Tesla recalls almost all of its over 1 million cars in China over braking defect

Tesla Inc has recalled around 1.1 million electric cars, which is nearly all the vehicles it had sold in China, over braking defects. The recall means Tesla will now fix practically every car it has ever sold in China because of issues being faced with the acceleration systems of vehicles.

Around 1.1 million electric cars that were either made by Tesla at its Shanghai factory or were imported between January 2019 and April 2023 in China will be now sent an over-the-air software fix so that the issue is rectified, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation's statement on Friday.

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People driving Tesla's electric cars in China face the problem when they take their foot off the accelerator for slowing down the vehicle. When the issue occurs, what typically happens is that the additional power gets transferred to the battery of the car to charge it up. Because of this, the rate of deceleration remains somewhat uncertain, and increases the risk of collision, posing a threat to the driver's safety, said the Chinese regulator.

Because of the defect, there are chances that the driver may step on the accelerator pedal mistakenly, wrongly understanding that it's the brake.

Tesla representatives did not make any comment about the issue, according to news agencies that reported the matter.

Data shared by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center and Bloomberg Intelligence showed that around 1,129,055 cars have been sold by Tesla in China from 2014 through March.

Tesla will also need to send an electronic notification to the people driving the car if they depress the accelerator for a longer period, according to the notice issued on Friday.

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Tesla has faced the heat several times in China after drivers complained of issues with brakes and accelerators in their cars.

In one of the most high-profile cases ever faced by the company, an owner of a Model 3 owner climbed over a Tesla's display vehicle during the 2021 Shanghai auto show and shouted that her father had almost died while he was driving a Tesla's sedan because its brakes failed.

The protest of the owner was recorded on camera and was shared on social media. The video went viral and made international headlines.

Eventually, a public apology was issued by Tesla after it faced criticism from the state-run media and local authorities, without acknowledging the defect.

Later, the company released data logs of the vehicle which showed that it was being run by the driver at 118.5km/h just before impact.

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