Regulators have delivered a clear verdict on the long-standing debate over whether vehicle aesthetics should take precedence over safety. On August 21, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced that Tesla Motors would recall 972,300 domestically produced Model 3 electric vehicles, 1.95 million domestically produced Model Y electric vehicles, 35,600 imported Model 3 vehicles, 8,328 imported Model X vehicles, and 2,123 imported Model S vehicles. Combined, Tesla's latest recall campaign involves a total of 2.97 million vehicles.

On the same day, eight other automakers including XIAOMI-W, Leapmotor, and XPeng also issued recall announcements. Xiaomi and Leapmotor ranked second and third in recall volume, pulling back over 390,000 and 370,000 vehicles respectively. According to statistics, the nine automakers collectively recalled 4.28 million vehicles, with Tesla alone accounting for roughly 70% of the total, all attributed to the same root cause: the emergency mechanical door release handle blends with the interior color scheme, making it difficult to identify and operate.

Automotive analyst Xiao Hong noted that this centralized batch filing by the market regulator effectively establishes a clear industry-wide red line: safety redundancy design must not be sacrificed for exterior aesthetics. Going forward, all new vehicle development programs must incorporate high-visibility and easy operability of emergency escape components into mandatory safety verification procedures, closing off similar design loopholes at the research and development stage.

Where the recall effort begins

Tesla's recall plan, filed with the State Administration for Market Regulation on August 21, covers multiple production periods. The company will recall 972,300 domestically produced Model 3 vehicles manufactured between March 4, 2019 and April 29, 2026, and 1.95 million domestically produced Model Y vehicles built from November 16, 2020 to April 30, 2026. Additionally, 35,600 imported Model 3 vehicles produced between August 22, 2018 and November 20, 2019, 8,328 imported Model X vehicles from October 27, 2022 to February 13, 2026, and 2,123 imported Model S vehicles from January 18, 2023 to February 10, 2026 will be included. The total number of vehicles subject to this recall reaches 2.97 million.

Tesla explained that affected vehicles have emergency mechanical release handles that are too similar in color to the interior trim, hindering quick identification and operation. In extreme scenarios such as a severe collision causing failure of the vehicle's low-voltage electrical system, this could delay occupants from rapidly opening doors to escape and impede external rescue efforts, posing a safety hazard. To address the issue, Tesla will affix warning labels free of charge on affected vehicles and upgrade window control software through over-the-air (OTA) technology to add a post-accident window lowering strategy. Vehicles that already carry the warning labels will not require reapplication.

Additionally, Tesla is recalling 2.74 million domestically produced Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured between March 4, 2019 and December 7, 2025. In this batch, the existing driver attention monitoring mechanism is insufficient to alert the driver when their gaze drifts away from the road while assisted steering is active and the vehicle is operating under combined driver assistance systems. If the driver fails to intervene in time, the risk of collision increases, creating a safety hazard.

Xiao Hong told reporters that the nine automakers' recalls disclosed simultaneously by the State Administration for Market Regulation, including Tesla, uniformly identify the defect as the emergency mechanical release handle lacking sufficient visual distinction, a common problem stemming from unreasonable selection, color matching, and signage planning at the product design stage, rather than occasional flaws in the manufacturing process. This type of recall is classified as a systemic design oversight that emerged when new energy vehicle companies followed the trend of hidden door handles in the early years while generally ignoring the visibility requirements of emergency release handles.

Xiaomi recalls nearly all SU7 units sold

In terms of recall volume, XIAOMI-W and Leapmotor ranked second and third respectively. On August 21, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced that Xiaomi would recall 339,100 units of the 2024 Xiaomi SU7 series pure electric vehicles produced between August 8, 2024 and March 4, 2026, as well as 51,400 units of the 2024 Xiaomi SU7 series manufactured between December 27, 2023 and August 16, 2024. Combined, Xiaomi's recall totals more than 390,000 vehicles.

Industry data shows that from December 2023 to March 2026, Xiaomi SU7 registered sales reached 409,000 units. This means the company is recalling virtually every SU7 sold during that period.

On the same day, Leapmotor announced immediate recalls of 48,600 C01 vehicles produced between August 7, 2022 and November 29, 2025, and 322,600 C11 vehicles manufactured between September 20, 2021 and April 21, 2026. In total, Leapmotor's recall exceeds 370,000 vehicles.

Furthermore, XPeng will recall 134,600 G6 vehicles, 94,700 P7+ vehicles, and 35,600 X9 vehicles starting August 22, 2026, bringing its total to 264,800 vehicles. Geely Automobile is recalling a combined 92,700 Zeekr 007 and Zeekr X vehicles. Chery Automobile will recall 57,700 iCAR 03 vehicles and 10,800 Fengyun X3 vehicles, totaling 68,500 units. Dongfeng Motor is recalling 53,500 vehicles spanning the Nano 06, Fengshen L8, eπ007, and eπ008 models, while BAIC BluePark is recalling 46,900 Arcfox Kaola pure electric vehicles. FAW is recalling 7,873 EH7 vehicles and 4,035 Tian Gong 08 vehicles, for a combined 11,900 units.

Collectively, the nine automakers are recalling 4.28 million vehicles, with Tesla representing approximately 70% of the total, all due to the emergency mechanical release handle being hard to distinguish from the interior color scheme. Xiao Hong emphasized that this concentrated recall campaign directly brings an end to the design philosophy of prioritizing appearance over safety that has prevailed among new energy vehicle makers in recent years. Hidden door handles have become standard equipment on most new-gen models, with automakers placing integrated interior color aesthetics at the top of their priority lists while completely overlooking the safety requirements for emergency release handle visibility. The market regulator's large-scale batch filing serves as an explicit warning to the entire industry that safety redundancy cannot yield to styling choices, and future vehicle development must incorporate high-visibility and easy operability of emergency escape components into mandatory safety validation processes to prevent such design flaws from recurring at the source.