CALB battery issues trigger massive failures in GAC Aion S fleet
A significant quality crisis has emerged involving the GAC Aion S series, with a large number of owners reporting severe battery issues, including swelling, leakage, and cell ruptures. These defects have led to power failures while driving, raising serious safety concerns.
As reported by Jiemian News, the issues are concentrated in vehicles that have travelled between 150,000 km and 300,000 km. Data from consumer complaint platforms, including 12365auto and Black Cat, shows 182 complaints in just half a month, with a fault detection rate of 4.7% across a scale of approximately 213,000 affected vehicles. The problem has been traced back to a specific component: the 177Ah lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cell supplied by CALB.
In response to the growing public pressure following an investigation by China’s state media Xinhua News Agency, GAC Aion and CALB issued apologies and remediation plans on July 18, 2026. GAC Aion has extended the battery warranty for affected vehicles to 8 years or 300,000 km, promised free inspections and replacements, and offered subsidies for vehicles requiring more than five days of repairs. CALB has also committed to providing free inspection and maintenance services.
Industry experts suggest to Jiemian News that these are not isolated incidents but point to systemic manufacturing defects. Analysts have noted potential issues such as improper electrolyte system design, substandard assembly precision, and a lack of rigorous ageing test verification.
The financial implications of this crisis are substantial. While GAC Aion and CALB have opted for an extended warranty and repair program rather than a formal recall, the scale of the issue – affecting over 213,000 vehicles – poses a significant financial burden. For context, a previous battery-related dispute between Geely’s VREMT and Sunwoda resulted in a settlement of 2.314 billion yuan (approx. 340 million USD). Given that the current incident involves a much larger number of vehicles, the potential costs could exceed this figure, placing immense pressure on both GAC and CALB, especially considering their recent financial performance.
According to CALB’s financial report, its total profit for the full year of 2025 was 2.095 billion yuan (308 million USD), while GAC recently issued a profit warning for the first half of the year, with an expected net loss of 4 to 4.5 billion yuan (588 to 662 million USD).
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CALB battery issues trigger massive failures in GAC Aion S fleet, source
