chinese-car-manufacturers-rarely-recalls

Why do Chinese car manufacturers rarely announce recalls? (week 30/25)

29/07/2025

This week’s recalls:
– Volkswagen Golf – seat-belts
– Fiat – speed limiter
– Citroen, Fiat, Toyota – camshaft chain

Overview of the recalls in the 30th week of 2025

Six recalls for 17 models of six makes were published via EU Safety Gate in week 30 of 2025. Eight recalls for 35 models of seven brands were released by the German Motor Vehicle Authority (KBA).

Citroen, Fiat, Land Rover, Polestar, Toyota and Volkswagen each have one recall in the European Safety Gate system this week.

Citroen, Fiat, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Opel, Peugeot, and Tesla are all recalling via the German KBA.

Isn’t that your car? See also the recent recalls of other makes.

Great Wall of China

Chinese carmakers are rapidly entering the European market, offering electric vehicles with generous equipment and long range at attractive prices. While several of these models have already faced technical issues or obvious design flaws, official recalls among them remain rare. Why is this the case, even when problems are evident?

Obligation to announce recalls

According to EU Regulation 2018/858, any manufacturer who discovers a fault that could threaten safety, health, or the environment must immediately inform the relevant authorities and initiate corrective action—often in the form of a safety recall. In practice, however, this process often depends on whether the manufacturer identifies and acknowledges the problem. But this is also known from non-Chinese brands. European authorities lack a unified and proactive system for monitoring new models, particularly for small or newly established brands.

BYD SEAL example: non-functioning 4×4 drive

A documented example involves the BYD SEAL in Scandinavia. Many owners reported that the AWD (all-wheel drive) system failed to engage, leaving the vehicle operating only with rear-wheel drive. As a result, the car struggled to climb even a gentle snow-covered slope. The manufacturer addressed the problem with a software update, but without issuing an official recall. In similar cases, other automakers would likely trigger both a technical investigation and a public recall campaign.

Source: Teknikens Värld

Service campaigns instead of recalls

Chinese carmakers often take a different approach: they resolve defects during routine servicing without publicising them (though European carmakers sometimes do the same). This is legal as long as the defect does not pose an obvious risk. However, it is often difficult to determine where the line lies between comfort and safety features. If a car cannot drive safely in winter, does that mean it is unsafe?

– What is the difference between a recall and a service campaign?

Weak oversight and low market share

Another contributing factor is the relatively small number of Chinese cars sold in Europe. If only a few dozen or a few hundred or thousand vehicles are sold, there is insufficient statistical data for effective monitoring. Furthermore, many Chinese models are homologated in smaller EU countries, where regulatory scrutiny may be less stringent. The European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) system enables manufacturers to obtain initial approval in one EU member state, after which that type of vehicle can be registered in all other EU states without undergoing further technical inspections or tests. While all states must enforce the same stringent technical and safety standards, some are considered more “welcoming” to new manufacturers, especially foreign ones, in terms of administration and procedure. For this reason, initial type approval is often sought in countries such as the Netherlands, Hungary, Lithuania or Cyprus, enabling unrestricted sales throughout the EU. However, this procedure is not ‘circumventing’ the rules – it is fully compliant with European legislation and is also used by some non-European (e.g. Korean) brands.

The USA: Much stricter

By contrast, in the USA, every manufacturer is required to report a safety defect within five working days, facing the threat of massive fines otherwise. As a result, the US sees far more transparent recall activity. However, Chinese brands are virtually absent from the US market, precisely because of strict regulations and tariffs.

Recalls do exist in China

It is not true, however, that Chinese brands such as BYD or Geely never announce recalls. For example, BYD recently recalled nearly 97,000 electric vehicles (Dolphin, Yuan Plus/Atto 3 models) owing to a defect in the electric power steering system that could have caused a short-circuit and increased fire risk. The affected vehicles were manufactured between February and December 2023, but the recall mostly targeted the Chinese market, not Europe. In 2022, Geely recalled more than 120,000 vehicles (Emgrand GS/GL, Boyue) over bonnet latch indicator problems—a potential road safety issue.

Chinese car manufacturers are quickly gaining ground in Europe, but when it comes to safety recalls and defect monitoring, they still have some way to go. Legally, they are subject to the same obligations as other manufacturers, but in practice, they often face little pressure, publicity or thorough oversight. This leaves consumers mainly reliant on information from journalists, testers, and personal experience.

Details on this week’s Safety Gate recalls can be found in the table below.

We write about the German KBA recalls in the following articles:

What we’ve written about in recent weeks:

What did we write about a year ago:

Do you know the year your car was made? You most probably don’t

How satisfied are you with your car? Let us know! It’s anonymous, and no registration is required. Would you recommend your car to a friend?
Post an Owners’ Review Now

Rapex Recalls announced in the 30th week of 2025

Make, Model (years)	Problem
Citroen Berlingo (2017)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen C3 (2017 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen C3 Aircross (2017 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen C-Elysée (2017 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen C4 (2020 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen C4 X (2022 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen C4 Cactus (2017 – 2020)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen C4 Picasso (2018 – 2022)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen C5 Aircross (2018 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Citroen Spacetourer (2017 – 2022)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Fiat Doblo (2022 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Fiat Ulysse (2021 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Land Rover Defender (2019 – 2025)	The lower fixing on the accessory raised air intake may not fit correctly.
Polestar 3 (2024 – 2025)	Due to moisture ingress in a connector housing, the internal pins can corrode.
Toyota ProAce City (2018 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Toyota ProAce Verso (2018 – 2023)	Due to oil carbonisation and high contact pressure, the 7 mm camshaft chain resistance can be reduced.
Volkswagen Golf (2024)	The safety belt on the front passenger side may not be correctly secured.

Where now?

What should an owner do if there's a recall?

Please note that the recall may not apply to all vehicles produced in a given period. If you think your car might be affected, you should immediately contact an dealer or workshop officially authorised to perform repairs on behalf of the manufacturer and ask for the details. You can use our sample request text. After reporting the vehicle's VIN code, you will find out if the defect is present on your car, or if it has already been resolved by the previous owner if the car was purchased second-hand.

More about

Recalls and Reliability

If you wish to know more about the eventual problems of a specific car (e.g. real mileage, potential traffic accident damages, odometer rollback, repairs, etc.), in that case, we suggest going to this page.

Check the vehicle's history