China’s market regulator has announced a recall covering 2,975,910 Tesla vehicles over concerns that emergency mechanical door releases could be difficult to locate or operate after a serious collision.
The State Administration for Market Regulation published the recall notice on August 21, 2026, with the recall scheduled to begin on September 25.
It covers specified China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, as well as imported Model 3, Model S, Model X and Model Y vehicles.
The regulator said the emergency releases may be difficult to distinguish from surrounding interior trim. If a crash damages the vehicle’s low-voltage electrical system, occupants or rescuers could face greater difficulty accessing the manual releases.
Tesla will add warning labels and deploy an over-the-air software update designed to lower the windows automatically after qualifying collisions, providing an additional means of escape or access.
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The recall forms part of a wider Chinese safety campaign involving about 4.3 million vehicles from 11 automakers, including Xiaomi, Leapmotor, Xpeng and Geely, over concerns about emergency door-release systems.
The move comes ahead of tighter Chinese requirements for vehicle door systems. From January 1, 2027, new vehicle models will be subject to rules requiring emergency door-opening mechanisms to be clearly identifiable and mechanically operable.
Tesla is separately recalling 2,740,642 China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles over driver-attention monitoring when assisted-driving functions are active.
That recall took effect on August 21, with an over-the-air update adding cabin-camera monitoring to the existing steering-wheel monitoring system.
The latest action follows Tesla’s January 2024 recall of more than 1.6 million vehicles in China over issues involving assisted steering and door-unlock controls.
The recalls underscore increasing regulatory scrutiny of electronic and concealed vehicle systems, particularly where a loss of electrical power could compromise emergency access.