KATHMANDU: A series of wheel and axle separation incidents involving Chinese vehicles in Indonesia and Malaysia has raised questions about vehicle quality and safety as Chinese automakers continue to expand into international markets.
The latest incidents involve the BYD Atto 1 and Jaecoo J5 EV in Indonesia, along with axle failures reported in Chery’s Omoda 5 in Malaysia, according to CarNewsChina.
A BYD Atto 1 electric hatchback lost its rear-right wheel after reportedly hitting a concrete road divider in West Jakarta on November 2. According to local reports, the driver continued driving for around one to two kilometers after the impact before the rear axle reportedly broke and the wheel detached.
The BYD Atto 1, sold as the Seagull in China and Dolphin Mini in some Latin American markets, is a front-wheel-drive electric hatchback based on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0. It features MacPherson strut front suspension and a torsion-beam rear suspension setup. Both Dynamic and Premium variants use BYD’s Blade Battery.
Local reports identified the damage as a broken rear axle shaft. However, the exact component failure and whether it resulted directly from the reported impact remain unclear.
BYD has not released the inspection findings or confirmed whether a manufacturing defect was involved.
The incident follows another wheel-separation case involving a Jaecoo J5 EV in Central Jakarta on November 4. The electric SUV lost its right-front wheel assembly after reportedly hitting a roadside curb and concrete barrier on Jalan KH Mas Mansyur in the Tanah Abang area.
Initial reports identified the detached wheel as the rear-right wheel, but Jaecoo later clarified that the damage involved the front-right assembly.
Jaecoo Indonesia said its technical team inspected the vehicle and found that it had hit a curb and roadside barrier before the wheel separated. The company attributed the damage to the collision and said there was no indication of a product defect. The two incidents in Jakarta have not been independently linked to manufacturing defects.
Meanwhile, Chery’s Omoda 5 has faced separate axle-related problems in Malaysia. Following a rear axle failure involving an Omoda 5 in Johor Bahru on October 6.
Chery Malaysia announced a recall covering 8,878 Omoda 5 vehicles across the C and H variants on October 14. Chery Chairman and President Yin Tongyue apologized over the quality concerns.
The Omoda 5 had also faced an earlier axle-related campaign in May 2024, when 600 vehicles were called in for precautionary inspections. Chery later identified 60 vehicles fitted with affected axle components from a production batch dated August 15, 2023, and attributed the problem to a miscalibrated welding tip.
