BYD is offering affected Datang electric SUV owners a fresh vehicle warranty period after admitting that some vehicles left its factory with their front and rear wheel rims fitted in the wrong positions.
The Chinese carmaker acknowledged the mistake on Nov 11, promising free inspections, rim swaps and transport assistance for affected customers.
Complaints have centred mainly on the Datang EV 950 km rear-wheel-drive variant, which uses different rim and tyre widths at each axle.
Its standard configuration pairs 255/50 R20 tyres with 8J rims at the front, while the rear uses wider 275/45 R20 tyres mounted on 9J rims.
However, owners discovered that the rims had been reversed while the tyres remained in their designated positions. This left the wider rear tyres fitted to narrower rims.
BYD attributed the error to incorrect coding entered by wheel-rim assembly supplier Hubei Boyu Industrial.
According to the manufacturer’s statement, the coding has been corrected and further inspections conducted. The supplier has also introduced a visual error-detection system on its production line.
BYD said dedicated testing found that the incorrect installation did not affect vehicle handling or pose a driving safety risk.
Owners will be offered complimentary inspections and professional swapping of the rims at local service centres, together with courtesy vehicles or reimbursement of transport costs.
The company also undertook to recalculate the entire vehicle warranty from Nov 11 for cars with incorrectly installed rims.
Chinese publication Shanghai Securities News reported more than 100 related complaints across online platforms by Nov 10.
BYD has not disclosed the total number of affected vehicles or the production batches involved.
The 7-seat SUV has appeared in English-language publications under several names, including Da Tang, Datang and Great Tang, although BYD uses Grand Tang EV in its English-language corporate documentation.
