Big brake for Tesla. According to the Chinese regulator, the American giant “will recall” nearly 128,000 vehicles in China, following a failure that could lead to collisions. In recent months, the brand has experienced several controversies related to the safety of its cars. At last year’s Shanghai auto show, a customer angry over allegedly faulty brakes on her Tesla made headlines in China, while in France a Tesla electric taxi had been implicated after a fatal accident.
The cars affected by the recall in China have a “small manufacturing defect” in a component at the level of the inverter, which regulates the current supplying the battery and the electric motor, said the market regulator (SAMR) . “In extreme cases, this increases the risk of an accident and can constitute a danger”, specifies the regulator in a press release published Thursday. The recall concerns Model 3s produced between 2019 and 2022. The measure targets some 128,000 vehicles, including 93,578 made in China in the gigantic Tesla factory in Shanghai.
In December, Tesla had already recalled nearly 200,000 vehicles in China for a defect in the trunks. China is the most important market for the brand. The business ofElon Musk built a gigantic factory there in Shanghai in 2019 and a quarter of its total production is sold in the country. But the client’s stunt at the Shanghai auto show, which has been looping on social networks, has led to a wind of criticism against the brand.