Government regulators have spent the last year asking serious questions about Tesla’s electronic, retractable door handles, a cool-looking automotive design flourish that has since been imitated by plenty of competitors.
The handles have been blamed, in the US and in China, for making it difficult for passengers to quickly exit vehicles and for impeding rescue efforts. A handful of crash victims’ families have even filed lawsuits against Tesla, alleging the door handle designs played roles in their loved ones’ deaths.
Now the door handles have led to Tesla’s largest recall ever—and China’s. The Chinese government is recalling more than 2.9 million Model 3s and Model Ys manufactured in China between 2019 and 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced Friday.
Some of the affected vehicles will be made safer with an over-the-air software update that lowers windows after collisions, making it easier for passengers to get out in an emergency. But many cars will also need new warning stickers—affixed free of charge—that can help people find and operate emergency mechanical door handles. Those handles can currently be hard to identify because they’re colored similarly to the rest of the vehicles’ interiors. The mechanical door handles are especially important when vehicles’ low-voltage batteries fail. (These batteries don’t operate the cars themselves, but power onboard computers, displays, and other accessories, including electronically powered door handles.)
Tesla didn’t respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
The Chinese government simultaneously recalled more than 1 million vehicles manufactured by eight Chinese automakers, also for safety concerns related to flush door handles. The other automakers are Beijing Automotive, Chery, Dongfeng, First Auto Works, Geely, Leapmotor, Xiaomi, and Xpeng.
Separately, the Chinese government recalled nearly 50,000 imported Tesla Model 3s, Xs, and S’s for insufficiently monitoring drivers using the US automakers’ assisted steering technology. The government said the tech increased the risk of collisions. The recall affects some vehicles imported between 2019 and 2026. Some of the vehicles can be fixed with software updates, but some will need new in-cabin cameras that ensure drivers are paying sufficient attention while operating their vehicles.
China has been more aggressive than other countries in regulating new automotive technology. It put in place new rules earlier this year that will soon ban fully retractable door handles in the country. In 2021, a government agency issued regulations more tightly governing the operations of autonomous vehicles, even before that tech had widely hit the road; another agency that same year created specific rules for the data generated by its increasingly software-centric cars.
The US’s top road regulator has started to examine whether it needs new rules governing door handle design, Bloomberg reported last month.
