Door‑Handle Hazard: 3.9M Vehicles Recalled(August 27)

Nearly 3.9 Million Vehicles Recalled Over Emergency Door Handle Safety Risks

Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued a series of new energy vehicle recall announcements involving Tesla, Leapmotor, XPeng, Zeekr, Chery, Dongfeng, Arcfox, and Hongqi. The total number of recalled vehicles from these automakers approaches 3.9 million.

The core reason for this large-scale recall is highly consistent across all cases, pointing to a safety hazard where the interior emergency mechanical door handle is colored similarly to the surrounding trim, making it difficult to identify and operate. In extreme situations such as a severe collision causing the vehicle’s low-voltage system to fail, this design flaw could impede occupants from quickly opening doors to escape and hinder rescue efforts from outside the vehicle.

Tesla (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Tesla Motor (Beijing) Co., Ltd. are the largest recall subjects in this round, jointly recalling approximately 2.976 million domestically produced and imported Model 3, Model Y, Model X, and Model S vehicles. In addition to the emergency door handle issue, Tesla also initiated a separate recall covering approximately 2.74 million domestically produced Model 3 and Model Y vehicles due to insufficient attention monitoring mechanisms in its combined driving assist system.

Tesla stated that it will affix warning labels free of charge to vehicles within the recall scope and upgrade the window control software via OTA (over-the-air) updates to add a post-crash window-lowering strategy. It will also add an in-cabin camera monitoring function to the assisted driving system, employing dual technical measures to reduce collision risks and ensure unobstructed emergency escape routes.

Leapmotor, XPeng, Zeekr, and Dongfeng have also initiated recall procedures for the same type of emergency door handle hazard. Leapmotor is recalling approximately 371,000 C11 and C01 vehicles; XPeng is recalling approximately 265,000 G6, P7+, and X9 vehicles; Zeekr is recalling 93,000 units of the 007 and Zeekr X; and Dongfeng is recalling 53,000 Nano 06, Fengshen L8, eπ007, and eπ008 vehicles. These companies generally adopted a combination of affixing warning labels and OTA-upgrading window control software.

The recall measures from Chery New Energy, BAIC Blue Valley Magna, and FAW Hongqi are more targeted. Chery is recalling approximately 68,000 iCAR 03 and Fengyun X3 vehicles; in addition to affixing warning labels, it will also replace the improved emergency mechanical door handle cover plate. BAIC Arcfox is recalling 47,000 Koala pure electric vehicles; since the right-side sliding door emergency handle cover plate lacks text prompts, it will be replaced with a labeled cover plate and the post-crash window-lowering software will be upgraded simultaneously. FAW Hongqi is recalling approximately 12,000 EH7 and Tiangong 08 vehicles, only affixing warning labels at the emergency handle locations.

The remedial measures in this recall all center on occupant safety assurance under extreme operating conditions. Whether affixing warning labels or replacing handle cover plates, the essence is to optimize the mechanical escape pathway after vehicle power loss, ensuring that occupants can quickly perform self-rescue in emergencies. The OTA upgrade to add a post-crash automatic window-lowering strategy is designed to break down the rescue barrier after an accident, facilitating rescue efforts by personnel outside the vehicle.

Reporters learned that all involved automakers have launched user notification procedures. The vast majority of recall repairs can be completed remotely via OTA, and vehicle owners do not need to visit a service center. For vehicles requiring in-person handling, brand service centers or authorized dealers will arrange free inspections and repairs.

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