On September 12, the State Administration for Market Regulation’s Defective Product Administrative Center announced that Zhaoqing XPeng New Energy Investment Co., Ltd. will initiate a recall starting September 15, 2025. The recall covers a total of 47,490 XPeng P7+ electric vehicles produced between August 20, 2024, and April 27, 2025.
The recall was prompted by safety risks in the core control system of the affected vehicles. In some units, poor contact in the steering assist motor sensor wiring harness can lead to abnormal signal fluctuations in the steering gear sensor. In extreme cases, this could result in a failure of the power steering function, increasing handling difficulty in various driving scenarios and posing a threat to driving safety.
As early as July this year, some owners had already reported problems with XPeng’s “electronic power steering system.” According to a report by Xinwen Lianbo, Ms. Zhang, an XPeng P7+ owner, experienced a sudden loss of steering control in early July, with her dashboard displaying a warning to check the relevant system. After she shared her experience on social media, her posts and videos were taken down following complaints.
At the same time, Xinhua News Agency reported that multiple XPeng P7+ owners had complained about safety risks with the steering system, including heavy steering and loss of assist during normal driving. These issues reportedly worsened in rainy weather and at high speeds, with some owners even experiencing steering failure on highways.
XPeng’s handling of the situation has drawn heavy criticism. Xinhua News Agency pointed out that XPeng concealed the defect, using methods such as applying glue to cover the issue, issuing OTA software updates to avoid addressing the root cause, and delaying hardware replacements — all as a way to shirk recall responsibilities. Some car owners discovered that after routine maintenance, service centers had seemingly applied glue to steering gear interfaces without informing them, violating their right to know.
On third-party platforms, complaints about the “XPeng P7+ steering gear” and “XPeng P7+ power steering” have continued to pour in. Some owners reported losing steering assistance while driving at high speeds, questioning design flaws in the waterproofing of the steering gear interface. Some have even considered returning their cars, while others are calling for an official recall of the defective vehicles.
When it comes to safety, there is no such thing as a small matter. The foundation of a good car is not flashy gadgets or “big screens and comfy seats,” but the ability to protect lives in critical moments. Without that, everything else is meaningless. XPeng’s handling of the P7+ issue has clearly left many owners dissatisfied.
Why did XPeng delay issuing a recall notice despite the safety implications? The reason may lie in costs. The steering gear alone costs about 6,000 yuan per unit, and replacing it across nearly 50,000 P7+ vehicles would result in direct costs of around 3.5 billion yuan. Considering XPeng reported a net loss of 810 million yuan in the first half of this year, absorbing “over 3 billion yuan” in losses would be hard for a new automaker to bear.
Nevertheless, no matter how much a car company is losing or struggling to survive, it should never do so at the expense of consumer safety. This vulnerability in XPeng’s growth should not be shifted onto its loyal customers. The recall of the P7+ is not only about product quality, but also a major test of the company’s integrity and sense of responsibility.
