Tesla recalls 1.6 million cars in China to reduce risks of road collisions

U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla is recalling more than 1.68 million cars in China starting from Tuesday to fix a software problem so as to reduce risks of collisions, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said.

The recalled models include the imported Model S and Model X and domestically made Model 3 and Model Y produced from October 2020 to July 2024, according to a statement on the regulator's website.

Some of the vehicles included in the recall may have a higher risk of software failure to be detected when the bonnet is unlocked. Due to the issue, these vehicles' front trunk covers may spring up and block a driver's view under extreme circumstances leading to a collision on the road, according to the statement.

The issues can be fixed through over-the-air software updates, it said.

The Chinese recall follows the recall of 1.85 million Tesla cars on U.S. roads last month after the U.S. highway safety regulator identified a similar issue. An unlatched hood could fully open and obstruct the driver's view, raising the risk of a crash, Reuters reported earlier, citing U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is not the first time that Tesla has launched a large-scale recall. In January, Tesla announced a recall involving more than 1.6 million of its vehicles in China due to safety risks.

However, despite the Biden administration's intensifying trade and technology suppression on China in recent years, the U.S. electric vehicle giant has moved toward forming closer business ties with China to bet on the great potential of the Chinese market.

Tesla's financial report for Q2 2024 showed that the annual vehicle capacity of the Shanghai Gigafactory has surpassed 950,000 units, ranking first among its plants, which helped the EV maker significantly increase deliveries in several markets in the world.

According to latest data released by the China Passenger Car Association, Tesla's sales of China-made EVs jumped by 15.3 percent on a yearly basis to reach 74,117 units in July, up 4.4 percent from June.

Recently, Tesla was included within a government procurement list issued by East China's Jiangsu Province, which marked Tesla's entry into a local government purchasing list in China for the first time.

In addition, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expected China to approve Tesla's driving assistance system, Full Self-Driving (FSD) by the end of the year, CNBC reported earlier.

"Pretty soon, we will ask for regulatory approval of the Tesla-supervised FSD in Europe, China and other countries. And I think we are likely to receive that before the end of the year," Musk said during a second-quarter earnings call in June, the CNBC report said.