Nio Recalls More Than 246,000 EVs in China Over Software Display Issue

China’s electric vehicle maker Nio is recalling more than 246,000 vehicles in China due to a software defect that could affect driving safety, according to a notice published by the country’s market regulator.

The recall covers 246,229 ES8, ES6 and EC6 electric vehicles manufactured between March 16, 2018, and January 16, 2023, data released on the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation showed.

See also: Nio Targets Profitability in Power Business After 100 Million Battery Swaps

According to the regulator, the affected vehicles may experience temporary blackouts of the dashboard and central control display under certain conditions. The malfunction could prevent drivers from accessing key information and functions, including speed data, warning alerts and defrost or demisting controls, potentially increasing safety risks.

Nio said it will address the issue through free over-the-air (OTA) software updates, upgrading vehicles to Aspen 3.5.6, Alder 2.1.0 or later versions. For vehicles that cannot receive OTA updates, the company will contact owners via its service network to carry out the recall. Vehicles that have already received the updated software are not included.

See also: Nio Reaches 100 Million Battery Swap Services in Milestone for EV Energy Model

Aspen is the software architecture used in Nio’s NT 1.0 platform vehicles, which are equipped with Mobileye EyeQ4 chips. NT 2.0 models use the Banyan software system paired with Nvidia Orin X chips, while newer models running on Nio’s in-house Shenji NX9031 chip use the Cedar and Cedar S systems.

Software-related recalls remain relatively uncommon among Chinese domestic automakers, with most high-profile cases historically involving foreign brands. In one of the largest recalls in the country, Tesla announced in late 2023 that it would recall more than 1.6 million vehicles in China due to software issues.

Other recent recalls in China’s EV market have included actions by BMW, BYD, Xiaomi and Beijing Benz, underscoring regulators’ increasing focus on software reliability as vehicles become more software-driven.