GAC Aion AION S Battery Defect Affects Over 100 Owners, Warranty Extended to 8 Years/300,000 km, CALB Starts

Mr. Wu, a ride-hailing driver in Zhejiang, purchased a GAC Aion AION S commercial vehicle in June 2023. After 230,000 km, a system fault occurred. The dealership detected a power battery failure, including broken collection wires, insulation failure, swelling and leakage, and quoted RMB 80,000 for a replacement powertrain. The vehicle was equipped with a CALB 177Ah lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery.

Multiple complaint platforms show that over 100 ride-hailing car owners of AION S have reported similar faults. The symptoms include sudden power loss while driving, sharp range drops, or insulation failures, all caused by battery swelling or leakage. These vehicles have mileage between 150,000 km and 250,000 km, and all use CALB 177Ah LFP batteries.

GAC Aion's solution is to extend the vehicle warranty from 8 years/150,000 km to 8 years/300,000 km, while strengthening battery inspections and offering free repairs or free battery replacements based on the inspection results. CALB said it has initiated maintenance work with GAC Aion dealerships. However, it remains unclear whether the faulty models or batteries will be recalled.

Previously, multiple brands under Geely recalled vehicles due to a quality dispute with Sunwoda batteries. In October 2025, Li Auto announced a recall of some MEGA models because insufficient coolant corrosion protection caused leakage from corroded cooling aluminum plates. In November 2025, BYD recalled 36,000 Qin PLUS DM-i vehicles produced between January 7, 2021 and September 30, 2022, due to consistency issues in the power battery pack.

In the first half of 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued 50 automotive-related recall announcements, involving 26 car brands and a total of about 1.65 million vehicles. Recalls related to power battery problems increased significantly year-on-year, covering several battery electric and plug-in hybrid models such as the Zeekr 001, Mercedes-Benz EQA, Mercedes-Benz EQB, Volvo EX30, and Polestar 4. The new national standard for power batteries took effect in July 2026, but it does not apply retroactively, and safety hazards in existing batteries need attention.