Tesla Recalls Nearly 300,000 Cars In China On Autopilot Issues 

Tesla plans to recall approximately 300,000 China-made and imported Model 3 and Model Y vehicles to address risks associated with its assisted driving software after an investigation by the country’s market regulator. 

“Vehicles within the scope of this recall may cause the driver to incorrectly activate the active cruise function in the following situations due to the active cruise control system problem: When the vehicle is in D gear, the driver again pulls the right control lever to try to switch gears; When making a sharp turn, the driver accidentally touches and turns the right control lever and waits. After the active cruise control is activated by mistake, if the cruise speed set by the vehicle is not the current speed, and the current speed is lower than the set speed, the vehicle will accelerate to the set speed, and a sudden increase in vehicle speed will occur, which will affect the driver’s expectations. It may lead to misjudgment of vehicle control and, in extreme cases, the vehicle may collide, posing safety hazards,” the State Administration for Market Regulation wrote in a statement. 

The country’s regulator said over-the-air programming would allow Tesla to upgrade the defective vehicles remotely to improve cruise control. For vehicles that cannot be fixed remotely, Tesla plans to upgrade the vehicles for free at service locations. 

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this recall to all car owners,” Tesla stated on its Weibo account. “Tesla will continue to improve safety in strict accordance with national requirements.”

The recall continues to tarnish Tesla’s image in the Chinese market, where some consumers have already complained about the quality of the electric car. 

In mid-April, a protest at the Shanghai auto show went viral as customers shouted allegations about braking failures. 

In early February, Tesla officials were summoned by Chinese regulators about complaints of quality issues of the vehicles. 

More recently, Chief Executive Elon Musk had to reassure Chinese regulators that Tesla’s cameras were not spying on the country. 

On Weibo, the latest recall prompted even more criticism against the American car company, which some called Musk “arrogant.” 

As we noted, Musk has been able to sidestep some rough press in China, including out-of-control Tesla vehicles, forced recalls, constant price cuts, and disgruntled customers. So far, Musk is holding it together overseas.

So convenient that bad news is released on a weekend rather than market hours…