Just over four million cars are being recalled by the Chinese authorities over hidden door handles, with nearly three quarters of them Teslas. 

There are fears in the country over the safety of hidden electronic door handle designs that are difficult to locate and use in accidents, or in some cases failed to operate because the electricity supply was cut off. 

Concern isn’t just confined to China – according to an investigation by Bloomberg, 15 people have died in incidents in the USA where the electronic door handles on Teslas couldn’t be operated, with well over a hundred incidents documented.

There have also been a number of high-profile deadly crashes in China with brands including Dongfeng and Xiaomi and videos of rescues from stricken car passengers have also gone viral. 

The Chinese authorities made moves to ban the hidden door handles earlier this year, with the new rules taking effect in January 2027, but clearly felt that more had to be done about cars currently on the roads in order to prevent any further tragedies. 

The new rules will require the presence of accessible mechanical door handles on the outside of cars, as well as clearly visible and identifiable internal mechanical releases that are located close to the edge of the door. 

According to reports from China, brands including BAIC, Chery, Dongfeng, Hongqi, Geely, Leapmotor, Tesla, Xiaomi and Xpeng have all filed recall notices covering millions of cars in the country. 

Cars subject to the recall include the Tesla Model Y, Xiami SU7, Arcfox Kaola and Zeekr 007 models pictured with this article. 

Under the recall, stickers will be added to internal mechanical release mechanisms in the cars to make them more visible, and over the air updates will be made so that cars automatically drop their windows a distance in the event of a crash to facilitate escape or rescue. 

US authorities have acknowledged concerns around the design feature that was popularised by Tesla, but the government body responsible for automotive regulation, the NHTSA, said that it couldn’t restrict electronic door handles based on current regulations. 

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating what regulations changes might be needed in order otherwise make cars safer. 

The Chinese government wants interior mechanical releases to be easier to spot if you're involved in a crash