HONG KONG (AP) 鈥� 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鈥檚 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 , it would be banning hidden car door handles that are commonly seen on Tesla electric vehicles and many Chinese EV models.
has stepped up scrutiny recently on hidden, or flush, car door handles following EV accidents in the country and elsewhere, in which cars鈥� hidden electronic doors failed and trapped people inside.
In a notice on the Chinese regulator鈥檚 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.
Tesla will perform software updates on the vehicles to mitigate risks, the notice added. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
, the Beijing-based Chinese technology giant, is recalling more than 390,000 vehicles. Hangzhou-based Leapmotor is recalling over 370,000 cars. Other Chinese carmakers, including Geely and XPENG are also recalling some vehicles.
The reasons given in each case were similar, mostly relating to issues with their car door handles.
A report published by the People鈥檚 Daily, the official newspaper of China鈥檚 ruling Communist Party, said the large-scale recall 鈥渟erves as a unified safety upgrade鈥� for existing vehicle models ahead of the 2027 implementation of the ban on hidden car door handles.
鈥淔or the rapidly evolving NEV (new energy vehicle) industry, competition should be defined not only by the pace of technological innovation but also by the high standards set for safety,鈥� the newspaper said.
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Fu Ting reported from Washington.
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