Tesla recalls nearly 3m cars in China over door handles

Tesla is recalling nearly three million cars in China because emergency interior door handles could be difficult to identify and use in a crash, China's State Administration for Market Regulation said.

The recall covers 2.9 million domestically made Model 3 and Model Y electric cars and is due to begin on September 25. Tesla is also recalling about 46,000 imported Model 3, Model X and Model S cars, the regulator said.

SAMR said the affected vehicles have inner emergency mechanical handles that are similar in colour to the interior. In severe collisions that cause a low-voltage system failure, the handles may affect passengers' ability to open doors quickly or hamper rescue from outside the vehicle, the regulator said.

Eight Chinese carmakers also filed recalls over similar door-handle safety risks, according to SAMR. Xiaomi began recalling about 390,000 units of its 2024 SU7 series on Friday, and XPeng started recalling nearly 265,000 cars on Saturday. Geely is recalling about 92,000 cars from its Zeekr brand from Monday.

BAIC BluePark began recalling about 46,000 Arcfox Kaola electric vehicles over a lack of dedicated text prompts near an emergency mechanism on the right rear sliding door. Other companies involved include Geely, Chery and Leapmotor.

Companies offered to add warning labels near the handles for free, and some said they would remotely upgrade software linked to lowering windows after a crash.

SAMR also said Tesla is separately recalling 2.7 million domestically made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles over issues with monitoring systems while a driver uses steering-assist functions. It was not clear whether some vehicles were counted in both Tesla recalls.