Recall from VW, Audi and Seat: Possible steering problems in almost a million vehicles in Germany

According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), almost a million vehicles from Volkswagen and its subsidiaries Audi and Seat in Germany could have a problem. A steering failure could occur due to a screw breaking off, as data from the authority shows. In order to solve the problem, the steering screw connection must be replaced with a more corrosion-resistant screw, the KBA said. The portal “t-online.de” had previously reported.

According to KBA, the VW models Tiguan, Touran, Golf Variant, Caddy and Golf that were produced between September 24, 2013 and July 1, 2024 are affected. There are potentially almost 2.16 million vehicles worldwide, including almost 900,000 in Germany.

The same problem occurs with the Audi Q3 with a production period between October 31, 2017 and May 23, 2024. Almost 700,000 vehicles worldwide are potentially affected, including a good 58,500 in Germany. According to KBA, the same applies to the Seat models Ateca and Tarraco in the production period from April 2016 to September 2024. However, the exact number of Seat vehicles affected was initially not known. There was initially no information in the KBA data for other group brands such as Skoda.

Corrosion can affect steering

Audi said internal quality testing uncovered the problem in certain production batches of the Q3. Under certain environmental influences and after many years of operation under the influence of road salt, corrosion can occur on a steering fastening screw. If it progresses, the function of the steering could be impaired in individual cases.

“So far there have been no cases of personal injury or further property damage in this context,” Audi said. The manufacturer is asking the owners of the affected vehicles to come to the workshops as a precautionary measure. The screw connection should be replaced there. A statement from Volkswagen was initially not available.