Tesla Recalls 3M Cars in China Because Doors Won't Open in a Crash

What Actually Happened

The New York Post reports that Tesla filed recall notices Friday with China's State Administration for Market Regulation covering approximately 2.98 million imported and domestically produced Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles.

The problem is the door handles. Tesla uses electronically operated, retractable door handles, which are sleek and futuristic right up until your low-voltage system fails after a severe collision. At that point, according to Tesla's own recall notice, the handles become difficult to operate, which is a polite way of saying the people inside the car may not be able to get out and rescuers outside may not be able to get in.

Tesla described this, in its own words, as a situation that 'could hinder occupants from quickly opening the doors to escape and impede rescue efforts by those outside the vehicle, posing a safety hazard.' A safety hazard. A car that traps you inside after a crash is being called a safety hazard, which is one of the great understatements in the history of corporate communications.

The Fix Is Basically a Vibe

So what is Tesla doing about it? The company says it will affix warning labels to affected vehicles. Warning labels. On the doors. Warning you that the doors might not open. After a crash. When you would presumably have other things on your mind.

Tesla is also pushing a remote software update that will automatically lower the windows following an accident, which is actually a legitimate workaround, provided the low-voltage failure that killed your door handles has not also killed the window motors. The company says it will contact owners of vehicles that cannot receive remote fixes to schedule in-person service appointments.

A second recall, also filed Friday, addresses problems with driver-monitoring systems in certain vehicles. Tesla says those systems, designed to keep drivers alert and ready to take control, have a defect, and the fix there involves a software upgrade and added in-cabin camera monitoring. So Tesla's answer to a broken safety camera is more cameras. Sure.

The Scale of This Thing

To be clear about the size of what we are talking about: 2.98 million vehicles. The New York Post reports this is the largest automotive recall in China's history, full stop. Eight other automakers announced recalls the same day, including Xiaomi, Leapmotor, Xpeng, and Geely Holding, bringing the combined total to about 4.3 million vehicles. Tesla's recall alone accounts for roughly 70 percent of that number.

This is not a niche problem with an obscure component in a low-volume vehicle. This is Tesla's entire consumer lineup, across millions of cars, with a flaw that specifically manifests in the worst possible moment: immediately after a collision.

And the US? Oh, the US Is Fine, Probably

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed Friday that the automakers involved in these Chinese recalls have not disclosed plans to issue similar recalls in the United States. Tesla has the same retractable door handle design on vehicles sold in America. The physics of a low-voltage failure after a collision do not change based on which side of the Pacific Ocean the car is sitting on.

This is not a new pattern for Tesla. The New York Post also notes that Tesla issued two other recalls back in May: roughly 175 Cybertrucks over wheel studs that could separate and send a wheel rolling off into traffic, and more than 218,000 Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles over delayed rearview camera images that increased crash risk. Three recalls in a few months, all affecting the same core vehicle lineup. Fox Business reached out to Tesla for comment and, as of the reporting, had not heard back.