Tesla Issues Recall For 1.6 Million Cars In China

Elon Musk’s Tesla is recalling a huge number of its electric vehicles (EVs) in China, over problems with the latch securing the boot (or trunk in American parlance).

The Associated Press reported China’s market regulator as saying that Tesla is recalling 1.68 million cars in China for a remote software upgrade to ensure that they warn the driver when the boot or trunk is not locked shut.

Tesla is no stranger to recalls. In June the firm issued its fourth recall for the Tesla Cybertruck, which was a rare physical recall of the majority of its Cybertruck vehicles in the United States, rather than a more common over-the-air software update for other recalls.

Locking issue

According to the Associated Press report, the Chinese announcement on Tuesday also stated that vehicles with faulty boot/trunk latches will be repaired free of charge.

The recalls affect some imported Model S and Model X vehicles, as well as domestically made Model 3 and Model Y cars manufactured between 15 October 2020 and 17 July 2024, the report stated.

The recall notice apparently states that an unlocked trunk or boot lid could open up during driving, interfering with the driver’s vision.

It did not state whether that had ever happened to any Tesla cars.

Tesla will reportedly fix the problem through a remote software upgrade, the State Administration for Market Regulation reportedly said.

EV sales

Last month Tesla had revealed that global electric vehicle sales had fallen for the second straight quarter.

The Tesla decline came as no surprise, considering that global demand for EVs worldwide is slowing.

This slowdown could be blamed on a number of factors including economic uncertainty, high interest rates, and geopolitical tensions that has seen the United States (up to 100 percent) and Europe Union (up to 38 percent) impose stiff tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.

China’s three largest premium electric vehicle (EV) makers however had recently reported strong delivery figures for June, but the numbers were fuelled by discounts and incentives that affect their longer-term ability to reach profitability.