Malaysia suspends Chery Omoda 5 sales after rear suspension failures

Malaysia's Road Transport Department has temporarily suspended the type approval for the Chery Omoda 5, halting sales of one of the country's popular Chinese crossovers while it investigates rear suspension failures. The Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan announced the move on Sunday 11 October, days after photos of an Omoda 5 with its entire rear suspension assembly detached circulated on Malaysian social media.

Chery has since issued a recall for the fault, which the company says affects only pre-facelift Omoda 5 variants C and H, the versions that use a torsion-beam rear suspension. The facelifted car switched to a multi-link setup and is not covered.

The suspension of type approval is a strong signal from the JPJ, the body that certifies every car sold to the Malaysian public, and it comes with a technical investigation now underway. Chery has acknowledged the suspension and is directing owners to a dedicated website where they can enter their VIN to check whether their car is part of the affected batch. It has also encouraged any owner seeking peace of mind to visit an authorized Chery service center.

The car at the center of the stop-sale is a locally assembled, front-wheel drive compact crossover powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter petrol engine with a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Before the order, it was priced from RM16,800, about $28,600.

A pattern, not a one-off

This is the second rear-axle scare for the model. In 2024 Chery Malaysia recalled 600 Omoda 5s over a potential rear axle issue, a voluntary action taken before the regulator stepped in. The fault was traced to a faulty welded part during assembly, though only 60 of the recalled cars were found to be affected.

The timing of this year's response has drawn criticism. Images and videos of the stricken car, missing its rear axle, first appeared on social media on 6 October 2026, but Chery Malaysia's official response came six days later, only after the JPJ suspended sales.

Reputational stakes in a fast-growing market

Chery has risen quickly in Malaysia. It only officially entered the country in 2023, yet since 2024 it has been the fifth most popular brand by new car registrations, selling under several names including Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour and iCar.

A regulator stepping in over a suspension failure on a model generation that is no longer on sale underlines how seriously the JPJ is treating the matter, and it lands at an awkward moment for a brand still building its reputation in the market.

What has not been announced

Chery and the JPJ have not said when sales of the Omoda 5 will resume, and no injuries connected to the detached rear suspension have been reported in the available information. The scope of the recall in numbers, and the outcome of the technical investigation, have also not been disclosed.

Mazda has announced a third round of suspension changes for the CX-60 and the first for the CX-80, covering European-market cars due in showrooms from December 2026. The updates centre on revised rear suspension crossmember bushings, which the company says improve ride comfort, plus added sound insulation and a new semi-autonomous parking system.

Mazda Australia has declined to confirm whether or when the updates will reach local showrooms, so local buyers face an open question on timing.

The suspension work continues a pattern. Mazda began fitting revised rear shock absorbers to the CX-60 at the factory in late 2023, then offered Australian buyers the same parts as a free retrofit the following year. May 2025 brought a further revision with softer rear springs, increased rear rebound damping and firmer front compression damping. The 2027 changes are the third suspension update for the CX-60 in as many years, and the first for its seven-seat CX-80 sibling.

What else changes for 2027

Beyond the bushings, the updated models gain more sound-absorbing material in the engine bay and between the engine and the cabin. A new Active Parking Control system can handle both parallel and perpendicular parking manoeuvres without driver input on the wheel.

The paint charts shift too: Deep Crystal Blue mica makes way for Aero Grey on the CX-60, while Polymetal Grey joins the CX-80 range. Neither is currently offered in Australia, where Machine Grey Metallic is the only grey finish on either model.

The bigger overhaul is still coming

Mazda president Masahiro Moro confirmed in August that the CX-60 and CX-80, along with their Large Architecture siblings the CX-70 and CX-90, are in line for much deeper changes. Sales have fallen short of projections. "We will be working on the exterior, interior, and powertrain, and will be upgrading them on a scale never seen before," he said in translated remarks carried by Japanese outlet Chugoku Shimbun, adding that Mazda would turn them into products people call the brand's flagship.

Moro did not specify the extent of those changes or a timeline. The 2027 suspension and equipment updates look like an interim step while that larger program develops, and no changes have been detailed yet for the US-focused CX-70 and CX-90.

Where that leaves Australian buyers

Australia is the only market in the world to sell all four Large Architecture SUVs, yet it has no confirmed date for any of these updates. Local pricing for the updated cars has not been announced either.

Given the pattern so far, the suspension hardware itself is a plausible candidate for a local retrofit as before, but Mazda has not said so, and the new paint names and parking tech would need separate confirmation. Buyers considering a CX-60 or CX-80 now are effectively choosing between buying today or waiting for a date Mazda has not given.