Geely-owned Zeekr high-end NEV brand recalls 38,277 units of the 001 liftbacks due to faulty battery cells manufactured by Sunwoda. This battery maker previously agreed to pay Geely a compensation of 333.5 million USD.
According to official information, only the Zeekr 001 We version with an 86 kWh battery manufactured between July 2021 and March 2024 is subject to a recall. Zeekr shared that manufacturing inconsistencies in internal components of the batteries may lead to an abnormal increase in the internal resistance. It leads to battery performance decline and potential risks of hazardous situations.
The Zeekr 001, equipped with 86 kWh batteries, exhibited unexpected capacity degradation, Zeekr said. The company used a cloud-based monitoring and diagnostic system to accumulate data, and discovered that some cars have issues with the battery resistance. Later, the company filed a recall plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation.
Zeekr shared that it will inspect the affected vehicles or conduct a remote cloud diagnostic and replace the batteries free of charge for vehicles that have not yet had them replaced. According to China EV DataTracker, Zeekr delivered 169,433 units of the 001 liftback by March 2024. It means the recall affects 22.5% of all cars produced in the given period.
CarNewsChina previously reported that the Sunwoda battery maker agreed to transfer 2.314 billion yuan (333.5 million USD) to the Chinese subsidiary of Geely Group called Viridi E-Mobility Technology (VREMT) as the two sides withdrew a lawsuit. The dispute originated in December 2025, when VREMT shared that Sunwoda-supplied batteries had quality defects.
More about Zeekr 001
The Zeekr 001, manufactured between July 2021 and March 2024, is the first generation of this liftback that is currently on sale in global markets, including Europe. This vehicle boasts dimensions of 4955/2005/1560 mm with a wheelbase of 2,999 mm. The car’s interior adopts a 15.4-inch screen powered by a Qualcomm 8155 Snapdragon chip.
In Europe, the Zeekr 001 comes standard with a 100-kWh ternary NMC battery. So, it has nothing to do with troublesome Sunwoda-supplied components. The RWD version of the Zeekr 001 has an output of 200 kW (268 hp) while the AWD spec has a peak power output of 400 kW (516 hp).
Meanwhile, Zeekr sells the third major update of the 001 liftback domestically. It offers a combined power of 680 kW (912 hp) and 925 Nm. Its zero-to-hundred acceleration takes 2.83 seconds. Equipped with a 103 kWh ternary-lithium battery, CLTC range reaches 810 km. The model supports up to 12C charging rates, enabling 10%–80% recharge in 7 minutes.
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