Xpeng Recalls 33,473 X9 Units Over Air Suspension Defect

Xpeng has filed a recall plan with China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) to address a critical defect in the air suspension system of its flagship X9 MPV. The recall covers 33,473 units manufactured between 8 August 2023 and 11 August 2025, with the official programme scheduled to begin on 28 August 2026. The defect stems from production variations affecting the airtightness of the front air springs. Xpeng warned that prolonged use in high-temperature and high-humidity environments could lead to slow air leakage in the front air suspension. To resolve the issue, Zhaoqing Xpeng New Energy Investment Co., Ltd. will replace the front air spring slide pillar assembly with an updated version free of charge for all affected vehicles. Cars already fitted with the new component prior to the recall will not require further repairs. The recall follows a wave of owner complaints, particularly in regions such as Chongqing, where extreme heatwaves coincided with reports of vehicle chassis suddenly sinking. In an earlier response, Xpeng customer service attributed some warnings to a ‘thermal protection’ mode, explaining that overly frequent vehicle height adjustments in high temperatures could cause the compressor to overheat. However, the recall now formally acknowledges a hardware defect related to airtightness, rather than solely a thermal protection system issue. In Indonesia, the large electric vehicle is priced between IDR 1.1 billion and IDR 1.25 billion. It is not yet known whether the recall affects units in the country, but the X9 marketed in Indonesia is not imported from China; it is locally assembled under a completely knocked down (CKD) scheme at a domestic production facility in partnership with PT Handal Indonesia Motor in Purwakarta, West Java.