Government regulators have spent the last year raising serious questions about Tesla’s electronic, retractable door handles, an attractive automotive design that has since been imitated by many competitors. The handles have been blamed, in the United States and China, for making it difficult for passengers to quickly exit vehicles and impeding rescue efforts. A handful of family members of accident victims have even filed lawsuits against Tesla, alleging that the door handle designs played a role in the deaths of their loved ones. Now the door handles have led to Tesla’s largest recall to date, and the one in China. The Chinese government is recalling more than 2.9 million Model 3 and Model Y made 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 rolls down the windows after collisions, making it easier for passengers to get out in an emergency. But many cars will also need new warning stickers, fitted free of charge, that can help people find and operate the mechanical emergency door handles. These days, those handles can be difficult to identify because they are a similar color to the rest of the vehicle interiors. Mechanical door handles are especially important when low-voltage vehicle batteries fail. (These batteries don’t power the cars themselves, but instead power on-board computers, displays, and other accessories, including electronically powered door handles.) Tesla did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment. The Chinese government simultaneously recalled more than 1 million vehicles made by eight Chinese automakers, also over 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 3, X and S for insufficiently monitoring drivers using American automakers’ power steering technology. The government said the technology 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 pay enough attention while operating their vehicles. China has been more aggressive than other countries in regulating new automotive technology. Earlier this year it implemented new rules that will soon ban fully retractable door handles in the country. In 2021, a government agency issued stricter regulations governing the operations of autonomous vehicles, even before that technology was widely available; That same year, another agency created specific rules for the data generated by its increasingly software-focused cars. America’s top highway regulator has begun examining whether it needs new rules governing the design of door handles, Bloomberg reported last month.
