Tesla recalls hundreds of Model 3 cars that were shipped to China
- Tesla is recalling 734 units of its Model 3 car produced in 2019 and shipped to China, the State Administration for Market Regulation said, citing a recall plan from the automaker.
- The announcement follows recalls of tens of thousands of Tesla vehicles in China and the U.S. in the last several months.
- The cars either have a seat belt or tire-related problem, the regulator said.
BEIJING — Tesla is recalling more than 700 units of its Model 3 electric car that were imported into China, the central government's market regulator said Thursday.
The announcement follows recalls of tens of thousands of Tesla vehicles in China and the U.S. in the last several months. Elon Musk's automaker has also come under increased regulatory scrutiny in China in the last several months after a slew of negative consumer and media reports on brake failures and collisions.
Thursday's recall affects a total of 734 vehicles produced in 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation said on its website, citing a recall plan that Tesla filed.
The cars either have a seat belt issue that could increase the risk of passenger injury in the event of a collision, or a tire-related problem that could increase the risk of collision, the regulator said.
Tesla will notify affected car owners, and conduct free inspections and repairs, the statement said.
Tesla told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it was not aware of any crash or injury related to the recalls.
Separately, Tesla issued two new recalls to address seat belt issues, it said on Thursday.
One recall covers 5,530 vehicles, comprising 2018-2020 Model 3 and 2019-2021 Model Y cars, because fasteners that secure the front seat shoulder belt to the b-pillar may not be properly attached. The other recall covers 2,166 Model Y vehicles from 2019-2021 because fasteners that secure the left and right second-row seat belt retractors may not be properly attached.
Tesla shares were mildly lower in premarket trading Thursday, after falling 3% during Wednesday's trading session in New York.
A representative for Tesla did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The U.S.-based automaker opened a factory in Shanghai in 2019. Tesla began delivering China-made Model 3 cars to customers last year, and China-made Model Y vehicles this year.
Tesla's Model 3 has ranked among the three best-selling electric cars in mainland China, outselling similarly priced models from Chinese start-ups such as Nio. However, a budget car called the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV has climbed into first place in recent months.
—Reuters contributed to this report.