A sweeping safety recall, the largest in China’s modern automotive history, has placed the once-trendy minimalist hidden door handles of electric vehicles under unprecedented scrutiny, impacting more than 4 million passenger vehicles built by some of the world’s biggest EV manufacturers. The recall covers 2.98 million Tesla vehicles produced in China, alongside models from major domestic Chinese automakers XPeng, Xiaomi, and Geely, all of which have adopted the popular aerodynamic design in recent years.
First popularized globally by Elon Musk’s Tesla, retractable hidden door handles were engineered to streamline a vehicle’s profile, reduce wind drag, and boost overall driving range — a key selling point for electric vehicles. The design tucks the handle flush into the door panel when not in use, only extending outward when the vehicle detects an approaching user with a paired key fob or smartphone.
Safety concerns surrounding the design erupted after two fatal traffic collisions involving Xiaomi-manufactured electric vehicles in China. Investigations have pointed to potential power system failures that left the retractable handles locked in their flush position, trapping occupants inside and preventing rapid escape or first responder access. Following these incidents, Chinese regulators launched a broad investigation into the safety of the design across the domestic EV market.
Tesla confirmed the recall in an official public statement released Friday, noting that the issue in its vehicles stems from door handles that share a nearly identical color with surrounding interior trim, making them hard for occupants or rescuers to locate quickly in high-stress emergency scenarios. The automaker added that in severe collision events that knock out a vehicle’s low-voltage electrical system, the hard-to-locate handles could significantly delay door opening, putting lives at greater risk.
To address the hazard, Tesla will apply clearly marked warning labels to all recalled vehicles and roll out a free over-the-air software update designed to automatically lower vehicle windows immediately after a collision, preserving an alternate exit route even if the door handles remain locked. It remains unclear whether the affected automakers will expand the recall to cover vehicles sold in international markets outside of China. The BBC has reached out to Tesla, XPeng, Xiaomi, and Geely to request additional comment on global plans.
The recall comes months after Chinese national regulators announced a formal ban on unmodified hidden door handles for new passenger vehicles sold in the country. New regulatory requirements, set to take full effect on January 1, 2027, mandate that all new vehicles sold in China must include a fully functional manual door release mechanism on both the interior and exterior of every door, regardless of electronic design.
This is not the first time hidden door handle designs from Tesla have drawn regulatory attention. US safety regulators launched a formal investigation into the feature after multiple reports of sudden handle failure that left children trapped inside locked vehicles in extreme weather conditions. In July, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated it was exploring the creation of a new mandatory federal safety standard that would govern door handle design for all automakers selling vehicles in the United States. The BBC has also contacted the agency for additional updates on the rulemaking process.