BYD Atto 1 Loses Wheel in Indonesia After Striking Road Divider

A BYD Atto 1 electric hatchback lost its rear-right wheel in West Jakarta, Indonesia, on November 2, following a reported strike against a concrete road divider. The incident has drawn fresh scrutiny toward the build quality of Chinese electric vehicles. According to the driver, the vehicle continued to travel for another one to two kilometres before the rear axle broke and the wheel detached completely.

The incident took place at approximately 04:00 WIB on Jalan Ring Road Raya, near the Kapuk-Kamal toll exit in Cengkareng. The driver reported hearing several loud metallic noises after warning indicators flashed on the dashboard, before the wheel finally separated. Municipal police and eleven transportation officials assisted in clearing the vehicle from the active traffic lane to a nearby workshop.

Known as the BYD Seagull in China and the BYD Dolphin Mini in select Latin American markets, the front-wheel-drive Atto 1 is built on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0 architecture. It features a MacPherson strut front suspension paired with a torsion-beam rear setup. The Dynamic trim weighs 1,225 kg, while the Premium model tips the scales at 1,280 kg, with both variants utilizing BYD’s Blade battery. Local media reports pointed to a broken rear axle shaft, though the exact part failure and whether the initial impact caused the entire failure remain officially unconfirmed.

PT BYD Motor Indonesia announced that its aftersales team is currently coordinating with the owner for a comprehensive inspection. Luther Panjaitan, Head of Public and Government Relations at BYD Motor Indonesia, told Kompas Otomotif that initial reports point to a severe impact with a road divider or curb. Panjaitan noted that while BYD warranties cover component quality issues, the owner in this instance reportedly expected company insurance to cover the repairs. BYD has not yet released formal inspection findings or verified which specific component broke.

This incident follows a separate event in Central Jakarta on November 4, where a Jaecoo J5 EV lost its front-right wheel assembly. Jaecoo Indonesia stated that an inspection revealed the vehicle had hit a curb and roadside barrier before the wheel came off, resulting in damage to the front-right bumper, fender, and passenger door, but found no evidence of a manufacturing defect. While these two unrelated Jakarta incidents involve different brands and show no common technical failure, they have sparked renewed online discussions recalling Chery’s 2024 recall of 8,878 Omoda 5 vehicles in Malaysia over rear-axle welding concerns. That previous campaign addressed a factory production issue, whereas the recent Jakarta cases stem from reported impacts with roadside infrastructure.

The events unfold as BYD ramps up its local footprint in Indonesia, marked by the inauguration of its Subang manufacturing plant in West Java on September 3, 2026. Built with a reported investment of Rp 11.6 trillion (roughly 700 million USD), the facility has an announced annual output capacity of up to 150,000 vehicles.