Nio will be pushing a software update on 246,229 vehicles in China to address an issue that can cause the instrument cluster and central display to briefly go black, depriving drivers of essential information including speed and fault warnings.
The recall covers the first generation SUVs ES8, ES6, and EC6 produced between March 16, 2018 and January 16, 2023, according to a filing with China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published Sunday.
The ES8 and the ES6 were originally launched in 2018, followed by the EC6 in 2020.
The three SUVs were updated in 2023 to the company’s NT2.0 platform.
The issue affects approximately one in four vehicles Nio has delivered in China since its first delivery in 2018.
The affected SUVs may experience brief screen blackouts under certain conditions, during which drivers cannot access vehicle speed, fault warnings, or defrost and defog functions, posing a safety risk, the regulator said.
Nio will upgrade the software to Aspen 3.5.6, Alder 2.1.0, or higher versions free of charge via over-the-air updates.
Vehicles that cannot receive OTA updates will be contacted through Nio service centers.
Some vehicles have already received the fix in previous updates and do not require additional action, according to the recall report.
Entry-Level Models
The recall affects Nio‘s entry-level lineup, which the company plans to refresh next year.
Nio President and co-founder Lihong Qin said in January that the third generation of the 5- and 6-series models is scheduled for release in 2027.
The lineup includes the ET5 sedan, ET5T station wagon, and ES6 and EC6 SUVs.
Nio unveiled the ET5 in late 2021, with deliveries beginning in September 2022. The ET5T, the brand’s first tourer, launched in 2023.
All four models received minor upgrades in mid-2025.
Last year, Nio sold 46,877 ET5Ts, 45,290 ES8s, 43,242 ES6s, 17,318 EC6s, and 16,421 ET5s.
The ET5T was the best-selling Nio brand model in 2025, followed by the third-generation ES8 and the ES6, its cheapest SUV.
Software-Driven Brands
As reported by EV last August, Nio, Tesla, and Xiaomi ranked in the top three positions of the 2025 Gartner Digital Automotive Index, which evaluates automakers on their potential to monetize software.
The index ranked 24 companies based on how much of a priority software is to the company and how advanced the vehicle technology is in areas heavily influenced by software.
