AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla is turning one of the auto industry's largest safety actions into a showcase for the advantage that has defined the company since its earliest days: the ability to fix millions of cars without a single trip to the workshop for most of the work.
China's State Administration for Market Regulation confirmed recall plans covering 2,975,910 Tesla vehicles built for the Chinese market, part of a broader industry campaign that also swept in Xiaomi, Xpeng, Geely and several other automakers. The concern is shared across all of them: emergency mechanical door releases that blend into the cabin trim and can be hard to locate after a severe crash cuts a car's low-voltage power.
An over-the-air answer
Where a traditional recall of this size would mean millions of service appointments and months of shop time, Tesla is resolving the bulk of it remotely. The company is pushing an over-the-air software update that automatically lowers the windows after a collision is detected, guaranteeing occupants and first responders an open path even if a door stays latched. Owners will also receive free high-visibility labels that mark the location of the manual release levers inside the cabin.
The numbers underline the scale. More than 1.95 million Model Y units and roughly 973,000 Model 3s are covered, alongside smaller batches of imported Model S and Model X cars. A separate campaign rolls a free update to about 2.74 million Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that sharpens cabin-camera driver-attention monitoring while Autosteer is engaged. The mechanical-handle remedy formally begins September 25.
