Chery Auto Malaysia has provided its latest update to a widely circulated video uploaded by an owner of a Chery Omoda 5, alleging that problems with her car’s brakes remain unresolved despite repeated visits to Chery’s authorized service centre.

Chery press statement reads:

“Since then (6 April 2024), our customer care team has been in close contact with the customer and have kept her updated while our highly skilled technical team conducted a thorough investigation on her vehicle which she claimed had faulty brakes.

“Additionally, the vehicle was also sent to Puspakom, whereby a comprehensive examination was conducted by the vehicle inspection company, for an impartial assessment.

“At Puspakom, the 10-point inspection was performed, which includes a brake test, to evaluate efficiency, dynamic imbalance, run-out, residual force, and parking brake to ensure optimal braking performance.

“All inspections carried out by both Chery Auto Malaysia’s team and Puspakom have returned no adverse findings, confirming that the said vehicle is indeed safe, and the brake system is of satisfactory as indicated in the Puspakom test result.”

Puspakom's brake test, how it's done? Can you trust it?

It should be noted that Puspakom brake assessment is not a simple brakes on-off test.

The vehicle is tested on a roller brake tester, to simulate a rolling road. Brake pedal distance is measured, as are braking pressure on both sides of the car. The function of the parking brake is also tested.

Mechanical components like brake pump, master cylinder, and brake lines are also inspected for signs of leak.

Of course, this doesn’t end the disagreement, because it implies that someone is right, and the other person is wrong, or worse, given the how the situation has blown up on social media, be called by netizens to be a liar.

Also, Puspakom is not the most trustworthy organization. Netizens' refusal to believe in Puspakom's inspection report is understandable. But to be fair to Chery, what do you dear reader suggest then? An engineering consulting firm that the public has not heard of? The workshop in your Taman? Even automotive engineering colleges don't invest in roller brake testers. 

WapCar's review of the Chery Omoda 5 highlighted its weak brakes

The WapCar team was never a fan of the Chery Omoda 5’s brakes. That alone doesn't mean that it's defective, but owners will have to adapt to its characteristic.

A driver who starts pumping the brakes rapidly instead of applying firm, constant pressure, will of course complain that the brakes are not working.

In our review of the Omoda 5, we said:

“We also aren't particularly big fans of the brakes. It requires considerable effort to even start stopping the Omoda 5, with a pedal feel that is for some reason akin to the 'on-off' sensation some badly-calibrated hybrid cars have – there's a discernible lag then erk! it starts to bite.”

A defect means something that is not working as designed. The Chery’s brakes, though lacking in confidence, are working as designed, and pass all UN safety standards – else it wouldn’t have received its homologation papers. We also gave the same weak brakes complaint in our review of the Mazda CX-30 too.

Recall in Australia, but not in Malaysia?

Some netizens point out to a recall by Chery Australia in February 2024, alleging that Chery Malaysia is not being forthcoming about the defects with the Omoda 5’s brakes.

The Australian recall affects only a batch of cars shipped to Australia, to address a bolt securing a brake pipe union that may not have been tightened sufficiently.

Unlike regular workshops, factories use electronic torque wrenches, which will only greenlight a job if the preset torque is applied. These tools are regularly calibrated for accuracy but sometimes, the calibration schedules, for whatever reason, may be missed, or done incorrectly.

But because every job in a factory is logged electronically, the factory can recall exactly which cars bearing what chassis numbers may have incorrectly torqued bolts, based on their records on when the tool was last calibrated. This explains why some recalls only affect certain batch of cars, in certain locations.

Remember that Australian market Chery cars are imported from China, and the recall is to correct an improperly done assembly step done at the Chinese factory. The recall is not to replace a globally used part with a defective design.

Our Malaysia market Chery Omoda 5 are locally assembled (CKD) in Kulim, with a different set of tools.

In Malaysia, JPJ will publish recall notices for various makes. There is no recall for Malaysia-assembled Chery models this year, but there is one recently for Toyota, Kia, and VW. But of course, cynics will always have their conspiracy theories. The best option for them is to take the bus, but what about safety checks for buses and trains? What about flying with Boeing airplanes? What about elevators? Where does it end for these cynics?

Anyway, if the fault is a bolt, it won’t be a recurring problem as faced by the owner making the complaint.

An improperly tightened bolt is a visibly identifiable physical problem. Even if Chery Malaysia wants to hide it, they can’t because the recall is for something so physical and so easy to identify. The accusations make no sense.

Next available options for the owner

None of the above solves the owner’s problem. Just like bad relationships, life is too short to hold on to a bad purchase. She can choose to sell the car (recommended option, if she is genuinely interested in a resolution) or go to the Consumer Tribunal (lengthy process, but will prove who is lying).

The challenge then is to prove that there a brake defect in her car, supported by an independent technical assessment. Puspakom’s report obviously doesn’t align with the owner’s complaint, but she is free to find another engineering consultancy that will give her the findings she wants, and let the court will decide.

The situation is now a ‘She said, Chery said’ thing, and many netizens have already made up their own mind, regardless of who said what, our explainations included.

For other would-be buyers who are still in doubt, visit a Chery showroom and test drive an Omoda 5 yourself. Here’s a tip: Plot a test drive route with your own car, pay very close attention to your car’s character, and then repeat driving the same route, doing the same driving actions in the test drive Chery car. If you are still in doubt, move along. There are plenty more SUVs on sale.