Geely Recalls 1,473 Cars of This Model Due to Risk of Excessive Battery Heat

JAKARTA - Geely Auto announced the recall of 1,473 units of the Polestar 4 electric vehicle using an 86 kWh battery pack. This step was taken following the potential risk of thermal runaway in the battery that could impact safety.

Launching from CNEV Post, Monday, April 20, this recall program targets units produced in the range of November 16, 2023 to May 24, 2024 and is scheduled to start on May 16. The information was conveyed through an official statement on the China State Administration for Market Regulation website.

In the statement, it was explained that there was an inconsistency in the production process of high-voltage battery components. This condition has the potential to cause the internal resistance to increase abnormally after long-term use, which in the end can reduce battery performance.

In certain situations, this problem can cause excessive heat in the power battery, posing a safety risk to vehicle users. As a handling step, Geely will appoint Polestar sales to carry out the recall process.

The affected battery module will be replaced at no cost. While waiting for replacement, consumers are advised not to charge high-voltage batteries exceeding 70 percent for daily use.

This case adds to the list of product recalls in the Geely group environment. Previously, its sister brand, Zeekr, also took a similar step in February by recalling 38,277 units of the Zeekr 001 WE edition due to potential risks of high-voltage battery thermal runaway.

The massive withdrawal occurred after an agreement between Geely's subsidiary and its main battery supplier, Sunwoda, regarding quality disputes. Previously, Geely's subsidiary, Vremt, even sued Sunwoda with a compensation claim of up to 2.31 billion yuan.

In the latest agreement, both parties agreed to share the cost of repairing the replacement of the problematic battery pack based on actual expenses. However, until now there is no certainty whether the recall of the Polestar 4 is directly related to the use of batteries from Sunwoda.

Photo: Geely Polestar 4. (Photo: Geely)