Visitors view the BYD Datang EV, a flagship all-electric SUV, at an auto show on June 18, 2026. Photo: VCG

Chinese automaker BYD apologized on Wednesday after confirming that some of its Grand Tang electric SUVs, also known as Datang EVs, had been fitted with incorrect wheel rims due to a supplier coding error, pledging free replacements for affected owners.

The statement followed complaints from owners who reported that the front and rear wheel rims on their vehicles had been installed in the wrong positions. Some said they discovered the problem only after taking their cars to service centers for inspection, according to media reports.

The complaints mainly involved the 2026 Datang EV rear-wheel-drive version with a 950-kilometer range. The model uses narrower 8J rims with 255-millimeter tires at the front and wider 9J rims with 275-millimeter tires at the rear. Some owners reported finding the rims reversed, leaving the tires mounted on rims of the wrong width.

In its statement posted on the company's official Weibo account, BYD said an investigation had traced the problem to a coding error by Hubei Boyu Industrial Co, a wheel rim assembly supplier based in Central China's Hubei Province. 

The automaker said it had inspected the affected production process and corrected the coding information, while the supplier had introduced visual error-proofing measures on its production line to prevent similar mistakes.

Addressing safety concerns, BYD said specialized tests had found that the incorrect fittings did not affect vehicle handling or pose a driving safety risk. The company did not disclose how many vehicles were affected.

BYD said that affected owners would be offered free inspections and wheel rim replacements at local service centers, along with temporary replacement vehicles or compensation for transportation costs. The automaker also pledged to restart the full-vehicle warranty period for vehicles with incorrectly fitted rims from Wednesday. 

The company apologized for the inconvenience and said it would review its procedures and work with the supplier on further improvements.

The incident comes as Chinese regulators are stepping up efforts to strengthen vehicle production consistency and product quality. 

In August, four government departments launched a yearlong nationwide campaign targeting production consistency, reliability, durability and testing of new technologies. The campaign specifically includes checks on automakers' management of component suppliers, incoming parts inspections and quality control.

More recently, on October 15, officials from four Chinese authorities met with representatives of more than 30 major automakers, urging stronger vehicle safety management and more rigorous testing. 

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that automakers should improve their systems for ensuring production consistency and strengthen oversight throughout their supply chains, as part of broader efforts to safeguard vehicle safety and promote high-quality development of the auto industry.

Global Times