Overview
- On Friday, Aug. 21, filings with China’s State Administration for Market Regulation showed 11 automakers will recall about 4.3 million vehicles for emergency door-release systems that can be hard to find after severe collisions.
- Tesla will begin a Sept. 25 recall of roughly 2.98 million Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X cars by affixing warning labels to interior mechanical releases and issuing an over-the-air update that lowers windows after a detected crash.
- Tesla separately announced an immediate recall of about 2.7–2.74 million China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for an over-the-air driver-attention update that adds in-cabin camera monitoring to supplement steering-torque checks.
- Nine of the 11 makers will use free warning labels and mostly over-the-air software changes rather than hardware replacement, reflecting China’s acceptance of OTA remedies and cutting the cost and disruption of the campaign.
- China’s MIIT has issued a mandatory ban on fully concealed exterior handles taking effect Jan. 1, 2027 with full compliance by Jan. 1, 2029, and U.S. and European regulators are reviewing similar rules that could change door designs worldwide.