Volkswagen recalls millions of cars over possible steering failure

Carmaker Volkswagen has announced a large-scale recall, bringing vehicles into service centres for repairs. The recall covers models produced between September 2013 and July 2024, including cars sold in Czechia. The cause is a threaded bolt securing the steering system, which can corrode and eventually crack. A similar problem has been found in some Audi and Seat models as well.

What makes the faulty bolt dangerous

Service centres will fit a new, significantly more corrosion-resistant bolt in all affected vehicles free of charge. According to Volkswagen, failure of the original bolt could, in the worst case, lead to a partial loss of control over the vehicle. The risk is highest for cars that have spent a long time in areas where road salt is used heavily — in other words, on salted roads in winter.

The company stresses that, to date, no injuries or any significant material damage linked to this issue have been recorded. The recall is described as precautionary, and repairs will be completely free of charge for car owners.

Which models are affected

According to Lenka Vaňková, spokesperson for Volkswagen's Czech division, the recall covers selected vehicles from the Volkswagen Touran, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace, Golf Sportsvan, Golf Variant and Caddy ranges, as well as the Audi Q3 and Seat Ateca and Tarraco. She said the campaign will be rolled out in stages, depending on the level of corrosion exposure in different markets and the availability of the necessary parts, and that car owners will be informed separately about further steps.

In total, around 2.85 million vehicles are due to be inspected — such a large number because the list includes some particularly successful models. Audi, for instance, is only recalling Q3 crossovers built between autumn 2017 and summer 2024, but this is precisely the model with which the group has achieved major commercial success: almost 700,000 of these cars were produced during that period.

How great is the real risk

In Germany alone, the recall could affect nearly a million vehicles. The manufacturer itself expects that the faulty bolt may have made it into only certain production batches, and that the vast majority of cars are completely fine. According to available information, sources within Audi and Volkswagen themselves believe the actual defect threatens at most one percent of all the recalled vehicles.

Nevertheless, Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has assessed the situation as risky and intends to personally monitor the progress of the recall campaign.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz