Biggest recall in China

Tesla and eight other carmakers are to recall a total of about 4.3 million vehicles in China over concerns that doors may be difficult to open in an emergency

The remedies range from software updates to warning labels and improved markings around door handles in what is the country’s biggest automotive call-back.  

Beijing has this year increased oversight of the EV industry and introduced tougher safety requirements as manufacturers are ‌locked in a fierce price war over the world’s largest vehicle market.

The authorities there have already said they will ban concealed door handles from 2027, making it the first country to phase out a design popularised by Tesla and widely adopted by domestic Chinese brands.

Among the marques to comment, Xiaomi says it has no extra information beyond the regulatory notice. Leapmotor stresses it’s committed to safety. It adds the upgrade involves a warning label and upgrading the power-window control software, and it’s “managing and filing it in accordance with the recall process out of a sense of responsibility to our users”.

Most of the actions, known as product recalls under Chinese regulations, target emergency mechanical door-release handles that regulators say may be hard to locate or operate in an accident.

That defect as drawn scrutiny after several cases of passengers trapped ‌inside burning vehicles. Chinese state media reported in October last year that the driver of a Xiaomi SU7 died after a crash and fire because passers-by were unable to open the doors to pull him out.

The scale of the recall reflects the size of China’s fleet and regulators’ increasing scrutiny of safety defects as cars become more software driven.

The OEMs, including Tesla ‌and Xiaomi, will install warning labels free of charge to identify the handles, while most will also ‌deploy over-the-air software updates.

Tesla’s recall is the largest, reflecting how many vehicles it has sold with this type of handle. It concerns 2.98 million imported and China-made Model 3, ‌Model ‌Y, Model S and Model X vehicles to be recalled from September 25.

The US company says mechanical emergency door-release handles may be difficult to identify after a severe collision and ⁠electrical system failure, potentially hindering occupants’ escape or rescuers’ access, according to a statement. 

Tesla’s remedy ‌includes warning labels and an update delivered remotely that automatically lowers the vehicle’s windows after a collision.

Apart from Tesla and Xiaomi, Leapmotor, Xpeng and Geely also announced ‌their largest recalls on record. Xiaomi will ⁠call-back about 390,000 units, Leapmotor around 371,000 and Xpeng about 264,000.

Other companies that filed with the regulator are undertaking smaller recalls.    

The cost of the actions may be limited, says Sam Fiorani, vice-resident of research firm AutoForecast Solutions.

“Modern over-the-air updates reduce the costs and downtime associated with major recalls and even the physical work needed to be done will not be very costly compared to significant recalls of the past," he explains.

The door handles, which open via a key fob, ‌smartphone or touch-sensitive panel, have also drawn scrutiny from American regulators.

Last month, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would consider new standards to address the risk of occupant entrapment in vehicles during electrical ‌power failures.