qilin ternary NMC battery pack supports 5C ultra-fast charging technology. The vehicle, which launched in March 2024 as Li Auto’s first pure battery electric vehicle, had been performing well commercially, reaching an all-time high of 3,277 deliveries in September 2025.

Recall Remedy and Timeline

Starting November 7, 2025, Li Auto will replace three critical components on all affected vehicles: the coolant system, the complete power battery unit, and the front motor controller. The company is also extending the standard warranty period for recalled vehicles, though specific details weren’t disclosed.

Physical recalls of this scale remain uncommon in China, where over-the-air software updates typically address most vehicle issues. The decision to conduct a full hardware replacement recall underscores both the severity of the safety concern and the growing regulatory pressure on Chinese EV manufacturers.

Broader Chinese EV Safety Crisis

The Li Auto recall arrives amid heightened scrutiny of Chinese electric vehicle safety following multiple fatal incidents. Most notably, Xiaomi’s SU7 sedan has been involved in two deadly fires in 2025 where electronic door systems failed to open, trapping occupants.

In March 2025, three female college students died when a Xiaomi SU7 struck a highway barrier and caught fire. Then in October 2025, another SU7 driver perished after a collision in Chengdu when bystanders couldn’t open the doors or break the windows to rescue them.

These incidents have prompted Chinese regulators to propose stricter rules on both driver-assistance systems and electronic door handles. China is now considering regulations that would ban flush door handles and mandate mechanical emergency release systems, with implementation expected by 2027.

Large-scale physical recalls are uncommon in China, making Li Auto’s swift response notable. Officials are already proposing stricter rules on driver-assistance systems and flush door handles, with the latter taking on “greater significance” following recent fiery crashes where electronic door systems trapped victims, Bloomberg reported.

EVXL’s Take

This recall marks a sobering reality check for Li Auto’s premium ambitions. Just two years ago, we reported on Li Auto’s bold goal to become China’s #1 premium car brand by 2024, outpacing BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi. The Mega MPV was positioned as a flagship model priced above 500,000 yuan ($69,315) to compete directly with luxury imports. A major safety recall undermines that premium positioning.

What’s particularly concerning is the pattern emerging across Chinese EV manufacturers. This isn’t an isolated incident—we covered BYD’s recall of nearly 97,000 EVs over fire risk just last year, and multiple recalls from other automakers throughout 2025. The common thread? China’s breakneck development pace may be creating systemic quality gaps.

The CATL connection is worth noting. As we’ve extensively covered, Contemporary Amperex Technology powers one in three EVs worldwide and is pursuing massive global expansion. While Li Auto’s investigation cleared CATL’s battery cells of direct fault, the cooling system failure still impacts batteries from the world’s largest supplier. Any broader pattern of thermal management issues could have industry-wide implications.

The real wake-up call here is Li Auto’s admission that its cloud monitoring system detected problems four hours before the fire but couldn’t prevent the incident because staff had never encountered a non-collision thermal event before. This reveals a critical gap: Chinese automakers are scaling production at unprecedented speed—as we’ve seen with the price wars and capacity buildouts—but institutional knowledge about long-term safety and failure modes hasn’t kept pace.

Physical recalls remain rare in China precisely because they’re expensive and damage brand reputation in a hyper-competitive market. Li Auto’s decision to conduct full hardware replacement on over 11,000 vehicles suggests regulators aren’t giving manufacturers the option to downplay safety issues anymore. That’s actually good news for Chinese EV buyers, even if it’s painful for automakers’ bottom lines.

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