Chinese’s leading new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer BYD Auto plans to recall around 97,000 vehicles because of a defective steering system, according to the local market regulator.

The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has confirmed that BYD plans to recall all Dolphin and Yuan Plus battery electric vehicles (BEV) produced in China between November 2022 and December 2023. It said a faulty steering control unit poses a risk of fire.

These were among the company’s best-selling models last year, with a combined 675,000 sales. It was not confirmed whether export models are also affected by the recall.

The regulator said BYD will ask its dealers in China to invite owners to bring in the affected models to replace the faulty steering control units.

According to local reports, recalls by BYD are rare, with a small batch of Tang plug-in hybrids recalled in 2022 due to a defective battery pack which also posed a fire risk.