Geely, Leapmotor, Tesla, BAIC, Hongqi, and four other car manufacturers recently announced a large-scale recall in China for safety reasons. The internal mechanical emergency door handles on these vehicle models are deemed difficult to identify because their color matches the interior. This affects passengers' ability to open doors and escape when the low-voltage electrical system fails.

Previously, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "technical requirements for car door handle safety" standard. The regulation, effective from january 2027, mandates that each car door must have an external handle supporting mechanical opening. Internal handles must be easily identifiable, clearly visible, and located within 300 mm from the door edge.

Although the standard has not yet been officially implemented, Chinese authorities have begun tightening regulations. According to CarNewsChina, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced a recall plan considered the largest in the history of the automotive industry.

The internal door latches of the Tesla Model 3 match the interior color. Photo: DubiCars

According to SAMR, BAIC, Chery, Dongfeng, Hongqi, Geely, Leapmotor, Tesla, Xiaomi, and Xpeng have submitted recall plans. Among them, Tesla is the most affected, with 2.98 million vehicles.

Reuters reported that the recalled Tesla models include the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X, encompassing both imported and China-produced vehicles, with the recall beginning on 25/9.

Xiaomi will recall approximately 390,000 vehicles, Leapmotor about 371,000 vehicles, and Xpeng approximately 264,000 vehicles. Other manufacturers that submitted documents to the regulatory body are conducting much smaller-scale recalls.

The recall information indicates that the emergency door handles on these manufacturers' vehicles are difficult to identify and operate due to their matching interior color. Therefore, manufacturers will add warning labels to these locations free of charge. Most vehicles will also receive an ota update to add an automatic window lowering feature after an accident.

The recall stems from several recent fatal accidents. The most severe involved a Xiaomi SU7 model, resulting in the deaths of three university students. The victims reportedly could not locate the emergency release latch hidden in the door's storage compartment, preventing them from escaping the burning vehicle.

Door handle designs, which typically open using a smart key, phone, or touch panel, are also under scrutiny by US regulatory agencies.

Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it would review new safety standards to address the risk of passengers becoming trapped in vehicles when the electrical system loses power.

NHTSA stated on the evening of 21/8 that car manufacturers have not yet informed the agency of plans to conduct a similar recall in the US market.

My Anh