Tesla leads China’s largest-ever vehicle recall, with nearly 3 million cars affectedTesla and roughly ten other automakers began China's largest-ever vehicle recall this week. The action covers close to 4.3 million cars over door handles that regulators say may be difficult to open in an emergency. Tesla's share of the recall stands at 2.98 million vehicles, the single largest portion among the automakers involved.The recall covers Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles, both imported and China-made, produced between March 4, 2019, and April 29, 2026. China's State Administration for Market Regulation announced the action Friday, and the fix takes effect starting September 25.A years-old design flawTesla's electrically operated, flush-mounted door handles retract into the body panel and extend outward when a driver approaches. Regulators said severe collisions can knock out a vehicle's low-voltage electrical system, which can then prevent the handles from working when occupants or rescuers need them most.AdvertisementAdvertisementTesla said in its recall notice that this failure "could hinder occupants from quickly opening the doors to escape." The company plans to fix the issue with warning labels showing where mechanical emergency releases are located. It will also roll out an over-the-air software update that automatically lowers vehicle windows once the system detects a collision.Nine automakers, one flawBeyond Tesla, the recall touches Xiaomi, Xpeng, Leapmotor, Geely, and several other Chinese manufacturers. All are working to fix versions of the same underlying issue. Xiaomi's share covers roughly 390,000 SU7 sedans, while Leapmotor and Xpeng account for about 371,000 and 264,000 vehicles respectively.Scrutiny of hidden door handles intensified following a string of incidents in which occupants became trapped inside vehicles after crashes. That includes a fatal collision last year involving a Xiaomi SU7. Chinese regulators have increased oversight of the EV industry throughout the year. New, tougher safety requirements have arrived as automakers wage an intense price war and roll out new technology at a rapid pace.Beyond the software fixChina has separately mandated that concealed, electrically powered door handles will be banned outright starting January 1, 2027. That makes China the first country to phase out a design Tesla popularized and that many domestic EV makers later adopted. Under the incoming rules, every vehicle sold in China must include a mechanical release on both the interior and exterior of each door.AdvertisementAdvertisementTu Le, founder of Sino Auto Insights, told the BBC that warning labels and software patches represent only a temporary fix. He said they do not offer a lasting solution to the underlying design problem. Roughly three in five of China's 100 best-selling new energy vehicles currently use hidden or flush door handles, according to China Daily.Tesla is also separately recalling about 2.74 million vehicles in China to strengthen its driver-monitoring system. Regulators determined that checking for a hand on the steering wheel alone was not sufficient to confirm a driver remained attentive while using assisted-driving features.