Chery Recalls 53,882 Vehicles in China Over Rear Axle Welding Defect

Rear axle checks to begin on November 27

Chery will recall 53,882 Tiggo 5x and Omoda series vehicles in China from November 27, 2026, after identifying a rear axle welding defect that could allow a joint to fail and affect control of the rear wheels.

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) published the notice on November 6. Registered as recall S2026M0146V, the campaign covers vehicles manufactured between June 6, 2022, and December 31, 2023. Chery will inspect the production date codes on their rear axles and replace axles from the defective production batch free of charge.

The Chinese action follows an October 6 rear axle detachment involving a 2023 Omoda 5 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. No injuries were reported. Chery subsequently recalled 8,878 Omoda 5 vehicles in Malaysia, where the Road Transport Department suspended approval for potentially affected models and variants, stopping new registrations within that scope.

For owners in China, the immediate task is to establish whether their vehicle falls within the campaign and arrange the required inspection. The 53,882 figure is the number of vehicles being recalled; replacement depends on whether the axle belongs to the defective batch. SAMR has not published an expected replacement total or a breakdown between Tiggo 5x and Omoda vehicles.

What can go wrong at the welded joint?

SAMR's notice identifies a manufacturing process problem where the rear axle trailing arm connects to a sleeve. Some joints may have insufficient fusion or incomplete penetration, meaning the welding process did not join the metal fully enough at the required location.

A trailing arm helps keep a rear wheel correctly positioned as the suspension moves over bumps and uneven roads. Its connections must withstand the forces passing through the suspension while the vehicle is moving.

Under extreme conditions, the affected weld could fail and separate. A failure at that connection could allow the rear wheel to move out of its intended position, reducing vehicle stability and increasing the risk of a crash. The announced remedy addresses the axle assembly containing the suspect joint.

What Chinese owners should expect

Chery will notify affected owners by text message and registered mail. Owners can also contact authorised repair stations or call the company's customer service hotline at 400-883-8888 to ask about the recall and inspection arrangements.

Repair stations will check the production date code on the rear axle. That code identifies when the component was manufactured and allows technicians to determine whether it belongs to the defective batch. Chery will replace an axle identified through that process at no cost to the owner.

The vehicle manufacturing period and the axle production code serve different purposes. The vehicle dates define which cars must enter the recall process; the component code determines which of those cars needs a replacement axle. This is why the campaign begins with an inspection rather than a promise to replace every axle.

The Chinese recall is being carried out under the Regulations on the Administration of Defective Automotive Products. Its effective date is November 27, giving owners a specific starting point for the campaign announced on November 6.

How the Malaysian incident led to wider checks

The October 6 incident in Malaysia involved a 2023 Omoda 5 travelling on Jalan Pandan near AEON Mall Tebrau City in Johor Bahru. Images showed the vehicle stranded with its rear suspension assembly and both rear wheels separated from the car.

Chery announced the Malaysian recall on October 11, covering 8,878 Omoda 5 vehicles in the C and H variants. The campaign provides inspections and necessary component replacements free of charge. The affected version was discontinued in Malaysia in 2025.

Chery said in its October 11 statement that welding in parts of the rear axle trailing arm on vehicles from the same batch might have insufficient strength. The company launched special risk inspections for vehicles from that batch in China and related markets, and said checks were also being conducted on vehicles manufactured in 2023 in other overseas markets.

Chery chairman Yin Tongyue later publicly apologised over quality problems following the Malaysian axle detachment. The company also said models using the design involved had been discontinued. Vehicles already sold remain the focus of the inspection and repair campaigns.

Why Malaysia stopped new registrations

Malaysia's Road Transport Department, known as JPJ, suspended Vehicle Type Approval for potentially affected Omoda 5 models and variants while conducting a technical investigation. Vehicle Type Approval is the regulatory permission confirming that a vehicle model meets the technical requirements needed for registration.

The October registration suspension stopped new registrations within the affected scope. The recall serves a separate practical purpose: bringing vehicles already owned by customers into workshops for inspection and any necessary repair.

