Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has apologised after some of its Da Tang electric SUVs were fitted with front and rear wheel rims in the wrong positions, blaming a coding error by a wheel rim supplier.

The company said on Wednesday that its investigation traced the problem to a code entry error by wheel rim subassembly supplier Hubei Boyu Industrial Co Ltd. It said it had corrected the coding and worked with the supplier to add visual checks on the production line to prevent the mistake from happening again.

The error came to light after owners reported on Chinese social media that the flagship SUV's front and rear rims had been installed in the wrong positions. The affected trim is the Da Tang EV version with 20-inch rims, which uses different rim and tyre widths at the front and rear. The factory specification calls for 8J by 20 rims with 255/50R20 tyres at the front and 9J by 20 rims with 275/45R20 tyres at the rear, but some vehicles left the factory with those widths reversed.

What BYD is offering owners

BYD said its own testing showed that the incorrectly fitted rims did not affect vehicle handling and posed no driving safety risk. The company will invite affected owners to local service centres for free vehicle inspections and wheel rim swaps, and will provide loaner vehicles or reimburse transport costs while the work is carried out.

It has also restarted the full-vehicle warranty period for affected cars, effective immediately. In its statement, BYD said: "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this incident has caused owners," and pledged a comprehensive review and continued corrective action with its supplier.

The company has not disclosed how many vehicles were affected or which production batches were involved. No formal recall has been announced, and the offer so far is limited to free inspections and rim replacements for owners who come forward.

A flagship model under scrutiny

The Da Tang, also known as the Great Tang, went on sale in China on 17 June 2026 as the first D-segment flagship SUV in BYD's Dynasty line-up. It has a seven-seat configuration and was launched in four variants priced from 239,900 yuan, fitted with second-generation Blade Battery technology and flash charging.

The model has become an important contributor to BYD's sales in the large electric SUV segment. It recorded sales of 14,000 vehicles in October, bringing cumulative sales from 17 June through 31 October to 54,222. Lu Tian, general manager of BYD's Dynasty line-up sales division, said in a 3 November post that the Da Tang had sold more than 10,000 vehicles a month for four consecutive months, and that the company was increasing production capacity to speed up deliveries.

The wheel rim mix-up is an unwelcome quality embarrassment for a model BYD is relying on to lead its premium electric range. The company says the coding has now been fixed and the supplier has introduced additional safeguards, but the next test will be how quickly and thoroughly the free inspections and replacements reach the owners affected.