Key facts
- BYD said the error came from a coding entry mistake by a rim sub-assembly supplier, Hubei Boyu Industrial Co.
- BYD said it would replace the rims free and offer owners a courtesy car or travel cost compensation.
- BYD said the supplier added visual error-proofing on a new production line to prevent repeats.
- BYD said it would review the incident and work with the supplier on corrective steps.
BYD said in a statement on November 11 that a supplier had installed front and rear wheel rims in reverse on some of its Tang model SUVs in China, and apologized to owners for the disruption. The automaker said the cause was a coding entry error at rim sub-assembly supplier Hubei Boyu Industrial Co.
BYD said it had checked the affected vehicles and corrected the coding so later batches would not repeat the error, and that the supplier had added visual error-proofing mechanisms on a new production line. The company said dedicated testing found the affected vehicles handled normally and carried no driving safety risk.
Owners of the affected cars were invited to local service stores for free inspection and professional rim replacement, with a courtesy car or travel cost compensation offered, BYD said. The automaker also said it would restart the whole-vehicle warranty on the wrongly fitted cars from that date and review the incident with the supplier.
The Financial Times reported that the apology comes as Beijing increases scrutiny of quality issues in China's car industry. BYD described itself in the statement as the world's largest electric vehicle maker.