KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — BYD has recalled almost 100,000 units of Dolphin and Yuan Plus in China. They are among the brand’s most popular electric vehicles not only over there but also in various other markets worldwide including Malaysia.

The recall was due to an issue with the column-assist electric power steering (CEPS) controller in the affected vehicles. According to the recall notice on China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) website, manufacturing defects have resulted in microcracks on the capacitors inside the controller.

These microcracks may expand and short the controller’s circuits which ultimately may lead to overheating or even fire. Owners of the affected vehicles have been asked to send them to BYD dealers who will install "controller insulation gaskets” to rectify the issue for free.

The notice on the SAMR website also said that there are two different batches of vehicles involved in the recall. The first group involved the 87,762 Dolphin and Yuan Plus that BYD Automobile Industry Co. Ltd, manufactured from 4 February to 26 December 2023 while the other batch were 8,952 Yuan Plus manufactured by BYD Automobile Co. Ltd from 2 November 2022 to 19 June 2023.

How about Atto 3 and Dolphin in Malaysia?

In Malaysia, the Yuan Plus is called Atto 3 and together with Dolphin, they are among the most popular EVs in Malaysia. This year alone, 2,217 Atto 3 and 1,119 Dolphin have been registered in Malaysia up till last month.

In addition to that, BYD has also just introduced the 2024 Atto 3 with enhanced specifications last month. Since Malaysian units have a right-hand drive (RHD) setup, they might be using different components from the units that are meant for the domestic release in China which have a left-hand drive (LHD) setup.

While there are some indications that Malaysian units are not affected, we are still waiting for an official statement from BYD’s local partner in Malaysia, Sime Darby Motors regarding this. So, stay tuned. — SoyaCincau