The potential failure can cause the vehicle to fail to start if it occurs when the vehicle is in park, and can cause the vehicle to lose driving power if it occurs when the vehicle is in motion.

((Image credit: Dongchedi)

Tesla last announced a vehicle recall in China on February 18, when it announced an immediate recall of a total of 26,047 China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured between December 28, 2020, and January 15, 2022, because of a software issue that could cause windshield defrost performance to degrade.

This includes 12,003 Model 3 and 14,044 Model Y vehicles that have a heat pump electronic expansion valve that moves slightly when positioned, but the software (versions 2021.44 through 2021.44.30.6) does not have a corrective feature.

This could cause the valve to partially open, causing the heat pump compressor to stop working and the in-car heating function to fail.

In that state, especially when the outside temperature of the vehicle is below -10 degrees Celsius, the windshield defrost system does not operate to achieve the defrosting effect specified in the regulations, according to the announcement at the time.

Tesla will carry out software upgrades for the vehicles in the recall area through OTA technology, so users do not need to visit a store to complete the recall, according to the announcement.

Prior to the February recall, Tesla announced on December 31 that it was recalling some imported Model S, imported Model 3 and locally produced Model 3 electric vehicles in China, totaling 199,741 units, because of safety hazards in the front trunk as well as the rear trunk.