Jordan suspends customs clearance for two China vehicles: after-sales problems of more than 100,000 "China sourced vehicles" have surfaced

Alarm for China's second-hand car exports to Jordan: A certain China brand's export of electric vehicles is caught in a quality dispute, and "no original factory warranty" has become the biggest pain point...

According to Jordanian media "AmmanNet", consumer complaints surrounding two export electric vehicles of a certain China brand continue to ferment. The Consumer Protection Bureau of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply of Jordan has received53 related complaints, the main problem pointing toa "sudden stop" ofvehicles while driving. Relevant Jordanian authorities have taken preventive measures, including suspending the licensing and transfer of property rights of unsold vehicles, and notifying customs not to release newly imported vehicles involved.

The incident itself only involves specific models, but for China's used car, quasi-new car and parallel export industries, what is really noteworthy is another problem it exposes: a large number of vehicles exported from the China market to Jordan do not necessarily "go to sea" with the original warranty of China manufacturers.

53 complaints triggered supervision, and new customs clearance for the vehicles involved was suspended

Rula Malkawi, head of the Jordanian Consumer Protection Agency, said that 53 complaints have been received about manufacturing defects in two electric vehicles of a China brand, and consumers have concentrated on reporting that the vehicle suddenly stopped during driving.

Jordan's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply has issued 53 notice of violation to relevant companies, involving nine vehicle suppliers, including related companies, import groups and seven car showrooms. The minister also approved a rectification action plan, hoping to address existing problems and protect the rights of affected consumers.

More importantly, the Jordanian side did not stop at the level of complaint investigation. The local industry and trade department has established a technical committee with the Jordanian Standards and Metrology Agency. Test results show that there are "strong technical signs" and support the judgment that manufacturing defects exist.

As a precautionary measure, the competent authorities have asked the vehicle driving and license plate management department to suspend the registration and transfer of property rights of unsold vehicles in the two models, and also required the customs not to handle customs clearance for these two models newly arrived in Hong Kong.

However, Mohammad Al-Zarou, a representative of the Jordanian Automobile Dealers and Dealers Association, also warned that manufacturing defects are not unique to China brands. Similar situations occur in the global automobile industry. Repair or replacement is usually completed through Recall in mature markets. Therefore, what is more worth observing about this incident is the follow-up recall, maintenance and liability bearing mechanism, rather than simply expanding it to the entire China automobile brand group.

"New cars" are exported from China, but when they arrive in Jordan, they may become used cars without original factory warranty

In the past, many cars entered Jordan from the China market. These vehicles seem to be close to "new cars" in trade, but some vehicles have actually completed their first registration in China, and then cancelled or lost their original warranty in the China market. They are then exported to Jordan by traders and entered the used car circulation system in accordance with local rules.

A typical chain may be: China automobile manufacturers first sell vehicles to domestic dealers, the dealers complete registration in China, then sell vehicles to export traders, and finally ship them to Jordan.

The vehicle itself may be new and has low mileage, but the "original warranty qualification" will not naturally be transferred overseas with the vehicle. This is a real problem currently facing the Jordanian market.

Before Jordan implemented new vehicle standards,more than 100,000 vehicleshad entered the region from the China market, and these vehicles did not enjoy the original factory warranty. Previously, some vehicles used the compulsory warranty provided by the local area, which was usually only about 50,000 kilometers. Ordinary consumers could finish the journey in about two to two and a half years.

The question also arises: If the vehicle is exposed to manufacturing defects after the local warranty period ends, should we seek a China manufacturer, an official Jordanian agent, or the trader who imported the vehicle in the first place?

This is very critical for China export companies. In the past, under the model of "domestic licensing-cancellation-export as second-hand/quasi-new car", the competitive advantage mainly lies in price; but as overseas supervision enters the after-sales stage, who is responsible for batteries, control systems, vehicles, recalls and manufacturing defects is becoming A bigger issue than purchase price.

Jordan has raised import thresholds, restricting accidents and electric vehicles over three years old

The dispute also occurred after Jordan's overall automobile import policy became stricter.

In November 2025, the Jordanian Cabinet decided to restructure the vehicle import management system. Gasoline, hybrid and pure electric passenger vehicles all need to meet technical standards recognized by Jordan and comply with one of the technical regulatory systems in Europe, the United States, the Gulf or Saudi Arabia.

At the same time, Jordan has banned the import of three-year-old electric vehicles-including the year of customs clearance-and banned the import of vehicles classified as "Salvage" or "Junk" in the country of origin, including severely burned, soaked in water and accident vehicles scrapped in accordance with the law.

In other words, Jordan's past era of relying on free zones and parallel channels to gain mass access to cars is gradually changing. Vehicles depend not only on the price and year, but also on the original market identity, accident level, certification standards and after-sales liability.

Jordan's legal responsibilities are also being clarified. Lawyer Ghazi Al-Odat pointed out that under local consumer protection laws, the concept of "supplier" can cover sellers, distributors and importers. If the vehicle has manufacturing defects that affect its normal use purpose, consumers have the right to complain to the consumer protection department or seek compensation from the court; if the vehicle has gone through multiple commercial entities before being finally sold to consumers, the liability may even be involved. More than one company.

At present, some car owners involved require direct replacement of the vehicle and withdrawal of the products involved from the market. A consumer representative said that the vehicles in question were mainly from the 2022 and 2023 model years, and the original purchase price was about 14,000 Jordanian dinars. Some vehicles come from free zones or unofficial showrooms, and some sellers have even claimed to be "agents" to consumers. This further amplifies the cognitive confusion between consumers between formal authorization channels and parallel import channels.

written in the end

The biggest reminder of this incident to China's used car export industry is not that "a certain China car has a quality problem," but that overseas markets have begun to ask a question that has often been ignored in the past: Who is responsible for manufacturing defects in a quasi-new car that has been registered in China, cancelled and then exported? Jordan already has more than 100,000 vehicles from China origin without original factory warranty, and local regulations are simultaneously tightening the age, accident vehicle and technical certification requirements for electric vehicles. In the future, when dealing with the Jordanian and even the entire Middle East market, it is best for exporters to include "whether there is a global warranty, who locally repairs and who is responsible for the recall, and who will pay for the power battery problems" into the contract and quotation before the transaction. A few thousand dollars may allow customers to place orders, but the real decision whether China's used cars can remain in the Middle East market for a long time will be whether the after-sales responsibility can go out with the car.

Source: Guangdong Good Car

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