VW Group is recalling millions of vehicles worldwide due to steering problems

As a precautionary measure, the VW Group has recalled almost a million cars to workshops in Germany. Even more vehicles are affected worldwide. The reason is a mounting screw on the steering that can corrode under certain conditions. It should be replaced with a more resistant part. According to VW and Audi, the possible problem was discovered during internal quality checks.

Several models and production periods are affected. At Volkswagen these are the Tiguan, Touran, Caddy, Golf Variant and Golf Sportsvan models, which were manufactured between September 2013 and July 2024. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority database, almost 2.16 million vehicles are affected worldwide, of which almost 900,000 are in Germany.

At Audi, the Q3 with the production period from October 31, 2017 to May 23, 2024 is affected. Almost 700,000 vehicles worldwide are potentially affected, including a good 58,500 in Germany.

There are also the Seat models Ateca and Tarraco from the production period from April 2016 to September 2024. It was initially not known how many of these vehicles in total were affected. There was initially no information in the Federal Motor Transport Authority database for other VW Group brands such as Skoda.

Corrosion of the screw depends on many factors

According to VW, the affected screw can corrode due to environmental influences and long-term contact with road salt. If the corrosion progresses, the fastening of the steering could be impaired in individual cases. In the worst case, the vehicle could no longer be safely controlled. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, no incidents involving property damage or personal injury have been reported so far.

In principle, it is possible to continue driving, said a VW spokesman. Although the affected screw is installed in all recalled vehicles, the extent of the problem can vary. Depending on how much road salt the car was exposed to.