Major recall in China affects Tesla, Xiaomi, and others.
China has launched the largest recall campaign in its automotive industry to date. Due to potential issues with the mechanical door unlock mechanism, manufacturers must make repairs on several million vehicles. Tesla, Xiaomi, Leapmotor, Xpeng, and Zeekr are among those affected.
The Chinese regulatory body SAMR issued recall orders and other measures on Friday regarding a total of eleven automobile manufacturers. The main issue with most of these vehicles is the mechanical emergency door release mechanism. This mechanism may differ in color only slightly from the surrounding trim, making it difficult to identify or operate in an emergency. If the vehicle’s electrical system fails as well in a severe accident, it could prevent passengers from quickly opening the doors and hinder rescue efforts from outside. Nine of the eleven manufacturers plan to install additional warning signs as part of the solution.
Recalls related to this issue alone involve more than four million vehicles. Tesla accounts for by far the largest share. Starting September 25, the U.S. manufacturer is recalling nearly 2.98 million imported and China-produced Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles. In addition to addressing the mechanical unlock issue, an OTA update will ensure that the windows lower automatically after a collision.
Many Chinese manufacturers also need to make improvements. Xiaomi is recalling 390,435 units of the SU7 from the 2024 model year and plans to optimize the unlocking logic and window lowering functions through software alerts in addition to these measures. Leapmotor has 371,200 C11 and C01 vehicles affected, while Xpeng is recalling 264,842 vehicles from the G6, P7+, and X9 models. Zeekr is taking action on 92,658 units of the 007 and X models. Additional recalls have been announced for vehicles from Chery, Dongfeng, Arcfox, and FAW. The measures range from adding additional markings to replacing the covers of mechanical emergency unlocking systems.
China tightens regulations on door handles
The large-scale recall is not surprising. China is currently tightening safety requirements for door systems and will, starting in 2027, become the first country to largely ban hidden or recessed door handles in their current form from new vehicles. The reason is concern that electrically operated systems could make it difficult to access the vehicle after an accident and a power failure. The new regulations therefore require, among other things, mechanical unlocking options.
The significance of such requirements grows as China becomes more important to the international auto market. In July, New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) accounted for 60.4 percent of China’s new car sales for the first time, with 1.561 million units sold. At the same time, China is increasingly becoming a major exporter of electric vehicles: 553,000 NEVs were exported in July, 145.5 percent more than in the same month last year. For the second consecutive month, NEVs made up more than half of all Chinese vehicle exports.
As Chinese manufacturers expand their international presence, the safety standards developed there are likely to gain importance beyond their home market. The issue of door handles is no longer a concern solely for Chinese authorities either: In the U.S., electric and retractable door systems are also under increased scrutiny due to potential safety risks following accidents.
Meanwhile, Tesla has announced a separate recall in China for around 2.74 million Model 3 and Model Y vehicles related to driver monitoring. The current monitoring via steering wheel torque is not sufficient for Chinese regulators; therefore, Tesla is required to incorporate an interior camera through an OTA update. If this recall and others announced on the same day are included, the total number of vehicles affected exceeds seven million.