China's Automotive Complaints Surge in July 2025

According to statistics from the leading defect automotive product information collection platform, Chezhilian, a total of 18,129 valid complaints from car owners were processed in July 2025, marking a month-on-month increase of 30.7% and a year-on-year increase of 40.5%. From January to July this year, the cumulative number of complaints has exceeded 130,000, reflecting a 31.1% increase compared to the same period last year. This month, the platform handled valid complaints involving 992 car models, with 274 models receiving ten or more complaints. Additionally, Chezhilian received 17,601 responses from car manufacturers regarding complaints, including some related to previous months. After excluding cases where complainants voluntarily withdrew their complaints due to satisfactory resolutions, the top 30 models with the highest complaint volumes for July 2025 are listed. As we enter the second half of 2025, several brands have observed a significant short-term increase in complaint volumes, leading to a rebound in domestic automotive complaints, approaching historical highs for this period. Specifically, two models under FAW Hongqi, the Hongqi H5 and Hongqi HS5, saw their complaint volumes double this month, landing them among the top three, with complaints primarily focused on 'system upgrade issues.' Owners reported that older versions of the Hongqi H5 have not received OTA upgrades, resulting in issues such as system lag and outdated map versions, which affect daily use. Similarly, the Hongqi HS5 faced issues where the manufacturer treated older models differently during OTA upgrades, preventing them from being updated. The Xiaopeng P7+ also experienced a significant increase in complaints this month, with a nearly 4.6-fold increase, primarily regarding 'steering system failures.' Some owners reported design flaws in the steering mechanism that caused loss of power assistance at high speeds, yet the 4S dealerships only addressed this safety concern with temporary fixes, leading to heightened dissatisfaction among owners. The Li Auto L6 and L7 models have faced similar steering system issues, with many owners reporting 'steering system noise.' As of the report date, Li Auto has proposed a solution, alleviating some complaints. Notably, the popular Xiaomi YU7 has also made the list, with complaints focusing on service issues, particularly delays in vehicle delivery and refusal to refund deposits. In terms of brand type, complaints from domestic, joint venture, and imported brands all saw an increase in July. Among these, domestic brands experienced the largest growth, rising 34.6% compared to June, with quality issues remaining the core of complaints, although the increase was slightly lower than that related to service issues. Meanwhile, complaints from joint venture brands hit a new high for the year, but their complaint share slightly decreased compared to June. Regarding complaints by country of origin, American brands continued to see a growth trend from the previous month, rising 40% and surpassing German brands to rank second, with complaints primarily focusing on steering system issues, including 'misaligned steering wheels' and 'steering noise.' German brands recorded their highest complaint volume of the year in July, up 20.6%, with 'transmission control unit failures' being the focal point, accounting for nearly a quarter of complaints.