By now you would have seen photos on social media of a Chery Omoda 5 with its rear axle completely detached, which purportedly happened in Johor Bahru last week.
Well, the road transport department (JPJ) has broken the silence by announcing a temporary suspension on the Chery Omoda 5’s vehicle type approval (VTA), thereby halting new registrations of the model until the technical investigation is concluded and safety risks are identified.
“This action will be implemented in a targeted manner, focusing on the potentially affected models and variants,” JPJ said in a statement, adding that Chery Malaysia is required to identify all potentially affected vehicle units based on part numbers, production batches, chassis numbers (vehicle identification number – VIN) and relevant technical parameters.
“A recall must be carried out for all vehicles identified as being at risk, for the purpose of inspection and appropriate corrective action,” said the statement.
JPJ will also conduct a technical audit of the Chery Omoda 5’s production and assembly line, and the relevant axle component supplier. This audit will cover compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), quality control systems, weld joint inspection procedures and the safety standards of the components used.
It added that the suspension will only be lifted once all corrective and preventive actions have been fully implemented, and technical verification has been obtained from JPJ confirming that all safety risks have been adequately addressed.
Two years ago, an Omoda 5’s rear axle detached on the move. Chery Malaysia promptly recalled 600 units even before JPJ issued its statement. The carmaker said a miscalibrated welding tip was the root cause and that it found 60 units produced on August 15, 2023 to have the affected parts. Just a week later, axle replacement appointments had been made with all 60 of those owners, and the case was declared closed in June 2024 – about three months from start to finish.
Note that the Omoda 5 is a discontinued model. It was replaced in September 2025 by the Chery O5, which has a multi-link rear suspension instead of the Omoda 5’s torsion beam. The O5 remains on sale.
