China’s market regulator, SAMR, announced recalls and additional measures involving eleven automakers on Friday. The primary concern for most of the vehicles is the mechanical emergency door release, which may blend too closely in colour with the surrounding trim, making it difficult to locate or operate in an emergency. If a severe accident causes the vehicle’s electrical system to fail, this could prevent occupants from opening the doors quickly and hinder rescue efforts from outside. Nine of the eleven manufacturers plan to address this issue by adding warning labels, among other measures.
The recalls due to this issue alone affect more than four million vehicles. Tesla accounts for the largest share by far. The US manufacturer will recall nearly 2.98 million imported and China-produced Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles starting 25 September. In addition to adding warnings about the mechanical emergency release, an over-the-air (OTA) update will ensure the windows automatically lower after an accident.
Several Chinese manufacturers are also required to take action. Xiaomi is recalling 390,435 units of the SU7 from the 2024 model year and plans to optimise the unlocking logic and window lowering via software, in addition to adding warning labels. Leapmotor is affected with 371,200 C11 and C01 vehicles, while Xpeng is recalling 264,842 units of the G6, P7+, and X9 model ranges. Zeekr’s measures involve 92,658 units of the 007 and X models. Further recalls have been announced for vehicles from Chery, Dongfeng, Arcfox, and FAW, with actions ranging from additional labelling to replacing the covers of the mechanical emergency releases.
