Tesla Recalls Nearly 3 Million Vehicles in China Over Hidden Door Handles in Largest-Ever Recall
- China's SAMR ordered Tesla to recall 2,975,910 Model 3/Y/S/X vehicles, citing emergency mechanical door releases that may be hard to identify after a crash or power loss; remedy is warning labels plus an OTA software update effective Sept. 25 (Electrek, SAMR via Reuters).
- The recall comes ahead of China's 2027 ban on hidden electronic exterior door handles and is part of a broader4M+ vehicle,11-carmaker coordinated action that also targets Xiaomi, Xpeng, Zeekr, and Lynk & Co. (TechCrunch, ABC News).
- NHTSA is separately probing Tesla's door-latching system, denied a defect petition in July but opened new rulemaking; U.S. lawmakers have proposed the 'SAFE Exit Act' to require intuitive manual releases (Bloomberg via Electrek).