Geely, Leapmotor, Tesla, BAIC, Hongqi and other automakers have filed recalls in China over concerns that emergency mechanical door handles inside vehicle cabins are difficult to identify because their colours are similar to the surrounding interior trim.

This could affect occupants' ability to open the doors and evacuate the vehicle during a low-voltage system failure.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology previously issued the "Technical Requirements for Automobile Door Handle Safety" standard, which will come into force in January 2027.

It requires every door to have an external handle with a mechanical release function, while internal handles must be easily identifiable, clearly visible and positioned within 300 mm of the door edges.

Although the standard has yet to come into force, the Chinese government has begun tightening requirements for door handles, with several automakers filing recall plans concerning the visibility and operation of interior emergency handles. China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has announced recalls involving multiple manufacturers.

According to SAMR, BAIC, Chery, Dongfeng, FAW Hongqi, Geely, Leapmotor, Tesla, Xiaomi and Xpeng filed recall plans in accordance with the "Regulations on the Recall of Defective Automobile Products" and the "Implementation Measures for the Regulations on the Recall of Defective Automobile Products". Tesla has the largest number of affected vehicles, with almost three million units recalled.

According to the recall information, the emergency mechanical handles in the affected vehicles are difficult to identify and operate because their colours are similar to the interior trim.

As a corrective measure, the automakers will add warning labels to the emergency mechanical handles inside the recalled vehicles at no cost. Most affected vehicles will also receive an Over-The-Air (OTA) software update adding a post-accident window-lowering function.

The recalls cover the following vehicles and quantities:

- Zeekr: 92,658 units of the 007 sedan and X SUV.
- FAW Hongqi: 4,035 units of the EH7 and Tiangong 08.
- BAIC BluePark: 46,860 units of the ArcFox Kaola minivan.
- Dongfeng: 53,452 units of the Nammi 06, Aeolus L8, eπ 007 and eπ 008.
- Leapmotor: 371,200 units of the C01 sedan and C11 SUV.
- Chery: 64,488 units of the iCaur 03 and Chery Fulwin X3 SUVs.
- Tesla: 2,975,910 China-made Model 3 and Model X vehicles.
- Tesla: 46,041 imported Model 3, Model X and Model S vehicles.
- Xiaomi: 390,435 units of the 2024 model-year SU7.
- Xpeng: 264,842 units of the G6, P7+ and X9.

The recalls follow several fatal incidents, including an accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 that resulted in the deaths of three university students. Reports indicated that the occupants were unable to locate the emergency release mechanisms concealed within storage compartments in the door panels and consequently could not exit the burning vehicle.