Tesla recalled nearly 3 million vehicles in China over safety concerns with door handles that could hinder emergency exits, marking the country’s largest automotive recall. The U.S. automaker joined eight others in addressing issues with electronically operated door handles, which may fail after collisions, according to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation.
Tesla’s recall of 2.98 million China-made and imported Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles represents the largest automotive recall in China’s history, according to regulatory filings. The move follows concerns that electronically operated door handles could become difficult to use after severe collisions, potentially trapping occupants or impeding rescue efforts. The issue affects both domestically produced and imported vehicles, with Tesla citing a risk that could hinder occupants from quickly opening the doors to escape and impede rescue efforts by those outside the vehicle.
The total recall in China involves 4.3 million vehicles across nine automakers, with Tesla’s 2.98 million vehicles accounting for the largest share. Other companies, including Xiaomi, Leapmotor, and Xpeng, also announced significant recalls, though their numbers were smaller. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the U.S. has not yet confirmed similar actions, though it is investigating Tesla’s door handle designs following a series of fiery crashes.
Tesla’s recall includes software updates to automatically lower windows after collisions and the installation of warning labels to alert drivers to emergency door-release mechanisms. The company emphasized that the fixes would be delivered remotely, minimizing disruption for owners.
Tesla recalls nearly 3 million vehicles in China over
The Scale of the Recall
The recall stems from a design flaw in Tesla’s retractable door handles, which rely on the vehicle’s low-voltage system. In the event of a collision causing a power failure, these handles may become inoperable, according to regulatory filings.
To address the problem, Tesla will deploy over-the-air software updates to lower windows automatically after accidents and affix warning labels to identify emergency door-release mechanisms. The company also announced a separate recall for driver-monitoring systems, which use in-cabin cameras to ensure drivers remain alert. Leapmotor said it was committed to safety. It said 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
, said a representative from Leapmotor, another automaker involved in the recall.
Regulatory Pressure and Future Implications
Tesla and others begin record vehicle recall in China
The policy, announced in February, aims to prevent safety risks associated with electronic door mechanisms. Cui Dongshu, head of the China Passenger Car Association, called the recall an inevitable step in the industry’s transition to safer, “safety-first” designs.
The U.S. NHTSA is also considering new rules for emergency door release systems following investigations into Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3. The agency has not yet proposed mandatory changes but is gathering data on the issue. Meanwhile, Tesla’s stock dipped slightly on July 24 to about $317 per share amid concerns over the regulatory push, though it closed at $319, a 0.7% decline.
China’s largest auto recall campaign yet concerns 4.3 million vehicles. Tesla to recall 2.98 million vehicles. China bans hidden door handles from 2027. BEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Tesla and eight other automakers said on Friday they will recall a total of about 4.3 million vehicles in China over concerns that doors may be difficult to open in an emergency, marking the country’s largest automotive recall. The recall remedies range from software updates to warning labels and improved markings around door handles.
China has this year increased oversight of the EV industry and introduced tougher safety requirements, as automakers, locked in a fierce price war, roll out technologies in the world’s largest vehicle market. China has also said it 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 EV makers. Tesla did not immediately reply to a request for comment, while Geely and Xpeng declined to comment. Xiaomi said it does not have additional information beyond the regulatory notice. Leapmotor said it was committed to safety. It said the upgrade involved only a warning label and upgrading the power-window control.
Tesla recalls nearly 3m vehicles in China over door
HONG KONG (AP) — Tesla and other Chinese carmakers are making a major recall of more than 4 million vehicles over safety concerns mostly related to their door handles, according to Chinese authorities on Friday. The U.S. carmaker is recalling about 2.98 million China-made and imported EVs including Model 3, Model Y, Model X and Model S over door handle safety risks, according to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation. The recall, the largest this year according to Chinese media, comes a few months after Chinese authorities said in February that starting next year, it would be banning hidden car door handles that are commonly seen on Tesla electric vehicles and many Chinese EV models.
China has stepped up scrutiny recently on hidden, or flush, car door handles following EV accidents in the country and elsewhere, in which cars’ hidden electronic doors failed and trapped people inside. In a notice on the Chinese regulator’s website, it cited safety risk. In extreme situations, such as a severe collision that causes an electrical system failure, the car handles could hinder car users from quickly opening the doors to escape, or prevent rescuers outside the car from gaining access, the notice said. Some experts in the industry said the automakers should value safety over design. Cui Dongshu, head of the China Passenger Car Association, called the recall an inevitable step in the industry’s transition to safer, “safety-first” designs.
Updated July 24, 2026, 4:01 p.m. ETFederal regulators plan to create new rules for emergency door release systems in cars. The move follows investigations into door handles on Tesla’s popular Model Y and Model 3 vehicles. Regulators are concerned that some modern door designs are not intuitive for first responders in an emergency. Federal regulators announced plans on Friday, July 24, to begin consideration of new rules for emergency release systems on the doors of cars after a series of fiery Tesla crashes. The announcement from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration follows a September 2025 investigation into the performance of emergency door handles on Tesla’s Model Y compact SUV, which is the Austin-based automaker’s most popular model. The NHTSA separately announced a December 2025 investigation into the mechanical door release on the 2022 Tesla Model 3, which is Tesla’s most affordable and second-highest selling car.
The sleekly designed door handles that have become popular on Teslas and other electric cars have mechanisms that can cause problems for first responders if the cars lose power after a crash, regulators believe. The NHTSA said in a document posted on a federal government website that it is granting a petition it received in November 2025 that called for regulators to move to…
China ist der weltweit größte Automarkt. Jetzt muss Tesla wegen zweier Probleme Millionen seiner Fahrzeuge zurückrufen. Es ist eine der größten Rückrufaktionen für Tesla. Tesla ruft in China knapp drei Millionen Elektroautos wegen Sicherheitsproblemen mit versenkbaren Türgriffen zurück. Hintergrund der Rückrufaktion sind laut Angaben der chinesischen Marktaufsichtsbehörde vom Freitag die mechanischen Notentriegelungsgriffe in einigen Tesla-Modellen, die nicht deutlich genug zu erkennen seien. Medienberichten zufolge handelt es sich um die bisher größte Rückrufaktion eines Autoherstellers in China. Betroffen sind sowohl in China produzierte als auch importierte Tesla-Fahrzeuge. Der E-Auto-Produzent Tesla hat die Technik versenkbarer Türgriffe, die elektrisch ein- und ausgefahren werden, weltweit bekannt gemacht. Bricht die Stromversorgung nach einem Unfall ab, funktionieren die elektrischen Türöffner nicht mehr, weshalb Insassen dann mechanische Türöffner betätigen müssen. Die sind nach Darstellung der chinesischen Behörden aber nicht immer deutlich genug gekennzeichnet. Tesla will die nun vom Rückruf betroffenen Fahrzeuge mit zusätzlichen Warnhinweisen versehen – und mithilfe eines Updates dafür sorgen, dass sich die Fenster der Autos nach einem Unfall öffnen lassen.
