China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced last week (August 21, 2026) the most important automotive recall within the country’s history over hidden door handles which may be difficult to open in an emergency.
In line with report by Channel News Asia and BBC, 4.3 million vehicles from nine brands are involved within the recall, with the treatment being the installation of high-visibility warning labels in addition to software updates to routinely lower windows after a crash.
“In extreme situations equivalent to severe collisions causing the vehicle’s low-voltage system to fail, (the handles) may affect passengers’ ability to quickly open automobile doors for escape and rescue operations outside the vehicle,” SAMR said in a press release.
Chinese-made Tesla vehicles accounted for the vast majority of that combined total, with 2.98 million cars involved within the recall. Other brands with affected vehicles include Xpeng, Xiaomi, Geely (for Zeekr and Lynk & Co models), Leapmotor, Chery, BAIC, Dongfeng and FAW Group (for Hongqi models).
Hidden door handles, lots of which require an electrical current to increase out from a flush surface, have come under scrutiny after two fatal crashes in China involving Xiaomi electric vehicles (EVs). In each cases, power failure was suspected to have prevented the door from being opened.
This has led China’s ministry of industry and data technology (MIIT) to issue latest regulations this 12 months requiring cars sold within the country to have a mechanical release for the door on each the within and out of doors of the vehicle. These regulations go into effect on January 1, 2027, although vehicles which have already been approved on the market in China and are about to launch may have until January 2029 to have their designs modified for compliance.
This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
