According to Chinese authorities on Friday, Tesla and other Chinese carmakers are undertaking a substantial recall of over four million vehicles, driven primarily by safety concerns pertaining to their door handles.

The U.S. automaker is recalling approximately 2.98 million electric vehicles manufactured in China as well as imported models, encompassing the Model 3, Model Y, Model X, and Model S, due to safety hazards associated with their door handles, as announced by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation.

The recall, which Chinese media have called the largest this year, comes just months after Beijing authorities said in February that starting the following year, they would ban the hidden door handles commonly seen on Tesla electric vehicles and many Chinese EV models.

China has increased its examination of hidden, or flush, car door handles following electric vehicle accidents at home and abroad, where the vehicles' concealed electronic doors failed and left people trapped inside.

In a notice on the Chinese regulator’s website, it cited safety risk.

In extreme situations, such as a severe collision that causes an electrical system failure, the car handles could hinder car users from quickly opening the doors to escape, or prevent rescuers outside the car from gaining access, the notice said.

The notice further stated that Tesla would implement software updates on the vehicles as a risk-mitigation measure.

Tesla had not yet responded to a request for comment as of Friday.

Xiaomi, the Beijing-based Chinese technology behemoth, is initiating a recall of over 390,000 vehicles.

Leapmotor, headquartered in Hangzhou, is recalling more than 370,000 cars.

Additionally, other Chinese automakers, such as Geely and XPENG, are undertaking recalls of certain vehicle models.

The justifications provided in each instance were comparable, predominantly concerning issues with their vehicle's door handles.

A report published by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, stated that the large-scale recall “serves as a unified safety upgrade” for existing vehicle models ahead of the 2027 implementation of the ban on hidden car door handles.

In the rapidly evolving new energy vehicle (NEV) sector, competition should be measured not only by the speed of technological innovation but also by the stringent safety standards it maintains, the newspaper stated.