China recalls 4.3 million vehicles over door-handle safety concerns

Tesla and eight other automakers have started the recall of a total of about 4.3 million vehicles in China over concerns that doors may be difficult to open in an emergency, marking the incident as the largest one in the world’s biggest automobile market.

The recall remedies will cover software updates, warning labels and improved markings around door handles.

The course correction comes amid Beijing’s rule change earlier in 2026, in which it has increased oversight of the EV industry through the introduction of tougher safety requirements, as automakers, locked in a fierce price war, roll out technologies at a quite fast pace in the world’s largest vehicle market.

Under the new rules, concealed door handles will be banned from 2027, making it the first country to phase out a design popularised by Tesla and widely adopted by domestic Chinese EV makers.

Most of the actions, classified as product recalls under Chinese regulations, got necessitated on the back of regulator inputs that stated that emergency mechanical door-release handles may be hard to locate or operate in a crash, a defect that has drawn state scrutiny after several cases of passengers trapped inside burning vehicles.

In one such incident during October 2025, a driver of a Xiaomi SU7 sedan died after a crash and fire because the passersby could not open the doors to pull him out.

The automakers, including Tesla and Xiaomi, will install warning labels free of charge to identify the handles, apart from deploying over-the-air, or remote, software updates.

Tesla’s recall is ‌the largest. Some 2.98 million imported and China-made Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X vehicles will be recalled from September 25, as per the information provided by the American EV giant to the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR).

The Elon Musk-led automobile giant has also said mechanical emergency door-release handles may be difficult to identify following a severe collision and electrical system failure, potentially hindering occupants’ escape or rescuers’ access.

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The carmaker’s remedy includes warning labels and an update delivered remotely that automatically lowers vehicle windows after ⁠a collision.

Apart from Tesla and Xiaomi, Leapmotor, Xpeng and Geely Holding also announced their largest recalls on record, according to their filings to SAMR.

Xiaomi will recall about 390,000 vehicles, followed by Leapmotor (about 371,000) and Xpeng (about 264,000).

The door handles, which open via a key fob, smartphone or touch-sensitive panel, have also drawn scrutiny from American regulators.

In July, ⁠the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it would consider new safety standards to address the risk of occupant entrapment in vehicles during electrical power failures.

NHTSA also reviewed a petition seeking a recall of Tesla Model 3 sedans over concerns that emergency door release controls may not be clear in an emergency. However, the watchdog denied the petition in favour of addressing the issue through rulemaking.

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In 2025, European regulators too flagged the potential risks involving door-handle designs ⁠as a key priority.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has been drafting new standards to ensure that electronic handles can be opened from inside and out if the car’s electricity is cut off.