Volkswagen recalls about 4.6 million vehicles worldwide due to corroded steering system screws

(Central News Agency reporter Lin Shangying, special report from Berlin on the 3rd) German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen recalled about 4.6 million vehicles worldwide due to corrosion of steering system screws. A German media investigation pointed out that the reason why one screw affected millions of vehicles was related to the large number of shared parts among different brands and models of Volkswagen, which brought attention to this cost-cutting production strategy.

German business media "Handelsblatt" obtained the recall documents submitted by Volkswagen to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traced the large-scale recall incident, and found that the core of the problem was a steering gear fixing screw.

This screw may gradually corrode due to water vapor intrusion, eventually causing the screw head to break, and in the worst case, it may affect the steering of the vehicle. According to data from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the Volkswagen brand alone has affected approximately 2.16 million vehicles worldwide, including nearly 900,000 vehicles in Germany. If other group brands are included, the global recall scale is approximately 4.6 million vehicles.

This recall not only involves the Volkswagen brand, but also affects the group's Skoda, SEAT and Audi Q3. Porsche and larger Audi models are not included in the recall because they use different technology platforms.

Business Daily analyzed that the reason why one screw can affect different brands and millions of vehicles is related to the modular production method adopted by Volkswagen for many years.

Dozens of Volkswagen's fuel vehicles use the "Modular Transverse Engine Platform" (MQB). By unifying some vehicle designs and parts specifications, different brands and models can share parts and production technologies to reduce R&D and procurement costs.

The Business Daily pointed out that although sharing parts can reduce R&D and procurement costs, once a single part is defective, the problem may also spread to more car models.

Faced with intensifying competition in the automotive market, Volkswagen is promoting large-scale reorganization and integrating the R&D, production and procurement of its brands to reduce duplication of investment and improve economies of scale.

According to a Volkswagen insider, the Business Daily pointed out that Volkswagen management has announced that it will further increase the number of parts shared by different car models in the future.

Documents obtained by the Business Daily also show that Volkswagen received the first relevant case as early as October 2024. At that time, a car had screw corrosion, causing the screw heads and steering gear housing to rupture. Similar cases appeared one after another in August and December 2025.

Flowserve said that there are only a few cases available for analysis initially, and the company continues to conduct technical investigations and risk assessments. It was not until September this year that the product safety committees of Volkswagen and Audi determined that there might be a safety defect and subsequently decided to launch a recall. (Editor: Tang Shengyang)