Electric vehicle giant Tesla will launch an over-the-air (OTA) software update to about 1.6 million cars in China to improve safety features of its Autopilot driver-assistance system, CNN Business reports, citing the country’s top market regulator.
Coverage
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation outlined that the Tesla Autopilot recall includes 1.61 million electric cars in the world’s largest auto market.
Specifically, it affects imported units like the Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model 3. It also includes Giga Shanghai-made Tesla Model 3 and Model Y units, the brand’s most popular offerings. Notably, these Tesla EVs were produced from August 26, 2014, to December 20, 2023.
Meanwhile, the second Chinese recall involving the door issues included 7,538 imported Model S and X produced from October 26, 2022 to November 16, 2023.
Issue
China’s top market regulator stated that the recall is for Tesla to increase the protection and safety features of the affected electric vehicle models against Autosteer function misuse. The recall is crucial for the American electric automaker to reduce the risk of a car crash.
In a separate Chinese recall, 7,538 imported Tesla Model S sedans and Model X SUVs pose issues on their doors. According to Reuters, their doors could unlock and open in case of a crash, potentially intensifying the impact on the people inside the vehicle. It apparently violates the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No.214, S9.2.3(b)(1), requiring that all doors that are not struck by another vehicle in a crash “shall not disengage from the latched position.”
Fix
This critical safety procedure is just referred to as a “recall.” Nonetheless, the more than 1.6 million EVs with Autosteer issues will not need to visit a Tesla Service Center or undergo a physical maintenance procedure.
Instead, Tesla will release an OTA software update for the owners to simply download and install in their EVs to fix the issues.
On the other hand, the imported Model S and X with door latch issues will receive a separate OTA update. Therefore, the “recall” will not significantly inconvenience affected Tesla owners.
Notably, Tesla has also launched the same OTA software update to its 2 million EVs in the US in December 2023. It is a response to the federal safety regulator’s safety concerns over Tesla Autopilot’s Autosteer feature and its lack of protection against owner misuse. At the same time, the Musk-led company also released a separate OTA update to 120,000 Model S and Model X units in the US to fix the same door latch issue.
Despite the notable unsuitability of the “recall” term, the US NHTSA argues that OTA updates still fall under this category. Therefore, Tesla Chief Elon Musk has called for the US regulator to update the terminology several times already, as the “recall” tends to have a negative connotation.
