1.6 TGDI (SQRF4J16)
2022–2026 · petrol · 1598cc · 147hp
Engine codes: SQRF4J16
Reliability, common problems and owner reviews for the Omoda 5 1.6 TGDI (SQRF4J16). Check this before you buy used.
The petrol engine in the Omoda 5 and the petrol Jaecoo 7 is Chery's SQRF4J16, a 1.6 direct-injection turbo, about 147 hp, with a higher tune on some all-wheel-drive cars. The failure that is on paper is not a seized turbo. It is UK DVSA safety recall R/2026/069, dated 2 March 2026, on the Jaecoo 7 ICE (T1EJ). The government's notice: the ECU harness clip was not fully engaged in assembly, which can light the engine warning and stall the engine while moving. Build dates 1 April 2025 to 8 December 2025, 7,317 cars. The repair is free: check the fastener, replace a worn harness. Honest John was told by Jaecoo that owners need not stop driving while they wait, and that production had already been corrected. The plug-in Super Hybrid is not in R/2026/069. A second UK notice, R/2026/299, dated 5 August 2026, is listed by a recall compilation as a driver's-seat harness on 174 cars, petrol and plug-in, built in specific batches from September 2025 to January 2026, with seat, warning-light, gear-change and stall complaints. Confirm that one on the VIN rather than on a forum summary. The Omoda 5 uses this engine and is not the car named in R/2026/069. No primary source read for this pass supports a claim that the dampers fail at a set mileage. A content site's 'shocks at 40,000 miles' is not used.
Same engine, other cars
This is the same physical engine (SQRF4J16) sold under different names across brands. Reliability is broadly shared — cross-check these:
Known Issues
DVSA R/2026/069, 2 March 2026, Jaecoo 7 ICE only. 7,317 UK cars built 1 April 2025 to 8 December 2025. The clip on the engine-control harness was not fully clicked home. The engine light comes on and the engine can stall in traffic. The dealer checks the fastener and replaces the harness if it is worn. Jaecoo told Honest John it is not a stop-driving order. It is still a stall recall, and an open VIN is not a car to buy. The Super Hybrid plug-in is outside this notice. An Omoda 5 is a different model and is not listed on it.
Fix / Workaround: Registration on the UK recall checker, or the VIN at a dealer, against R/2026/069. Do not buy a petrol Jaecoo 7 from that build window with the campaign open. A car built after 8 December 2025 is outside the published dates; still ask.
0Typically appears after: 1,000 km
A compilation of the DVSA list, updated 9 October 2026, describes R/2026/299 (5 August 2026) as the driver's-seat wiring routed wrongly on 174 Jaecoo 7s, both petrol and the SHS plug-in, in batches built September 2025 to January 2026. The symptoms it lists are the seat, a warning light, odd gear changes and, rarely, a stall. The government's own page for R/2026/069 was read for this entry. The 299 notice was not opened on GOV.UK in the same pass, so treat the 174 and the plug-in inclusion as that compilation's reading and check the VIN. Clearing 069 does not clear 299.
Fix / Workaround: Ask the dealer to run R/2026/299 as well as R/2026/069. A plug-in is not automatically clear of every 2026 harness campaign.
0Typically appears after: 1,000 km
The stall is a clip, not a bearing or a turbo. Owner write-ups of a sluggish move-off or a clumsy gear change exist as road-test comments and as forum chatter; they do not, in the sources opened here, name a failed mechatronics unit or a mileage. The dual-clutch is still the part to feel in a queue, because that is the unproven hardware sitting behind a recalled harness. A claim that the front dampers are gone at 40,000 miles was traced to a content site and dropped.
Fix / Workaround: Queue test on any petrol car, Omoda 5 included. Screen glitches and a false warning are worth noting on the drive. They are not the stall recall, and they are not a damper life.
0Typically appears after: 15,000 km
Year Cutoffs
Mileage Thresholds
After 10,000 km: The clip can stall a nearly new car. Mileage is not the test. The VIN is.
After 60,000 km: No turbo or gearbox teardown in the sources used. Do not invent a 40,000-mile suspension life.
Pre-Purchase Checklist
- ☐Petrol Jaecoo 7, build April–December 2025: R/2026/069 closed
- ☐R/2026/299 asked separately — clearing the ECU clip does not clear the seat harness
- ☐Plug-in Super Hybrid: not in 069; do not assume it is clear of 299
- ☐Omoda 5: same engine family, not the car named in 069
- ☐Queue test of the dual-clutch, without treating a hesitation as a known failed unit
- ☐No 'dampers at 40,000 miles' from a content site
Frequently asked questions
Is the Omoda 5 1.6 TGDI (SQRF4J16) reliable?
Maint. Sensitive — The petrol engine in the Omoda 5 and the petrol Jaecoo 7 is Chery's SQRF4J16, a 1.6 direct-injection turbo, about 147 hp, with a higher tune on some all-wheel-drive cars. The failure that is on paper is not a seized turbo. It is UK DVSA safety recall R/2026/069, dated 2 March 2026, on the Jaecoo 7 ICE (T1EJ). The government's notice: the ECU harness clip was not fully engaged in assembly, which can light the engine warning and stall the engine while moving. Build dates 1 April 2025 to 8 December 2025, 7,317 cars. The repair is free: check the fastener, replace a worn harness. Honest John was told by Jaecoo that owners need not stop driving while they wait, and that production had already been corrected. The plug-in Super Hybrid is not in R/2026/069. A second UK notice, R/2026/299, dated 5 August 2026, is listed by a recall compilation as a driver's-seat harness on 174 cars, petrol and plug-in, built in specific batches from September 2025 to January 2026, with seat, warning-light, gear-change and stall complaints. Confirm that one on the VIN rather than on a forum summary. The Omoda 5 uses this engine and is not the car named in R/2026/069. No primary source read for this pass supports a claim that the dampers fail at a set mileage. A content site's 'shocks at 40,000 miles' is not used.
What are the common problems and reviews for the Omoda 5 1.6 TGDI (SQRF4J16)?
The most commonly reported problems: Jaecoo 7 petrol: ECU clip can stall the engine, R/2026/299: a smaller seat-harness notice, No measured mechanical pattern behind the recall.
Is a used Omoda 5 1.6 TGDI (SQRF4J16) worth buying?
Fine if serviced correctly — but it punishes neglect hard. History and the right consumables matter.