- China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) says that some interior door handle releases are too close in color to the rest of the vehicle trim, making them too hard to use in an emergency.
- The recall affects millions of vehicles, including 2.98 million Teslas.
- China has set specific standards for door handles, banning hidden electronic ones that do not have an obvious mechanical backup, starting in 2027.
Hidden and electronic door handles have rightfully gotten a bad rap as of late. All across the globe, consumers are starting to realize they’ve had enough, while governments have expressed concerns about safety risks. China, the world’s biggest market when it comes to EVs and PHEV models, has experienced the brunt of this. Concerns were so great that the country outright banned fully hidden door handles and electronic door handles that have no obvious mechanical backup, from 2027 onward.
But the country hasn’t stopped there, either. Out of an abundance of caution, China has instituted a recall for current vehicles on the road. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has recalled millions of vehicles because the mechanical interior releases aren’t easy enough to find in an emergency. The recall affects nearly 3 million Teslas sold in China, but also hundreds of thousands of Chinese-domestic models that use a similar design as Tesla. BYD, Geely, Xiaomi, BAIC, Leapmotor, Chery, FAW, Xpeng, and FAW are also part of the same recall.
The agency asserts that the emergency release levers are too close in color to the rest of the vehicle trim, which makes it too hard to operate in an emergency. This isn’t entirely unprecedented, either. In the modern Chinese cars I’ve had experience with (namely, the latest Xiaomi SU7 update), the emergency door release levers are now bright red, compared to the beige or black trim-matched levers of the pre-facelift model.
So far, Tesla said its fix is to stick a warning label on the release handles of the affected Model 3, Model Y, Model X, and Model S cars. Also, the cars will get an over-the-air update that will automatically lower the windows slightly in a wreck to facilitate escape or emergency services.
These fears aren’t unfounded, though. After a series of high-profile deaths and car accidents, one of the biggest involving three college students who a Xiaomi SU7, door handle safety has been a real topic of concern both in and outside of China. The three students died when a Xiaomi SU7 sedan hit a barrier on the freeway in 2025. The car lost power and caught fire, with bystanders alleging that the retracted door handles made it impossible to rescue the passengers.
Many also placed the blame on the SU7’s interior electronic door handles and their less-than-obvious mechanical releases. These concerns aren’t just limited to China, either. Here in the U.S., electronic door handles have faced similar scrutiny. Bloomberg says that there have been at least 15 deaths that could be attributed to Tesla’s electronic door handles failing to work in an emergency.
So far, there’s no concrete legislation or ban on electronic door handles in the U.S. like there is in China. However, the NHTSA has openly made it known that it is investigating whether or not we need further rules and standards when it comes to electronic door handles. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if similar guardrails and standards aren’t on their way for cars sold in our market.
