Tesla and others begin record vehicle recall in China

Tesla and eight other Chinese automakers announced a massive recall of over 4.3 million vehicles due to potential issues with emergency door releases, marking the country's largest automotive recall to date. The recall, which begins on September 25, affects 2.98 million imported and domestic-made Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles, as well as 390,000 units from Xiaomi, 371,000 from Leapmotor, and 264,000 from Xpeng.

The primary concern is that doors may be difficult to open in emergency situations, particularly following a severe collision or electrical system failure. This issue has raised safety concerns, as it could hinder occupants' ability to escape or allow rescuers access to trapped individuals. Beijing has been increasing oversight of the EV industry and has introduced stricter safety requirements as automakers rush to roll out new technologies in the world's largest vehicle market.

As part of the recall, automakers will install warning labels free of charge to identify the emergency door-release handles. Most will also deploy remote software updates to automatically lower vehicle windows after a collision. Tesla, the largest recall among the eight automakers, will provide a remote software update that lowers windows after a crash. Other companies, including Xiaomi, Leapmotor, and Xpeng, will implement warning labels and software updates as part of their response to the safety defect.

The door handles in question are operated via key fob, smartphone, or touch-sensitive panel, and have drawn increasing scrutiny from both Chinese regulators and U.S. authorities. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has indicated it will consider new safety standards to address the risk of occupant entrapment in vehicles during electrical power failures. It remains to be seen if Tesla and the other affected automakers will file similar recalls for the U.S. market.