Silicon suboxide (SiO
x) is one of the promising anode materials for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries. However, SiO
x has a severe capacity fading problem during cycling. It is thus desired to investigate the detailed fading mechanisms of SiO
x anode materials. In this study, limited capacity cycling was employed to examine the electrochemical behaviors of the SiO
x anode, and the lithiation/delithiation cycling was limited within a range of 10% theoretical capacity. This strategy minimizes the volume variation of SiO
x materials upon charging/discharging, which helps to reveal their decay factors other than volume fluctuation. It is demonstrated that the instability of the SiO
x surface during cycling was likely a parallel factor of active material fading, which seems to cause unfavored electrode interface rearrangements with lowered electric conductivity.