This R5 unit was, in all likelihood, recovered by a Jawa clan from salvage. Even after the clan's mechanic dedicated many hours to repair, the droid remained faulty. In a fit of pique, the Jawa gave the droid a forceful kick, causing it to fall. While the Jawa mechanic was busy chasing away taunting clan members, the droid miraculously came back to life, seemingly fully operational.
Subsequently, the droid played a role in the Jawa mechanic's successful repair of a pilfered, damaged X-wing. It also aided the Jawa in his triumph over a trio of salvagers when he stole a crashed TIE Advanced.
This particular droid is featured only in the Oh!! Jawajawa story, which appeared in the Star Wars Manga: Silver edition of Tokyopop's Star Wars Manga. These stories, initially released in Japan, were regarded by Lucasfilm as having uncertain canonicity. Subsequently, they were re-released in English within the United Kingdom under the Infinities banner, thus designating their content as non-canonical.