JPJ director general Aedy Fadly Ramli said the department would examine production, assembly and the relevant axle suppliers. He set out the conditions for restoring approval:

The suspension will only be lifted once all corrective and preventive measures have been fully implemented and RTD has confirmed that all safety risks have been adequately addressed.

No date has been announced for lifting the Malaysian suspension. Restoration depends on Chery completing the required measures and JPJ confirming that they address the safety risks.

A second Malaysian recall, with an earlier welding fault

Malaysia had already experienced an Omoda 5 rear axle incident in 2024. An April 2024 recall covered 600 vehicles, and the investigation attributed that earlier problem to improperly calibrated welding equipment at an overseas component supplier.

Calibration means setting equipment so that it performs its task within the required limits. In this case, the earlier investigation identified the welding equipment settings as the cause of the problem. The October 2026 Malaysian recall again concerns the strength of welded connections on rear axle components.

The latest Malaysian campaign covers almost 14.8 times the 600 vehicles recalled in 2024. China's 53,882 vehicles are about 6.1 times the 8,878 covered by the October Malaysian campaign. Those comparisons show the scale of the inspection programmes; the number of faulty components depends on the checks.

SAMR has not identified a common cause or production batch connecting the Chinese and Malaysian campaigns, or named the Chinese campaign's axle supplier and manufacturing facilities. Whether the vehicle involved in the latest Malaysian incident was included in the 2024 recall or had undergone an earlier inspection also remains unresolved.

The key dates

The sequence stretches from the production period covered by China's recall to two Malaysian campaigns and the forthcoming start of Chinese inspections:

• June 6, 2022, to December 31, 2023: Manufacturing period covered by the Chinese recall.
• April 2024: Malaysia recalls 600 Omoda 5 vehicles after an earlier rear axle incident.
• 2025: The Omoda 5 version covered by the latest Malaysian recall is discontinued in that market.
• October 6, 2026: A 2023 Omoda 5 suffers a rear axle detachment in Johor Bahru. No injuries are reported.
• October 11, 2026: Chery announces the Malaysian recall covering 8,878 vehicles and describes wider checks in China and other markets.
• November 6, 2026: SAMR publishes the Chinese recall notice covering 53,882 vehicles.
• November 27, 2026: The Chinese recall takes effect.

The next scheduled step is the start of the Chinese campaign. In Malaysia, the approval suspension remains tied to completion of corrective measures and regulatory confirmation rather than a published reopening date.

Quality checks reach across a growing export business

Chery's recall reaches across two markets at a time when overseas sales account for most of the group's business. Chery Group sold 2,502,723 vehicles in the first 10 months of 2026, up 9.34% from the same period a year earlier. Exports reached 1,751,766 vehicles, up 64.8%, representing about 70% of total sales.

October exports alone reached 200,618 vehicles, compared with 126,434 in October 2025 and 111,922 in October 2024. The October 2026 figure was about 59% higher than a year earlier. The group's global deliveries had already risen from 1.23 million in 2022 to 1.88 million in 2023.

The Omoda 5 illustrates the importance of those overseas markets. Launched in China in 2022, it recorded monthly domestic sales of no more than 1,000 units from 2023 before being discontinued there and becoming primarily focused on exports. The Tiggo 5x, also included in China's recall, is an entry level crossover.

For customers, the practical response still takes place locally: a notice from the manufacturer, an appointment at an authorised workshop, a component check and replacement where required. Chery's wider inspections make identifying the affected production batches central to organising repairs across different markets.

Key Points

• China's recall covers 53,882 Tiggo 5x and Omoda series vehicles manufactured from June 6, 2022, to December 31, 2023.
• The campaign begins on November 27, 2026, under recall number S2026M0146V.
• A weak welded connection on the rear axle could fail under extreme conditions and affect rear wheel control.
• Chery will inspect axle production codes and replace axles from the defective batch free of charge.
• Malaysia recalled 8,878 Omoda 5 vehicles after an October 6 axle detachment and suspended approval for potentially affected models and variants.
• SAMR has not identified a shared production batch or common cause connecting the Chinese and Malaysian campaigns.
• Chinese owners can contact authorised repair stations or call Chery at 400-883-8888.