BYD Recall 2025: 89,000 Qin PLUS Hybrids Hit By Battery Quality Problems

BYD just announced its third major recall of 2025, and the pattern is becoming impossible to ignore.

China’s market regulator confirmed Friday that BYD will immediately recall 88,981 Qin PLUS DM-i plug-in hybrids over battery pack quality issues. The affected vehicles were produced between January 2021 and September 2023, according to Reuters.

The issue stems from manufacturing inconsistencies in the power battery packs. According to the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), affected vehicles “may have limited power output due to problems with the consistency of power battery packs during the production process.” In extreme cases, the vehicles cannot operate in pure electric mode at all.

This recall brings BYD’s 2025 total past 210,000 vehicles, a troubling milestone for the world’s largest EV manufacturer.

The Qin PLUS Problem

The Qin PLUS DM-i is one of BYD’s best-selling plug-in hybrid sedans in China. The recall covers vehicles from a nearly three-year production window, suggesting the battery consistency issue persisted far longer than it should have.

Unlike the October recall, which involved older Tang models from 2015-2017 and Yuan Pro vehicles with sealing defects, this recall targets a current-generation model. The SAMR initiated its own defect investigation that led to this recall, meaning regulators discovered the problem rather than waiting for BYD to self-report.

BYD authorized dealerships will diagnose affected vehicles and replace defective battery packs free of charge.

BYD’s Rough Quarter Gets Worse

The recall arrives at the worst possible time for BYD. The company just reported its second consecutive quarter of profit decline, with Q3 net income plunging 33% year-over-year to RMB 7.82 billion ($1.1 billion). Revenue fell 3% to RMB 195 billion, marking BYD’s first quarterly revenue decline in over five years.

October sales dropped 12% from a year earlier to 441,706 vehicles, the second straight month of declining sales. BYD lost its position as China’s top-selling automaker to state-owned SAIC Motor, which shipped 453,978 vehicles in October.

The company’s plug-in hybrid sales, which include the Qin PLUS DM-i, plunged 31% in October while pure electric vehicle sales rose 17%. The recall could further undermine confidence in BYD’s hybrid lineup at precisely the wrong moment.

A Pattern Emerges

BYD’s recall history in 2025 tells a story of quality control struggling to keep pace with production ambitions.

In September 2024, BYD recalled nearly 97,000 Dolphin and Yuan Plus EVs over a steering control unit defect that posed fire risks. In January 2025, the company recalled approximately 7,000 Fangchengbao Bao 5 plug-in hybrid SUVs, also citing fire hazards.

Then came October’s 115,783-vehicle recall affecting older Tang and Yuan Pro models, which BYD called its largest to date. Now, just weeks later, another 89,000 vehicles join the list.

The common thread across these recalls involves battery and electrical system issues, the core technologies that define BYD’s competitive advantage. BYD manufactures its own Blade Batteries and has built its brand on battery innovation and vertical integration. Quality problems in these systems strike at the heart of the company’s value proposition.

EVXL’s Take

This recall validates what we’ve been documenting all year: China’s EV “miracle” was built on foundations that couldn’t sustain the weight of rapid scaling.

BYD’s aggressive expansion made it the world’s largest EV manufacturer, but speed came at a cost. When you’re pushing production volumes to meet 5.5 million annual delivery targets while slashing prices to fend off domestic rivals, something has to give. For BYD, it’s been quality control.

The timing is particularly brutal. China’s full EV purchase tax exemption ends December 31, 2025, and the industry faces what we’ve called the policy cliff that could reshape the entire sector. BYD needs every sale it can get in the final weeks of 2025, and another battery-related recall doesn’t help.

We’ve seen this pattern across Chinese automakers. Li Auto just recalled 11,000 Mega EVs after a battery fire exposed gaps in thermal management systems. Xiaomi’s SU7 has been involved in multiple fatal fires where electronic door systems trapped occupants. Chinese regulators are proposing stricter safety rules, including potential bans on flush door handles, in response to these incidents.

The optimistic read is that regulators are finally forcing accountability. Physical recalls remain rare in China because they’re expensive and damage brand reputation. The fact that SAMR initiated this investigation rather than waiting for BYD to act suggests oversight is tightening.

The skeptical read is that these problems should have been caught long ago. Battery consistency issues spanning nearly three years of production isn’t a one-off manufacturing glitch. It’s a systemic failure in quality assurance.

BYD remains formidably competitive. Its vertical integration, cost advantages, and technology development pace still outmatch most Western automakers. But the recall wave exposes the difference between building cars fast and building them right. As China’s EV market enters a brutal consolidation phase, quality could separate survivors from casualties.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.