- Polestar to recall 1,473 Polestar 4 EVs in China from May 16 due to defective 86 kWh batteries.
- Affected vehicles will receive free battery module replacements after cloud monitoring flags abnormal internal resistance.
- Geely group faces recurring battery disputes with Sunwoda and recent multimillion‑RMB settlements and shared recall costs.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced on April 17 that Geely Automobile has filed a recall plan.
Starting May 16, 2026, a total of 1,473 Polestar 4 electric vehicles from the 2023–2024 model years will be recalled, covering units produced between November 16, 2023 and May 24, 2024 and equipped with 86 kWh traction batteries.
The recall, identified as S2026M0045V, is related to the battery system. According to the notice, due to manufacturing consistency issues in certain high-voltage battery components, internal resistance may increase abnormally over prolonged use, leading to performance degradation and, in extreme cases, a risk of thermal runaway.
Geely Automobile has authorized Polestar to carry out the recall. All affected vehicles will receive free replacement of battery modules to eliminate safety risks.
Prior to the recall implementation, Polestar advises customers to keep the battery state of charge below 70% where possible to reduce potential risks.
At the same time, the vehicles are connected to a cloud-based monitoring system.
If anomalies are detected, the system will issue backend alerts and contact users to arrange assistance; in case of faults, in-vehicle warnings will prompt drivers to stop safely.
This is not the first recall within the Geely group this year related to battery issues. In February, Zeekr recalled 38,277 units of the Zeekr 001 WE variant over similar battery-related concerns.
Notably, the battery cells used in the affected models were supplied by Sunwoda.
Geely’s subsidiary VREMT previously filed a lawsuit against Sunwoda over cell quality issues, seeking compensation of RMB 2.314 billion ($339 million).
The two parties reached a settlement in February this year regarding the 86 kWh battery dispute.
Under the agreement, Sunwoda will pay RMB 608 million ($89,200,000) over five years, with both sides jointly bearing subsequent recall costs.
Polestar, a joint venture between Volvo and Geely, has been in a phase of channel expansion and sales ramp-up following a new funding round of about $1 billion completed in December 2025.
Data show that Polestar’s global retail sales reached 60,119 units in 2025, up 34% year-on-year.
In the first quarter of 2026, sales totaled 13,126 units, up 7% year-on-year, marking its best-ever first-quarter performance. Over the same period, its global retail network expanded to 230 locations, up 50%.
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