A Tesla Model X is seen at the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services, Beijing, September 3, 2023. /CFP
U.S. electric car manufacturer Tesla is recalling millions of vehicles in China due to problems with their automatic assisted steering and door latch controls, China's top market regulator said on Friday.
The State Administration for Market Regulation announced the recall in a statement published on its website on Friday afternoon.
Tesla is recalling over 1.6 million vehicles in China due to problems with their automatic assisted steering and door latch controls, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced in a statement on January 5, 2024. /State Administration for Market Regulation
The recall affects roughly 1.61 million vehicles with production dates between August 26, 2014 and December 20, 2023, including locally produced Model 3 and Model Y cars, as well as imported Model S, Model X and Model 3 vehicles.
With the automatic assisted steering function on, drivers may misuse the vehicle's L2 combined driver-assist function, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash, said the notice.
In addition, the company is recalling 7,538 Model S and Model X electric vehicles imported into China from October 26, 2022 to November 16, 2023 due to problems with door latch controls.
Due to a control problem with the doors' unlocking logic, in the event of a crash, the latch of the non-crash side door lock may detach from the latch, leaving the door in a non-locked state, posing safety risks.
Tesla said it is contacting the users involved through means like SMS and registered mail and will use over-the-air technology to update these cars with newly-developed features that help fix the problem.
The recall in China follows a larger recall in the United States last month of more than 2 million vehicles over autopilot safety issues, after an investigation found the autopilot safety system was "not sufficient to prevent driver misuse."