NIO and Zeekr recall electric vehicles over software and battery defects in China
NIO recalled 246,229 electric vehicles due to software-induced dashboard blackouts that could deprive drivers of safety-critical information. Zeekr recalled 38,277 vehicles for battery defects that could cause thermal runaway in extreme conditions. Both recalls were officially registered with Chinese regulators.
What happened
Shanghai NIO Co., Ltd. recalled 246,229 electric vehicles (ES8, ES6 and EC6 models) manufactured between March 16, 2018 and January 16, 2023 due to a software problem that could cause temporary blackouts of the instrument cluster and central control screen under specific conditions.
Zhejiang Zeekr Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. recalled 38,277 Zeekr 001WE vehicles manufactured between July 8, 2021 and March 18, 2024 due to high-voltage battery component manufacturing inconsistencies that could cause abnormal increases in internal resistance.
Reported impact
During NIO dashboard blackouts, drivers would lose access to necessary vehicle information and functions including speed display, fault warnings, and defrost/demist functions.
Zeekr battery defects could lead to degraded battery performance and, in extreme cases, thermal runaway of the power battery.
Index analysis
NIO implemented an over-the-air (OTA) software upgrade to version Aspen 3.5.6, Alder 2.1.0 or higher, with direct service center recalls for vehicles unable to receive OTA updates.
Zeekr announced remote diagnostics and free battery replacement for affected vehicles, with emergency measures including cloud platform early warning systems and customer support hotline notifications.
Governance controls
Both recalls were filed with China's State Administration for Market Regulation in accordance with China's defective automobile product recall regulations.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.