(Central News Agency reporter Huang Ziqiang, Kuala Lumpur, 13th) China's Chery Automobile Omoda 5 recently suffered an axle detachment in Malaysia, raising concerns about the quality of Chinese-made cars. The Land Transport Bureau has suspended the registration of new cars of the same model. The youth leader of the People's Justice Party called for the expedited enactment of the "car lemon law" to protect the rights of owners of defective cars to replace their cars, get a refund or request a buyback.
Recently, an axle of Chery Omoda 5 fell off while driving in Johor Bahru. The Land Transport Authority of Malaysia subsequently suspended vehicle type certification and new vehicle registration for the involved models and related models, and launched a safety investigation.
Chery Malaysia issued a statement on the 11th, announcing the recall of Omoda 5 (C & H) models, free inspection and replacement of affected components if necessary. Owners of other Omoda 5 models can also go to the show center for technical assistance.
The Omoda 5 was launched in Malaysia in March 2024. Subsequently, there was an issue with the axle breaking during driving. Chery recalled 600 vehicles at that time to ensure safety.
Regarding the Chery Malaysia rear axle detachment incident, Jeremy Ang, deputy head of the Federal Territory Youth League of the People's Justice Party, said today that even if the vehicle is sent for inspection or repair, the owner still has to pay installments and may also bear additional transportation costs, which will affect daily life and work. Therefore, the government should speed up the formulation of a clear, comprehensive and effective "car lemon law".
Lemon Laws, a consumer protection law from the United States, mainly protect the rights and interests of car buyers. Originally, lemon cars were used as second-hand cars in poor condition, but later extended to newly manufactured defective cars.
The "Auto Lemon Law" establishes a remedy and compensation mechanism for seriously defective products. Hong Shiming proposed four protections, including the right to buy back, exchange or refund the car, increase the power of the Consumer Complaints Tribunal to claim compensation, provide temporary financial assistance, and substitute vehicles or transportation subsidies.
He believes that if a vehicle has serious safety defects, or if repeated failures cannot be resolved after multiple repairs within a reasonable period, consumers should have the right to request the operator to buy back, replace the vehicle or provide a reasonable refund, and coordinate with financial institutions on issues such as remaining loans and vehicle ownership.
Hong Shiming suggested that the Consumer Complaints Tribunal’s current compensation limit of RM50,000 (approximately NT$400,000) be reviewed so that it can handle disputes involving the actual value of new cars; when the vehicle is out of service for a long time due to safety investigations, recalls or major repairs, it should be considered to postpone or adjust the installment payment to avoid unreasonable penalties.
He advocated that manufacturers or dealers should provide alternative vehicles or reasonable transportation allowances during inspections and repairs, and consumers should not bear the financial burden caused by product defects and quality management errors alone.
Malaysian media reported that although Malaysia has domestically produced vehicles, with the sales of Chinese car brands such as Chery and BYD soaring in the Malaysian market, the strong rise of Chinese cars is also rewriting the Malaysian car market.
