Three-million Teslas in China recalled over pop-out door handles - prompts industry re-think

August 25, 2026

A total of 4.3 million cars - three-million being Teslas - are being recalled in China to address safety concerns over 'flush' pop-out door handles.

The other manufacturers affected include Chery, XPeng, Geely, Leapmotor and Xiaomi - all bar the latter sell vehicles in the UK and are increasingly popular with fleets.

The recall comes as part of safety concerns of pop-out door handles in the event of an accident. This includes reports of two fatal incidents in China, involving Xiaomi vehicles, to which power failures were suspected to prevent the doors from being opened.

Recalled Tesla vehicles will receive a warning label on the inside of the door and a software update, which lowers the windows in the event of an accident. This includes the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X, which all have pop-out handles.

Tesla itself says in 'extreme situations' causing the vehicle's low-voltage system to fail, this could hinder occupants from quickly opening the doors as well as impeding rescue efforts outside the vehicle, prompting its recall.

The Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation said that vehicles in the recall have emergency mechanical door releases that are 'difficult to identify because the colour is similar to the interior trim.' It follows as the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced in February it would outlaw pop-out handles from 1 January 2027.

For fleets, this could mean a significant re-think to the way door handles are designed on makes and models popular with company car drivers. This isn't exclusive to Tesla and some Chinese brands, but European and Japanese ones, too.

Many manufacturers rely on the huge Chinese market to succeed - and Chinese brands are rapidly expanding in European markets - so, the MIIT's ruling could mean that cars will lose the popular 'flush' handle design in favour of safety.

No such ruling is set for the UK and Europe. Though in 2025, the EU began reviewing the safety of pop-out handles, which - coupled with the Chinese legislation - may prompt similar discussions affecting vehicles sold in the UK.

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