BYD recalls 16,666 Seagull EVs for reverse screen issue

BYD has announced a recall for 16,666 Seagull electric vehicles (EVs) in China, confirms the State Administration for Market Regulation, due to an issue in the reverse camera screen.

The regulator received applications revealing that the reverse camera screen is not displaying a back view during a reverse. The issue could affect the driver’s field of vision when reversing and increase the risk of collision, eventually compromising the driver’s safety.

In the regulatory filing, BYD mentioned that the problem is found in camera driver software in the multimedia display assembly of some EVs. Interestingly, this issue will be addressed through over-the-air (OTA) software updates without additional charges.

BYD Seagull (Image Credit: BYD)

But there might be some of the Seagull units that may not function with the OTA update. Therefore, BYD will fix those units by bringing those vehicles to the nearest service center to upgrade their software.

The recall is mentioned under “Regulations on the Management of Recalls of Defective Automobile Products” and the “Implementation Measures of the Regulations on the Management of Recalls of Defective Automobile Products”. BYD’s recall will start from May 20, 2024, for Seagull EVs produced between April 7, 2023, and May 31, 2023, which combines 16,666 units.

Rear camera issues are common in electric and other vehicles and are usually fixed with an OTA update rollout. There’s no major fix required until there’s a hardware bug found.