Tesla and others begin record vehicle recall in China over door safety concerns

A record-breaking recall involving around 4.3 million vehicles has been initiated in China, with Tesla and eight other automakers participating. The extensive recall addresses concerns that vehicle doors may be difficult to open during emergencies, a critical safety issue.

This marks the largest automotive recall in China's history. The remedies range from essential software updates and the installation of warning labels to improvements in the markings around door handles. Regulators are emphasizing safety as automakers engage in a fierce price war in the world's largest vehicle market.

China has been intensifying its oversight of the electric vehicle industry, introducing more stringent safety requirements. Notably, the country plans to ban concealed door handles from 2027, a design feature popularized by Tesla and widely adopted by Chinese EV manufacturers. This move positions China as the first country to phase out such a design.

The recall's scale highlights both the vastness of China's auto fleet and the growing assertiveness of regulators in addressing safety defects, particularly as vehicles become increasingly reliant on software. The defect specifically targets emergency mechanical door-release handles, which regulators have flagged as potentially hard to locate or operate in a crash scenario. This scrutiny intensified after several incidents where passengers were trapped in burning vehicles.

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The upgrade involved only a warning label and upgrading the power-window control software, but that it was 'managing and filing it in accordance with the recall process out of a sense of responsibility to our users'.