Tesla Inc. is addressing a security problem in additional than 285,000 passenger automobiles in China—together with greater than 90% of regionally made automobiles bought by the corporate—related to their cruise-control system, the nation’s market regulator mentioned.
The repair, which the State Administration for Market Regulation known as a recall, requires affected Tesla clients to improve their cruise-control software program remotely and doesn’t require going to the supplier, the Chinese language regulator and firm mentioned Saturday.
The recall of the U.S. firm’s vehicles got here after an investigation into doable defects, which discovered that their cruise-control system may very well be by accident activated and probably end in an surprising pace enhance, the regulator mentioned.
The recall contains 249,855 Mannequin three sedans and Mannequin Y compact crossover automobiles manufactured by Tesla’s Shanghai plant, in addition to 35,665 imported Mannequin three vehicles, it mentioned.
The market regulator additionally mentioned it acquired a request from Tesla a couple of days earlier for the recall, which impacts automobiles produced between December 2019 and June 2021.
“We apologize for the inconvenience brought on by this recall to all automobile house owners,” Tesla mentioned via its official social-media account on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform. “Tesla will proceed to enhance security in strict accordance with nationwide necessities.”
A Tesla spokesperson mentioned the corporate declined to remark additional.
The recall provides to the electric-car maker’s woes within the Chinese language market, the place shopper confidence has already been rattled after a run of dangerous publicity over the corporate’s dealing with of buyer complaints and perceived high quality points.
The recalled autos manufactured in China account for 93.7% of all bought Tesla automobiles that had been made regionally on the firm’s Shanghai plant, in line with figures launched by the China Passenger Automotive Affiliation. Tesla doesn’t publish its personal month-to-month gross sales or manufacturing figures.
In April, Tesla confronted a backlash when considered one of its clients staged a protest at Auto Shanghai, China’s premier auto-industry exposition, by shouting allegations about defective brakes on Tesla automobiles. The incident prompted the corporate to problem a public apology and pledge to arrange a customer-satisfaction unit because it assured patrons that it takes high quality considerations severely.
In February, Tesla was summoned by Chinese language authorities citing shopper complaints about high quality points in a uncommon rebuke for the corporate, the primary overseas auto maker to function a completely owned plant in China. Chief Govt Elon Musk has additionally needed to reassure Chinese language officers and shoppers that Tesla vehicles couldn’t be used to spy on China.
Till its latest difficulties, Tesla had overwhelmingly been seen as a prestigious model in China, boosted by the recognition of Mr. Musk, who has mentioned that China’s fast-growing market will turn into the corporate’s largest. China at present hosts Tesla’s solely operational plant exterior the U.S. The automobile maker gained approval for its Shanghai manufacturing unit in 2018 regardless of the deterioration of U.S.-China commerce relations beneath then-President Donald Trump.
Nevertheless, the antagonistic publicity as a result of high quality considerations has led some Tesla house owners and potential patrons to stroll away. On Weibo, the recall prompted renewed criticism of the corporate, which some Chinese language web customers known as “smug.”
“The issue of brake failure has not been settled, and now there’s a hazard of sudden acceleration?” one person wrote.
Tesla in China
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—Raffaele Huang and Xiao Xiao contributed to this text.
Write to Eva Xiao at eva.xiao@wsj.com
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