Tesla Inc. is recalling more than 285,000 passenger vehicles in China, including more than 90% of the company’s locally manufactured vehicles, due to safety concerns with its cruise-control technology, according to the country’s market regulator. According to the State Administration for Market Regulation, the recall of the American company’s vehicles came after a study into probable faults revealed that its cruise-control system may be mistakenly triggered, potentially resulting in an unanticipated speed rise.
Tesla’s Shanghai plant produced 249,855 Model 3 sedans and Model Y compact crossover vehicles, as well as 35,665 imported Model 3 cars, according to the regulator. According to Tesla TSLA, -1.17 percent and the market regulator, affected Tesla TSLA, -1.17 percent consumers can change their cruise-control software electronically rather than going to the store. The recall was requested by Tesla a few days ago, according to the regulator, and it affects vehicles manufactured between December 2019 and June 2021. “We apologize for any disruption caused to all car owners as a result of this recall,” Tesla tweeted on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media network. “In strict conformity with national laws, Tesla will continue to improve safety.” According to information supplied by the China Passenger Car Association, recalled Tesla vehicles account for 93.7 percent of all sold Tesla vehicles created locally at the company’s Shanghai plant. Tesla does not release its own sales or production data on a regular basis. In a rare rebuke for Tesla, the only foreign automaker to run a completely owned facility in China, Chinese officials summoned the company in February, citing consumer concerns about quality difficulties. Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, has also had to convince Chinese officials and customers that Tesla cars cannot be used to spy on the country. Until its recent problems, Tesla was widely regarded as a prominent brand in China, aided by Mr. Musk’s popularity, who has stated that China’s fast-growing market will eventually become the company’s largest. Outside of the United States, China is home to Tesla’s only operational plant. Despite the deterioration of US-China trade relations under then-President Donald Trump, the automaker received approval for its Shanghai factory in 2018. WSJ.com has an enhanced version of this article.
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