Chery chairman and president Yin Tongyue has apologised for vehicle quality concerns in Malaysia after a Chery Omoda 5 lost its rear axle assembly. The incident led to a regulatory investigation and a recall covering 8,878 vehicles.
Yin made the remarks at the World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference (WICV) in Beijing on October 21st. He said he had apologised to Malaysia’s investment, trade and industry minister, and urged Chinese automakers to approach overseas expansion with humility and a long-term commitment. According to Sohu, he also stressed the importance of respecting local laws, regulations and business practices in overseas markets.
Chery Omoda 5 Recall Follows Rear Axle Incident in Johor Bahru
The incident occurred in Johor Bahru on October 6th, when the rear suspension assembly and wheels separated from the vehicle’s body. The event prompted Malaysia’s Road Transport Department (JPJ) to take regulatory action. On October 11th, JPJ temporarily suspended the Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) for the Omoda 5, which halted new registrations while the department investigated the incident and assessed potential safety risks.
JPJ instructed Chery Malaysia to identify potentially affected vehicles using part numbers, production batches and vehicle identification numbers (VINs). The department’s technical audit covers production and assembly processes, quality-control systems, weld inspections and relevant axle-component suppliers. According to JPJ, the suspension is tied to the investigation and the implementation of corrective and preventive measures.
Chery O5 Suspension and the 2024 Omoda 5 Campaign
Chery replaced the original petrol-powered Omoda 5 in Malaysia with the Chery O5 in September 2025. The newer model uses a multi-link rear suspension, while the original Omoda 5 uses a torsion-beam layout. The VTA suspension applies to the Omoda 5 covered by JPJ’s action, and available information does not show that the newer O5 is subject to the same issue.
The case follows a separate 2024 campaign involving 600 Omoda 5 vehicles after a rear-axle failure. Chery attributed that issue to a component supplier’s equipment-calibration problem. The 2024 campaign was a precautionary inspection of screened vehicles, while the current recall covers Omoda 5 C and H variants and includes component replacement where necessary. Available information does not show that both share the same root cause.
The latest incident has renewed scrutiny of component quality, supplier oversight and vehicle safety checks. The cause of the October incident remains under investigation and should not be conflated with the supplier-calibration issue cited in 2024.
Omoda 5 Recall Scope and Owner Checks
The recall scope was reported as 8,878 Omoda 5 C and H variants on October 14. The figure represents the vehicles covered by the campaign, not a count of vehicles confirmed to have defective rear axles. Owners can check their VINs through Chery Malaysia’s recall notice. The company says it will inspect affected vehicles and replace the relevant component free of charge where necessary.
Pokdepinion: Two rear axle issues in two years isn’t a good look, so the investigation results matter.
