According to the statistical data of “Chezhiwang”, in July 2024, a total of 12,900 valid complaint information from car owners were accepted, with a month-on-month increase of 17.5% and a year-on-year decrease of 29.2%. In July, the valid complaint information involved 929 models in total, among which 230 models had double-digit (including) or more complaints.
As shown in the “TOP30 List of Model Complaints in July 2024”, the top ten brands on the list are BYD, FAW Toyota, Chang’an Ford, Chery Automobile, Chang’an Automobile, Dongfeng Nissan, and AITO. Among them, FAW Toyota has 3 models on the list, namely the Reiz, Corolla, and Crown, and the complained problems are all the old problems – “instrument panel cracking; component aging”. In fact, this complaint problem has lasted for a long time, but it has not been effectively resolved. The reason is that some model styles are relatively old or have been discontinued. The Dongfeng Nissan Teana of the same Japanese brand was complained due to the problems of “system upgrade; audio-visual system failure”, and the complaint volume in July was 65 cases.
In July, BYD had 2 models complained to the top ten of the list, namely the Fangchengbao and the Dolphin. Among them, the Fangchengbao was complained to the top due to the problems of “price change; air conditioning problem”, with a complaint volume of 327 cases, and the complaint events were concentrated in the three days from July 29th to 31st.
On July 29th, Fangchengbao Automobile officially announced that the price of the entire series of Fangchengbao Leopard 5 was reduced by 50,000 yuan, and the price range was adjusted from the original 28.98-35.28 million yuan to 23.98-30.28 million yuan. Industry experts believe that BYD’s price reduction may be to boost sales and expand market share.
And this move also triggered dissatisfaction from old models. Many car owners complained that the Fangchengbao Leopard 5 maliciously competed with price reduction and had no subsidy policies. A 2023 Yunzhan Flagship Edition Leopard 5 owner said: “I picked up the car in March 2024, and on July 29, 2024, the brand dealer officially reduced the price by 50,000 yuan, abusing the dominant market position, resulting in a property loss of 50,000 yuan for myself.” Another 2023 Discovery Edition Leopard 5 owner also said: “The brand hinted in all aspects of publicity that there would be no price reduction within the year, and the sales store also communicated that there would be no big price reduction in a short time and would maintain the stability of the vehicle price to maintain the brand tone. Malicious price reduction in a short time, loss of hard-earned money and trust in domestic brands, which is very chilling.”
It is worth noting that only 3 days after the news of the price reduction of the Fangchengbao Leopard 5 was released, the complaint volume has soared to more than 300 cases, and currently the complaint volume of the “price change” of this car on “Chezhiwang” is still increasing.
Also complained due to the “price change” include BYD Dolphin, BYD Qin PLUS, and Yuan PLUS, and the latter two were complained to the 16th and 27th on the list respectively, with complaint volumes of 39 and 32 respectively.
Among the top ten on the list, the Chang’an Ford Mondeo was complained to the 5th on the list due to the problems of “system upgrade problem; engine oil leakage”, with a complaint volume of 105 cases; the Chery Automobile Tiggo 8 was complained to the 6th on the list due to the problems of “odor in the car; air conditioning problem”, with a complaint volume of 69 cases; the Chang’an Automobile Yida was complained to the 7th on the list due to the problems of “policy change; system upgrade problem”; the AITO M7 was complained to the 9th on the list due to the problems of “body resonance; dispute of new and old model iteration”, but the complaint volume has dropped significantly to 54 cases compared to 137 cases in June.
Outside the top ten of the list, there are also many models of Japanese brands being complained. Among them, the Camry under GAC Toyota was complained to the 13th place on the list due to “system upgrade problems and audio-visual system malfunctions”; the Avalon and RAV4 under FAW Toyota were respectively complained due to “system upgrade problems; component aging” and “body rust and steering abnormal noise”; the Accord, CR-V and Fit under GAC Honda were respectively complained due to “tire uneven wear; audio-visual system malfunctions”, “tire cracking; component cracking” and “engine/motor abnormal noise; unable to start”; the Qashqai under Dongfeng Nissan was complained to the last place on the list due to “generator failure; engine/motor fault light on” with a complaint volume of 32 cases; the Axela of Changan Mazda was complained due to “component cracking and audio-visual system malfunctions”.
In addition to the above models, the Zero Run C11 under the Zero Run Automobile was complained to the 14th place on the list due to “headlights not bright; inaccurate cruising range”. A 2023 pure electric 500 Smart Enjoy version owner said: “In rainy days or when driving at high speed without road reflective facilities, it is pitch black and has no brightness, affecting safe driving and there are potential safety hazards. Many times of feedback to the manufacturer are evaded by saying it is being processed or that the lights meet the national standard. Now for several months, there is no any solution. I am very disappointed with the behavior of Zero Run ignoring the safety of consumers and also hope that the relevant departments will pay attention.” Another 2024 extended-range 300 Premium version owner said: “The cruising range of the Zero Run C11 does not match the actual situation. It is advertised that the pure electric cruising range is 300 kilometers and the fuel cruising range is 910 kilometers, but the actual cruising range is less than 50%, which affects the usage experience and hopes to deal with it.”
Based on the comprehensive “TOP30 Complaint List of Vehicle Models in July 2024”, most of the complaints in July are reflected in “system upgrade problems; instrument panel cracking; component aging” problems, especially for the models under Japanese auto enterprises. Generally speaking, the complaint volumes of joint venture brands, domestic brands and imported brands in July all increased compared to June, among which the increase of imported brands is the largest, with a 39.1% increase compared to the previous month. In addition, the proportion of joint venture brands in July still leads that of domestic brands, with a 1.1% increase compared to the previous month, which is the highest point in the recent six months. The complaint volumes of American brands and German brands also continue to increase, with increases of 39.4% and 18.2% respectively compared to the previous month.
