Tesla has issued a recall in China for four of its electric vehicle models, impacting more than 1.6 million cars.

The defect, which impacts Model 3, S, X, and Y cars, involves the locking mechanism for the hood according to China's State Administration for Market Regulation. Affected cars might not be able to detect when the hood is unlocked; ordinarily, a driver will get a notification about the hood being unlocked, but the defect prevents that. In a worst case scenario, drivers might only discover the hood is unlocked while driving.

Imported Model S and X cars are part of the recall, as are Model 3 and Y vehicles that were made in China between October 15, 2020, and July 17, 2024 (when the issue was presumably identified and fixed).

As a stopgap solution, Tesla has issued a software update that can ascertain whether the hood lock is malfunctioning, and notify drivers when it's unlocked. The EV giant is also repairing the buggy cars free of charge.

The defect isn't exclusive to China, as Tesla informed [PDF] the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US last month of the exact same issue, and said it was issuing a recall for more than 1.8 million cars made between 2013 and 2024. Combined with the China recall, upwards of 3.5 million Tesla EVs are impacted, making for the single largest recall the company has ever issued.

Granted, the defect might not be too widespread - Tesla claims it has only heard of three instances where drivers experienced an issue with the hood lock.

Just last December, a recall for just over two million Teslas was issued after the NHTSA investigated the EV firm's Autopilot technology, and until recently held the record as the biggest recall ever for the car company. That issue only needed a software patch to be resolved.

However, the scope of recalls for Tesla cars still pale in comparison to those for the infamous Cybertruck, which has been recalled three times since its launch in November: once for acceleration pedals getting stuck, then for detaching trims, and again for failing windshield wipers. Every single Cybertruck made before May has been recalled at least one time, making it look like Tesla car owners have it relatively easy.

The Register has asked Tesla to comment. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/08/07/tesla_recalls_over_16m_electric/