Chery Omoda 5 Recalled in Australia: 7,285 Cars From 2023 Over a Rear Axle That May Not Be Properly Welded

The Omoda 5 was the car that put Chery back on a lot of Australian shopping lists, a sharp-looking small SUV at a price that undercut the established names. Plenty of the early ones are now on their second owner, sitting on used-car lots or in the classifieds. If you own a 2023 example, or you're about to buy one, this recall matters, because it is about the part that holds the back of the car to the road.

Chery Motor Australia has lodged a recall on the federal Vehicle Recalls register covering 7,285 Omoda 5s with a 2023 year range. The concern is the welding on the rear axle assembly. The good news is that the dealer check costs owners nothing and the register publishes a VIN list, so you can find out quickly whether your car is involved. Here is what the notice says, and what we'd do about it.

What the notice says

The defect in plain English

The rear axle assembly is the structure the back wheels hang off. It carries the weight of the rear of the car, the passengers in the back seat and whatever is in the boot, and it keeps the rear wheels pointing where they should through bumps and corners. It is built up from steel sections joined by welds, and those welds have to be right for the part to stay in one piece for the life of the car.

According to the notice, some of the 2023 Omoda 5 axle assemblies may not have received enough weld during manufacture. The concern is that a weak weld could crack over time. The register describes the consequence directly: if the axle cracks, it could lead to a loss of vehicle control.

The hazard line on the notice is just as plain. A loss of vehicle control will increase the risk of an accident which may cause injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users. That is standard register wording for a defect of this kind, but it is the reason this one deserves a prompt phone call rather than a note on the fridge.

Which cars are on the list

The notice names the Chery Omoda 5 with a year range of 2023, and it says the recall applies to “All variants within this model”. It does not split the 7,285 cars by grade or engine, so don't try to rule your car in or out by the badge on the tailgate.

What the register does publish is a VIN list attached to the notice. That is the definitive answer for any individual car. The 17-digit VIN is on the compliance plate, usually inside the driver's door opening, on your registration papers and on the purchase contract.

Two related cars come up a lot in conversations about this model. The Omoda E5 electric is not named on the notice, run your VIN. Chery's current small SUV in this part of the range, sold as the C5, is also not named on the notice, run your VIN. If you're unsure which car you have, the VIN check settles it in a minute.

What happens next for owners

The notice says Chery Motor Australia will contact owners of affected vehicles in writing, asking them to schedule an appointment with their local dealership. At that visit the vehicle is inspected, and repair work is carried out if required. There is no charge to the owner.

The notice doesn't describe the repair itself, and it doesn't say how long the car will be at the dealer. Ask both questions when you book, along with whether a loan car is available if your car needs to stay in.

The notice also doesn't give owners a specific driving instruction while they wait. If you have any doubt about your car in the meantime, a strange noise from the rear, a change in how it tracks or anything else that worries you, ring Chery or your dealer and tell them which recall you're calling about. The notice doesn't mention any incidents.

Owner checklist

1. Find the VIN. It runs to 17 characters and sits on the compliance plate, the rego papers and the contract of sale.
2. Run it. Search it on vehiclerecalls.gov.au, or call the Chery Motor Australia Customer Service Team on 1800 424 379.
3. Check your details. The letter goes to the owner Chery has on file. If you bought the car second-hand or have moved, email recall@cherymotor.com.au with your VIN and current address.
4. Book it in. Contact your local Chery dealer, quote REC-006776 and the VIN, and ask about timing and a loan car.
5. Keep the paperwork. File the dealer's record of the inspection with the service history. It answers the question for the next owner.

Buying a used Omoda 5?

This is where the recall needs the closest attention. A lot of 2023 Omoda 5s have changed hands, some through dealers and some privately. Chery's letter goes to whoever it has on record, and that may not be the person selling you the car.

So get the VIN before you pay a deposit and run it on the register. If the car is on the list and the inspection hasn't been done, it isn't automatically a reason to walk away, because the check costs the owner nothing. It is a reason to ask the seller to have it done before settlement, or to get it booked yourself straight after.

Selling one? Do the opposite. Clear the recall before you list it and put the dealer's paperwork in the folder. An open recall on a suspension part is the sort of thing a sharp buyer will use to knock the price down, and you can take it off the table for nothing.

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Safety ratings

A recall doesn't change a crash-test result, and we don't restate ratings in recall stories. If you're comparing an older car with something newer on safety, our ANCAP safety ratings explained guide covers how the tests have changed and why ratings from different years aren't directly comparable.

If this is the nudge to trade up

Some owners will use a recall letter as the excuse they needed to look at something newer. If you want to stay with Chery, our directory has the current line-up with the brand's own figures. The Chery C5 Hybrid Urban shows $33,352, which is Chery's estimated drive-away price for postcode 3000, read on 14 November. It lists 165kW, 295Nm and an official combined fuel figure of 4.9L/100km. The petrol C5 Urban has 108kW and 210Nm, but we don't show a price for it right now.

If you'd rather spend less, the Chery Tiggo 4 Urban is listed at $23,990 drive-away, Chery's campaign price for orders placed between 1 October and 31 December 2026 at participating dealers. Chery backs its current cars with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, as recorded on each of those rows.

Outside the brand, the obvious small SUVs to line up are the GWM Haval Jolion Premium, at $23,990 drive-away on GWM's offers page, and the Hyundai Kona 2.0 FWD, at $33,950 manufacturer's list price, before on-road costs. Note the different price bases before you compare the numbers. You can put any of them side by side on our compare page.

Our take

A weld problem on the rear axle is not the kind of recall you leave in the glovebox. The upside is that the process is simple: the register has published the VIN list, the dealer inspection costs owners nothing, and repair work is carried out if the inspection finds it is required.

What we'd like Chery to add is an owner-facing recall page on its own website, with a VIN lookup, so second and third owners who miss the letter have somewhere obvious to check. Until then, the federal register and the 1800 number are the tools to use.

What this means for buyers

Own a 2023 Omoda 5? Run the VIN now rather than waiting for the letter, make sure Chery has your current details, and book the no-cost inspection as soon as you can get in.

Shopping for a used one? Run the VIN before you pay, and ask for proof the inspection has been done. Treat an open recall as a job to get booked, not a reason to haggle on someone else's problem after you've bought it.

Looking at new instead? Start with the C5 Hybrid Urban or the Tiggo 4 Urban, then check rivals in the full car directory, paying attention to whether each price is drive-away or before on-roads.