Overview
- SAMR disclosed on Friday that it ordered two overlapping Tesla campaigns: a door-handle recall taking effect Sept. 25 that covers about 2.97–2.98 million Model 3/Y/S/X cars and an immediate over-the-air update for roughly 2.74 million China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to add cabin-camera driver monitoring.
- Tesla’s door-handle remedy calls for free warning labels to identify emergency mechanical release handles and an OTA change that automatically lowers windows after a collision instead of replacing the hardware.
- The driver-monitoring update installs cabin-camera gaze checks on top of the existing steering-wheel torque detection so the car can verify a driver is looking at the road and issue alerts when needed.
- Eleven automakers joined the coordinated campaign, most using warning labels and OTA fixes, and China’s MIIT has issued a new standard banning fully concealed exterior door handles that takes effect Jan. 1, 2027 with full compliance by Jan. 1, 2029.
- Regulators’ acceptance of OTA fixes lets manufacturers reach millions quickly, but SAMR has not published a de-duplicated total so simple addition of the two Tesla campaign numbers overstates how many distinct vehicles are affected and owners should expect software pushes or dealer notices soon.