Tesla is recalling nearly 200,000 vehicles in China over trunk and hood problems that increase the risk of collisions, a state regulator said Friday, hours after a similar recall was announced in the United States.
The order is the final blow to the American pioneer of self-driving cars, which is hugely popular in China, though the company’s reputation has been dented this year after a spate of crashes, scandals and data security concerns.
China’s state administration for market regulation said the defects could affect the vehicles’ rear-view cameras or cause the hoods to open suddenly while driving.
The move includes three batches of cars produced between 2015 and 2020. Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company will inspect the cars for free and fix the issues, the regulator said in a statement.
The recall includes approximately 19,700 Model S vehicles that may have locking issues with the hood and approximately 180,000 Model 3 vehicles.
In the Model 3 cars, repeatedly opening and closing the trunk can damage a rear view camera cable.
“This will affect the driver’s view when reversing and in extreme cases will increase the risk of a collision,” the regulator said.
The Chinese report came hours after US authorities said Tesla is recalling nearly 500,000 vehicles in the country due to similar issues.
Tesla estimated that only one percent of recalled Model 3 vehicles contained the problem, and the company was not aware of a related accident or injury, according to the US safety regulator.
In June, the electric car giant recalled more than 285,000 cars in China over problems with its assisted driving software that could cause accidents.