Chery Malaysia has issued another statement on the Omoda 5 rear axle case. This is the company’s third public statement after the case exploded on social media on April 28. The first statement was released the day after, acknowledging the problem, and was quickly followed by a second on April 30, officially issuing a recall of 600 units of the Omoda 5.
The third statement, published today, May 4th, offers some interesting insights on this topic. Chery Malaysia says it is “working closely with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to ensure that all affected vehicles are repaired to the highest safety standards.” Chery Auto Malaysia vice-president Lee Wen Hsiang said they had voluntarily arranged a meeting with the MoT to inform them of the matter.
After a thorough investigation, the root cause of the problem was also identified. “After a comprehensive investigation, the vendor reported that the problem was due to a facility upgrade that involved replacing a worn tip on the welding machine with a new welding tip. Replacing the new welding tip resulted in miscalibration of the equipment,” said Lee.
A total of 60 units of the Omoda 5 in Malaysia were found to be using the affected parts manufactured as of August 15, 2023. Chery Malaysia then decided to cast a wider net and recall vehicles with parts manufactured between August 14 and 17 in total 600 units. As of yesterday (May 3), Chery Malaysia has contacted 32 of the original 60 affected owners.
A new website has also been created where owners can confirm whether or not their car is affected by the recall. Chery Malaysia is also committed to providing the public with a weekly update on this matter to provide ongoing information on the status of the recall program.
Full statement from Chery Malaysia:
Chery Auto Malaysia is taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of customers
The automaker is taking responsibility, ensuring accountability and transparency in managing the campaign
Kuala Lumpur, 4 May 2024 – Chery Auto Malaysia is committed to keeping customers updated on the recent incident involving the axle of an OMODA 5 vehicle. Following a detailed internal investigation, the car manufacturer has recalled a batch of 600 Omoda 5 vehicles and is working closely with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to ensure the repair of all affected vehicles to the highest safety standards.
“Chery Auto Malaysia is committed to providing safe and reliable transportation solutions and we are committed to ensuring that all our vehicles meet the highest safety standards. In line with this commitment, Chery Auto Malaysia has voluntarily arranged a meeting to inform the Ministry of Transport (MOT) of the current status of the product inspection and the root cause of the Omoda 5-axle incident,” said Lee Wen Hsiang, Vice President of Chery Auto Malaysia . explained.
The automaker conducted a thorough investigation into the case and contacted the parts supplier for further clarification. “After a comprehensive investigation, the vendor reported that the problem was due to a facility upgrade that involved replacing a worn tip on the welding machine with a new welding tip. Replacing the new welding tip resulted in miscalibration of the equipment,” said Lee.
As a direct result, the automaker says there are a total of 60 units of Omoda 5 vehicles in Malaysia with the affected parts manufactured as of August 15, 2023. Chery Auto Malaysia has since taken additional precautionary measures by casting a wider net by implementing a special service campaign to collect and inspect OMODA 5 rear axle vehicles manufactured between August 14 and 17, 2023, in total 600 units.
“Chery Auto Malaysia takes this matter very seriously as customer safety is our top priority. We are currently contacting customers with the affected Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) and asking them to bring their vehicle to our authorized service centers for a detailed inspection.
“We have also launched a website for Omoda 5 users to confirm that their vehicles are not affected. This can be done by simply entering their vehicle identification number (VIN). Our authorized service centers and technicians are well prepared to serve our customers
“Potentially affected by this,” Lee concluded.
Chery Auto Malaysia has confirmed that no other vehicles from the brand are affected.
Omoda 5 owners can check if their vehicles are affected by entering their VIN number at https://www.chery.my/chery-product-update
As of May 3, 2024, Chery Auto Malaysia has contacted more than 53% (32/60) of affected owners.
To ensure Chery customers are well informed, a weekly update will be publicly released to provide ongoing information on the status of the recall program.
Chery Auto Malaysia would like to thank all our customers for their patience, understanding and cooperation, as well as the Ministry of Transport for its advice and guidance on this matter.
If you have any questions, please contact Chery Malaysia Customer Careline at +603 – 2771 7070 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm).
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