Tesla issues recall on almost 300,000 EV cars in China

Tesla started to recall more than 285,000 cars in China, and this was announced on Saturday, June 26. It was reported that the main reason for the recall was a feature in the cruise control system.

The Tesla defect that caused the recall

The issue is that in some models, the cruise control system may be activated when drivers attempt to shift gears. It may also turn on when the driver accidentally touches the gear selector, and both instances could lead to accidental acceleration. This issue has been revealed by China's State Administration for Market Regulation.

According to CNN Business, the latest recall from Tesla affects 35,665 imported Model 3 units and 249,855 mixed units of Model 3 and Model Y cars that were produced in the EV automaker’s plant in Shanghai.

Then again, it was said that owners will not be asked to return the cars, but rather, they will be given free software updates. This means that the issue could be solved remotely, or an in-person could also help fix the issue.

With the sudden recall, Tesla issued an apology on Saturday, and it was posted on the company’s official Weibo account, China's popular social media platform. Elon Musk’s company said that it would not stop working on improving its cars and make sure that it will develop units that are compliant with the Chinese's safety regulations.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our car owners,” Tesla said in a statement. “In the meantime, Tesla will strictly follow national regulations and keep improving our safety protection, adamantly providing an excellent and safe driving experience to our customers."

Other Tesla recalls in China

China proved to be a difficult market for Tesla as this is where the automaker has experienced lots of issues while selling. Fox Business noted that most of the recalled units were manufactured in China. A total of 93.7% of all the sold vehicles were made locally at Tesla’s plant in Shanghai.

At any rate, the other recent Tesla recalls in China include one issued in April. The issue here was the alleged faulty brakes that were heavily criticized by the owners. In February, the company was summoned by the authorities due to complaints about quality issues and alleged spying through its cameras. In response, Elon Musk personally assured the Chinese officials and customers that Tesla cars would never be used to spy in the country.