KUALA LUMPUR: Chery Auto Malaysia's investigation into a recent Omoda 5's rear axle beam failure has narrowed down the cause to a miscalibration on a vendor's welding machine.
The company said it had conducted a thorough investigation into the isolated case and reached out to the parts vendor for further clarification.
"Following a comprehensive investigation, the vendor reported that the issue was due to a facility upgrade during which a worn-out tip of the automated welding machine was replaced by a new welding tip.
"The replacement of the new welding tip resulted in a miscalibration of the equipment,” said Chery Auto Malaysia vice-president Lee Wen Hsiang.
The company also said there were a total of 60 units of Omoda 5 units assembled with the affected parts in Malaysia which were produced on Aug 15, 2023.
Chery Auto Malaysia has since taken additional precautionary measures by casting a wider net by implementing a special service campaign to call in and inspect Omoda 5 units with rear axles produced between Aug 14 to 17, 2023, totalling 600 units.
Lee said the company viewed this matter most seriously as customer safety is its utmost priority and is working closely with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to ensure the rectification of all affected vehicles to the highest standards of safety.
"We are in the process of reaching out to customers of the affected Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) to request them to bring their vehicle to our authorised service centres for a detailed inspection.
“We have also set up a website for Omoda 5 users to confirm their vehicles are not affected which can be done by simply keying in their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Our authorised service centres and technicians are well prepared to serve our customers potentially affected by this,” Lee said.
Chery Auto Malaysia has confirmed that no other vehicles by the brand are affected.
Owners of Omoda 5 can check if their vehicles are affected by keying in their VIN number at https://www.chery.my/chery-product-update
As of May 3, Chery Auto Malaysia has contacted more than 53% (32/60) of the affected owners.
To ensure Chery customers are well informed, a weekly update will be publicly shared to provide ongoing information about the status of the recall programme.
For queries, contact the Chery Malaysia Customer Careline at +603 - 2771 7070 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm).
