(State Administration for Market Regulation – 2025 No. 5)
In 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) strengthened the coordination of development and safety, enhancing the management of automobile and consumer product recalls to safeguard personal property and public safety, thus supporting high-quality development through high-level safety assurance. Pursuant to the Regulations on the Administration of Defective Automobile Product Recalls, Administrative Provisions on Motor Vehicle Emissions Recalls, and Provisional Regulations on Consumer Product Recalls, the national product recall situation for 2024 is hereby announced:
I. Automobile Product Recalls
In 2024, China’s automobile production and sales both exceeded 31 million units, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) surpassing 12 million units for the first time.
A total of 233 automobile recalls were carried out, involving 11.237 million vehicles, representing an increase of 8.9% and 67.0% year-on-year, respectively.
Of these, 89 recalls were for NEVs, affecting 4.491 million vehicles (up 180.1% YoY), accounting for 40.0% of all recalls.
There were 19 OTA (Over-the-Air) software-based recalls, covering 4.068 million vehicles (up 246.8% YoY), showing OTA has become a significant recall method.
SAMR-supervised recalls numbered 26, involving 5.672 million vehicles (up 42.0%), accounting for 50.5% of the total recalled vehicles.
By the end of 2024, China had implemented a cumulative total of 3,075 automobile recalls, affecting 114 million vehicles.
Key defect systems:
Electrical systems, vehicle body, and braking systems made up 67.2% of defects:
Electrical: 45 recalls, 2.775 million vehicles (24.7%)
Body: 24 recalls, 2.624 million vehicles (23.4%)
Brakes: 37 recalls, 2.149 million vehicles (19.1%)
Engine-related defects, although reduced by 66.8% YoY in terms of volume, still accounted for 89 recall cases.
Defect causes:
Design flaws: 114 cases, 6.819 million vehicles (60.7%)
Manufacturing flaws: 107 cases, 3.473 million vehicles (30.9%)
Labeling/other: 12 cases, 945,000 vehicles (8.4%)
Defect sources:
30,000 defect reports received from consumers, of which:
Body issues: 21.0%, Electrical: 17.2%, Engine: 14.5%, Transmission: 8.0%, Battery: 7.9%, Steering: 4.0%, Brakes: 3.9%, Tires: 3.8%, Others: 19.8%
NEV-related reports: 11,000
1,376 OTA upgrades reported by companies, involving 190 million instances (up 15.2% and 31.1% respectively)
Over 1,300 vehicle accident investigations conducted
Emission-related recalls:
In cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, 6 joint expert reviews were conducted.
9 emission-related recalls enforced, involving 278,000 vehicles.
Total cumulative emission recalls reached 37 cases involving 3.535 million vehicles by the end of 2024.
Distribution of Recalled Vehicle Components in China (2024)
Title: Distribution of Recalled Vehicle Components in China (2024)
Categories with Data (in 10,000 vehicles and % of total):
Electrical Equipment: 277.5 (24.7%)
Vehicle Body: 262.4 (23.4%)
Braking System: 214.9 (19.1%)
Airbags & Seatbelts: 138.4 (12.3%)
Engine: 134.7 (12.0%)
Suspension System: 74.5 (6.6%)
Steering System: 14.4 (1.3%)
Transmission System: 6.4 (0.6%)
II. Consumer Product Recalls
A total of 1,100 consumer product recalls were executed (up 42.7% YoY), covering 4.543 million products (down 56.4% YoY).
Of these, 1,031 were prompted by regulatory investigations, involving 1.911 million products (93.7% of recall cases and 42.1% of recalled items).
Cumulative consumer product recalls reached 5,985 cases involving 105 million products by end-2024.
By product type:
Electronics and appliances: 178 recalls, 2.218 million items (48.8%)
Children’s products: 416 recalls, 972,000 items (21.4%)
Food-related products: 73 recalls, 888,000 items (19.5%)
Other transport equipment: 307 recalls, 307,000 items (6.8%)
Household items: 35 recalls, 83,000 items (1.8%)
By defect cause:
Manufacturing flaws: 643 recalls, 3.797 million items (83.6%)
Design flaws: 411 recalls, 511,000 items (11.2%)
Labeling issues: 46 recalls, 235,000 items (5.2%)
By defect type:
Standard compliance issues: 1,078 recalls, 2.759 million items (60.7%), remaining the primary cause of recalls.
Defect reports:
17,000 reports received from consumers:
Electronics: 89.8%, Textiles/clothing: 6.0%, Transport equipment: 1.0%, Others: 3.2%
Common issues: overheating, circuit faults, battery swelling in electronics; power interruption and charging failures in e-bikes; chemical hazards in home products.
Consumer Product Recalls in China (2008–2024)
Consumer Product Recalls in China (2008–2024)
Orange Bars: Recall Units (in 10,000 items)
Black Line: Number of Recall Events
Key highlights:
Significant spike in recall volume occurred in 2017 and 2018.
Recall events steadily increased, reaching a record 1,100 events in 2024.
Despite a decline in recall volume in 2024, the number of events rose sharply, indicating broader regulatory reach and heightened enforcement.
Distribution of Recalled Consumer Product Categories in China (2024)
Title: Distribution of Recalled Consumer Product Categories in China (2024)
Categories and Figures (in 10,000 items and % of total):
Electronic Appliances: 221.8 (48.8%)
Children’s Products: 97.2 (21.4%)
Food-related Products: 88.8 (19.5%)
Other Transportation Equipment: 30.7 (6.8%)
Household Daily Products: 8.3 (1.8%)
Stationery & Sports Goods: 5.6 (1.2%)
Hardware & Construction Materials: 1.2 (0.3%)
Other Products: 0.5 (0.1%)
Furniture: 0.1 (0.02%)
Textiles & Clothing: 0.1 (0.02%)
Causes of Consumer Product Recalls in China (2024)
Title: Causes of Consumer Product Recalls in China (2024)
Breakdown:
Manufacturing: 379.7 (10,000 items), 83.6%
Design: 51.1 (10,000 items), 11.2%
Labeling: 23.5 (10,000 items), 5.2%
III. High-Tech Product Recalls
Drones:
In line with the Interim Regulations on UAV Flight Management, enhanced drone recall oversight began in 2024.
579 defect reports collected; 2,797 drones recalled—the first such recall since the regulations took effect.
Product Safety Regulatory Sandbox:
Continued pilot implementation of the “product quality and safety sandbox” with a triad mechanism (“advisory expert + technical coordinator + pilot expert”).
3“exit” evaluations and 2 “entry” evaluations of new technologies completed.
Guided 51 safety improvement actions by first-batch pilot enterprises.
The public can access recall information or submit defect reports via the SAMR website (www.samr.gov.cn), SAMR Recall Center site (www.samrdprc.org.cn), or the WeChat public account (SAMRDPRC).
This notice is hereby published.