BYD Tang and Qin recall 2026: affected cars and brake-light defect

© A. Krivonosov / SPEEDME

BYD has announced a recall in China covering 183,211 vehicles from the Tang and Qin families. The issue concerns the brake-pedal assembly, but it is not a failure of the braking system itself: because of a manufacturing deviation, the brake-pedal stop pad can crack and deteriorate over time. In an extreme case, the part can detach, leaving the brake lights illuminated even when the driver is not braking.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, SAMR, split the recall into two campaigns. Campaign S2026M0116V covers 142,895 Tang vehicles: 58,026 early Tang models, 77,846 Tang DM vehicles and 7,023 Tang EVs. A further 40,316 Qin sedans are included in campaign S2026M0117V. The oldest affected vehicles were built on June 27, 2014, and the newest on January 14, 2022.

The risk does not come from reduced braking performance. Brake lamps that remain constantly illuminated send a false signal to drivers behind, as if the vehicle were slowing all the time. That can make the real moment of braking harder to recognize. BYD will replace the affected stop pads with improved parts free of charge; vehicles that already have the improved part do not need to be repaired again.

The new recall does not cover the current Tang generation. The production range ends in January 2022, while the third-generation Tang debuted at the Chengdu auto show on August 21, 2026. The situation is similar for the Qin: the current Qin Max went on sale in China on August 13, 2026, whereas the recalled Qin vehicles were built from 2014 through 2019.

The existence of the campaign therefore does not mean that every Tang or Qin is affected. Owners need to check the exact model and production date against the ranges specified by the regulator. The official terms and both campaign numbers are published in SAMR’s recall notice.

The recall took effect when SAMR published the notice on September 18, 2026. BYD will notify affected owners by registered mail, telephone and SMS, and authorized dealers will install the improved stop pads free of charge. The regulator did not list separate internal BYD campaign numbers or exact mailing dates.