Earlier this year, images circulated on social media in South Africa of a Chery Tiggo 4 Pro that was in an accident and badly damaged.
Not long after, a story broke out in Malaysia regarding an Omoda C5 which was rendered undriveable, leading to a recall of 600 units in that country.
In both incidents, the issue that led to the damage of both vehicles was seemingly related to the rear axle of each car, prompting speculation into the cause of the problem.
Viral images
The South African images of the scarred Tiggo 4 Pro are still receiving comments and being shared across various social media platforms like Reddit and TikTok despite the incident taking place in early April.
Car accidents are not uncommon in South Africa, but there are a number of oddities surrounding this incident, from the alleged cause and severity of the accident to the nature of the posts themselves.
The Reddit post was uploaded to the r/southafrica subreddit on 1 April, bringing the legitimacy of the post into question as an April Fool’s joke, which is not helped by the accompanying caption.
The post claims that the Chery’s rear axle ripped off while driving and that the car flipped eight times, and while the first claim is evident with an image, the second is hard to believe for two reasons.
Firstly, the crossover appears to be in relatively good condition after rolling no less than eight times with a rear window still intact, the front wheels and axle still connected, and the roof only slightly indented.
Secondly, the world record for the number of car flips is eight and a half times and was achieved by a stuntman on the set of the recent Hollywood film The Fall Guy using a special cannon, so a car rolling eight times in a road accident seems highly implausible.
Regardless of the alleged intensity of the accident, the car was badly damaged and its rear axle was detached from the body.
A TikTok video sharing the images has received more than 4,000 shares and 1,700 comments as of the time of writing with some posts being made in just the last few days.
A few comments even mention that something similar happened to them or an acquaintance, albeit with no evidence to support these anecdotal claims.
Chery’s response
TopAuto reached out to Chery South Africa for clarification on this event to determine whether the posts have been debunked and, if legitimate, what led to the incident.
A representative said that the company is aware of the crash and that it immediately launched a full investigation with the highest level of diligence and care.
Chery’s Customer Care department was able to trace the customer and the matter has since been resolved with the customer requesting that their identity be kept anonymous.
Not long after the Tiggo 4 Pro incident, an Omoda C5’s rear trailing arm broke in Malaysia, leading to a recall of 600 models.
Chery South Africa stated that the two cases, both of which involve the car’s rear axle, are unrelated and that the cause of the Omoda’s problem was traced back to the manufacturing plant where the worn-out tip of a welding machine was replaced, but the machine was not re-calibrated once the new tip was installed leading to imperfections in the welding.
“We have been in close communication with our international counterparts on this issue,” said Chery South Africa in response to queries on the Tiggo 4 Pro.
“Our findings and preliminary investigations have found that this incident in question is unrelated to the issue experienced in the Malaysian market.”
As a precautionary measure, the company has launched a general safety campaign to monitor any possible risks that may be related to the vehicles manufactured and distributed to the South African market during the same period as the ones in Malaysia.
Approximately 70% of the local models from this period have already been inspected, according to the automaker.
“The situation is being monitored carefully by various departments within Chery, and a multitude of strategies and action plans have been put in place.”
“Should there be any development or a need for escalation or concern, it will be communicated to the affected customers without delay.”
The inspection is limited to a small group of Tiggo 4 Pro models, and does not affect any of the Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro units in South Africa.
The manufacturer is also giving its customers the opportunity to take their Chery and Omoda cars to their local dealership for a free inspection to ensure their peace of mind.
“Chery is dedicated to upholding the highest vehicle safety and customer service standards. Our paramount concern remains our vehicles’ safety, reliability, and trustworthiness, and we are confident in their general safety,” it said.
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