Tesla, also in China maxi recall for assisted driving software

New record-breaking recall for Tesla, this time in China. It affects 1,610,105 Model S, X, 3 and Y electric vehicles due to problems with the controversial automatic assisted steering (Autopilot) and door closure controls. This was announced by China's State Market Regulatory Authority. Over-the-air (Ota) software update technology will be used. Owners will not have to go to the US manufacturer's service centres to get the updates.

Production dates are between 26 August 2014 and 20 December 2023, including locally produced Model 3 and Y and imported Model S, Model X and Model 3 vehicles, according to a statement on the Chinese regulator's website. When the Autopilot function is activated, it could increase the risk of accidents, the Authority wrote. The recall is also necessary to prevent the doors from opening in the event of a collision.

The recall comes at a delicate moment for the Texan company, since a few days ago it was officialised the first overtaking of the Chinese BYD in terms of volume in the fourth quarter of 2023, (by capitalisation Tesla is firmly first and worth 10 times BYD). The new affair is reminiscent of what happened in mid-December, when the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration imposed a 2-million-vehicle recall (all those on the road in the US) and asked Tesla to do more to ensure that drivers use Autopilot properly. The NHTSA said it will keep an investigation open, which has been ongoing for a number of years for a series of incidents, to monitor the effectiveness of the corrections made.

Tesla's automated driving systems came under increased scrutiny after more than 700 collisions, two dozen of which resulted in fatalities, according to a June report in the Washington Post. Tesla was found to have the highest accident rate in the US, according to a LendingTree analysis published in December by Forbes: 23.54 accidents per 1,000 drivers, ahead of Ram and Subaru. CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly announced that autonomous driving is near, and then goes on to ask drivers not to be distracted while using the functions that Tesla markets as Full Self-Driving, but which are actually Level 2 assisted driving (manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW have approved Level 3 on their top-of-the-range sedans, which allows them to take their hands off the wheel under certain conditions).

China is the second largest market for Tesla, which has a gigafactory in Shanghai, the largest outside the US, with a production capacity of over 900,000 vehicles by 2023, according to the Xinhua news agency, and also supplies New Zealand, Australia and Europe.