Tesla is facing a massive recall in China. Chinese regulators are taking a stricter approach to safety, requiring the automaker to add warning labels to 2.98 million Model 3 and Model Y electric vehicles that more clearly explain how to open the rear doors in the event of an emergency that causes the car to lose power.
As reported earlier this year, Chinese regulators are getting more serious about the recent trend of electronically controlled car doors. A growing number of crashes have had fatal consequences when occupants were trapped in burning vehicles. Starting next year, new rules specify dimensions for door handles that all newly approved vehicles must follow. Cars already on sale, including the Model 3 and Model Y, are grandfathered in until the end of 2028.
In the meantime, China is requiring Tesla to address the nearly 3 million vehicles already on its roads. The automaker must add warning labels to car interiors — a measure that requires physical access to each vehicle — and will also push a software update that automatically lowers all windows in the event of a collision.
Driver Monitoring Recall
Tesla is also facing a second Chinese recall, this one affecting 2.74 million cars. These vehicles require updated software for their driver monitoring system, which currently relies solely on a torque sensor on the steering wheel to determine whether the driver is holding the wheel and remaining engaged. The update will instead leverage the interior camera in the Model 3 and Model Y to track the driver’s gaze directly.
That camera-based approach has already proven vulnerable, however. Electrek has previously reported that Chinese Tesla owners have been able to defeat the cabin driver monitoring system — which Tesla has rolled out alongside its more advanced partially automated driving features — by mounting a doll’s head in front of the camera.
