Malaysia Banned The Sale Of One Of Its Most Popular Chinese Cars After The Wheels Fell Off
The wheels aren't supposed to come off a new car, right? Right?!
Malaysia has deemed the Chery Omoda 5 to be too dangerous for sale, and has temporarily suspended its type approval. The move comes after pictures flooded Malaysian social media sites of an Omoda 5 with its entire rear suspension assembly detached from the car. Chery has since issued a recall for the issue.
The Chery Omoda 5 sold in Malaysia is a locally assembled compact front-wheel drive crossover SUV, available with a gasoline-powered turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. Its coupled to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. Before the stop sale was ordered, it was priced at RM16,800 ($28,600).
Malaysia's Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) — otherwise known as the Road Transport Department, and which acts as the certifying body for all cars on sale to the public — broke the news on Sunday 11 October. The JPJ also said it would conduct a technical investigation. The move to stop sales of all Omoda 5s in Malaysia is a clear signal from the department, especially as the fault allegedly only affects a generation that is no longer on sale.
It's not a good look for the Chinese automaker Chery, which sells cars under several different names in Malaysia, including Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, and iCar. Chery has shot to popularity over the last few years. It only officially entered Malaysia in 2023, but since 2024, it has remained the 5th most popular automaker by new car registrations.
It's not the first time
Unfortunately for Chery, it's not the first time its dealing with a similar issue. In 2024, Chery Malaysia identified a potential issue with the rear axle on 600 Omoda 5s. In that instance, though, it voluntarily recalled all affected cars before the Road Transport Department had to step in. The defect was traced to a faulty welding part during assembly, and although 600 cars were recalled, only 60 were found to have been impacted.
This week, after the JPJ rescinded its type approval for the Omoda 5, the company made a statement acknowledging the issue. Chery said it encourages "any OMODA 5 owner seeking added peace of mind to visit an authorized Chery service center," and outlined that owners will be able to check if their cars are part of the affected batch by entering their VIN into a dedicated website.
According to Chery, the latest issue affects only the pre-facelift Omoda 5 variants C and H. These models used torsion-beam rear suspension, whereas the latest facelifted model has switched to multi-link suspension.
Criticism of how Chery has handled the matter
Chery Malaysia has drawn criticism for how it handled the issue, after videos and images of the stricken Omoda 5, missing its rear axle, were first posted to social media on October 6, 2026. Chery Malaysia's official response didn't come until six days later, after the JPJ suspended sales.
In addition, famed Malaysian industry commenter BoBo Borak Motosiput took to his social platforms, claiming that individuals from Chery "tried to media blackout me" after he posted a video reporting the issue. This came after Bo used "indirect" methods to contact Chery, implying the company tried to coerce two outlets into getting him to stop covering the issue.