Tesla to recall 1.1 million cars in China over potential safety risks, Chinese regulator says
By Laura He, CNN
Updated 6:29 AM EDT, Fri May 12, 2023
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02:14 - Source: CNN
Hong Kong CNN —
Tesla will recall more than 1.1 million cars in China due to potential safety risks, the country’s top market regulator said on Friday.
Starting May 29, the US company will take back 1,104,622 vehicles that were produced between January 12, 2019, and April 24, 2023, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said in a statement, citing a plan filed by Tesla with the regulator.
That’s nearly equivalent to Tesla’s total sales in mainland China during the four-year period. From 2019 to March 2023, Tesla sold about 1.09 million vehicles in the country, according to CNN calculations based on figures from China’s state-backed industry associations.
The models to be recalled include imported Model S, Model X, Model 3 and China-made Model 3 and Model 6.
An aerial view of Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory on March 29, 2021. Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images/FILE
The vehicles have issues that may increase the probability of drivers “mistakenly stepping on the accelerator pedal” for an extended period, which could increase the risk of collision and pose a “safety hazard,” the statement said.
The company plans to make adjustments or add notification features to the recalled vehicles to reduce the risk, it added.
In March, Tesla recalled more than 2,600 imported Model S cars in China, according to the SAMR. The hood of those vehicles could pop open unexpectedly while driving, posing safety risks for the vehicle and other cars.
China is a major sales and manufacturing center for Tesla, which broke ground on a huge factory in Shanghai in January 2019. That facility, which was built within 10 months at 65% of the cost of a similar plant in the United States, has already become the company’s main export hub.
The Shanghai facility supplies vehicles to most markets outside of North America. It’s unclear whether vehicles from that factory sold outside mainland China will be subject to the same recall. Tesla has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.
