Tesla is recalling 1.6 million cars in China to repair self-driving systems
The Chinese government announced Friday that Tesla will recall virtually all cars it has sold in the country to modify their driver assistance systems, less than a month after a similar recall in the United States.
To address the problems, Tesla will send updated computer software to its cars in China, the State Administration for Market Regulation said.
The updated software includes “the addition of additional automatic power steering,” the regulator said. It was also said that Tesla would remind customers to pay attention to their driving and follow all regulations, even when using its so-called Autopilot capabilities.
Three weeks ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington ordered a recall to ensure drivers remain attentive while using Autopilot.
Although Tesla’s autopilot system is designed for highway use, U.S. regulators are increasingly concerned that many drivers are using it on local roads and failing to keep their hands on the wheel.
China’s regulator has in the past insisted that companies in China implement the same recalls as they announce in other markets.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The recall marks a setback for Tesla as China has become the world’s largest and fastest growing electric car market. More than a third of cars sold in China last year were battery electric or plug-in hybrid gasoline-electric cars, up from just 5 percent three years earlier.
Tesla has proven itself as the only Western automaker that can compete with Chinese manufacturers in the global electric car sector.
Chinese electric car companies are rapidly increasing their share of the European market, prompting the European Union to investigate alleged Chinese government subsidies. General Motors and Ford in the United States have scaled back their electric car ambitions. And in China, old multinational leaders like Volkswagen have lost many of their customers to Chinese companies like BYD, Zhejiang Geely, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, Nio and Xiaopeng.
The mandatory software update ordered Friday affects Model 3 and Model Y cars manufactured at Tesla’s massive factory in Shanghai, as well as imported Model S, Model X and Model 3 cars.
China’s regulator separately announced Friday that Tesla would send updated computer software to 7,538 imported Model S and Model unlock.
For the door lock issue and assisted driving feature, Tesla is offering free programming update assistance for customers who find their third-party downloads are not working properly.
Joy Dong research contributed.