WUHU, November 7, 2026 — Chery is recalling 53,882 Tiggo 5x and Omoda series vehicles in China over a rear axle welding defect identified by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). The notice, dated November 6, covers vehicles manufactured between June 6, 2022, and December 31, 2023.
The Incident That Triggered the Recall
The Chinese campaign follows an October 6 incident in Malaysia where an Omoda 5’s rear axle detached while the vehicle was being driven. Malaysia’s Road Transport Department responded by suspending the model’s vehicle type approval, halting new registrations while it investigates. Chery Malaysia subsequently recalled 8,878 pre-facelift Omoda 5 C and H vehicles for free inspections and component replacements. This builds on an earlier 2024 action in Malaysia covering 600 Omoda 5 vehicles after a separate rear-axle incident, which Chery attributed at the time to welding-equipment miscalibration after a welding tip was replaced. Chery chairman Yin Tongyue later apologised over the Malaysian incident.
Scope and Scale of the Chinese Campaign
The SAMR recall, registered under number S2026M0146V, takes effect on November 27, 2026. It covers 6.1 times as many vehicles as the Malaysian action, though the figures represent separate recall populations rather than confirmed defective components. SAMR has not established a common cause or production-batch link between the campaigns, nor identified the axle supplier or manufacturer. The regulator has also not disclosed how many replacements are expected or provided a model-by-model breakdown for the Tiggo 5x and Omoda series vehicles involved.
The Manufacturing Flaw: Insufficient Fusion
The science behind the defect points to a manufacturing process issue at the joint where the rear axle trailing arm connects to its sleeve. According to the SAMR notice, the process could cause insufficient fusion or incomplete penetration in the weld. Intriguingly, this is a specific metallurgical failure: the weld metal does not fully merge with the base metal of the arm or the sleeve, or the weld does not penetrate the full thickness of the joint. Under extreme conditions, this flawed connection could fail, compromising rear-wheel control and increasing the risk of an accident.
How the Trailing Arm Works
The trailing arm is a critical suspension link. It helps keep the rear wheel correctly positioned as the suspension moves up and down over bumps and through corners. If the welded connection between the arm and its sleeve fails, the geometry of the rear suspension collapses. The wheel can shift unpredictably, destroying the driver’s ability to control the vehicle’s direction. What researchers found in the Malaysian cases was a dramatic manifestation of this mechanism: the axle assembly physically separated from the vehicle structure.
Inspection and Replacement Plan
Chery will inspect production date codes on the rear axles of recalled vehicles to identify units from the defective production batch. Any axle identified as belonging to that batch will be replaced free of charge. Not all 53,882 vehicles are necessarily affected by the defect; the inspection is designed to isolate the specific units carrying the welding flaw. Chery will notify owners by text message and registered mail. Owners can also call the customer service hotline at 400-883-8888 or contact authorised repair stations.
Context: Chery’s Rapid Expansion
The recall arrives as Chery navigates a period of rapid global growth. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Wuhu, the company is currently the fifth largest automobile manufacturer group in China, with 2,806,393 vehicles sold in 2025. Global deliveries rose from 1.23 million vehicles in 2022 to 1.88 million in 2023, with overseas sales accounting for 52 percent of its overall volume that year. The Omoda brand is primarily export-focused, while the Tiggo 5x serves as an entry-level crossover. The company went public in 2025, spinning off from Chery Holding Group and rebranding its operations under the “Chery Group” marketing banner.
Sources
- Chery recalls 53,882 vehicles in China after Omoda 5 rear axle detaches in Malaysia
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