Volkswagen and Audi recall over 2.8 million cars over steering problem

Volkswagen and Audi are conducting a large-scale vehicle recall due to a possible fault in the steering mechanism. According to Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the problem could in the worst case lead to steering failure and increase the risk of an accident.

Volkswagen is recalling more than 2.1 million vehicles worldwide. This concerns the Golf, Golf Variant, Tiguan, Touran and Caddy models produced between 24 September 2013 and 1 July 2024. In Germany alone, the problem potentially affects almost 896,000 cars.

A separate campaign concerns the Audi Q3 manufactured between 31 October 2017 and 23 May 2024. There are almost 700,000 such vehicles worldwide, of which 58,600 are in Germany. Thus, the two campaigns together cover over 2.8 million Volkswagen and Audi vehicles.

The reason for the recall is a corrosion-prone fastening part in the steering mechanism. Under certain conditions, corrosion can weaken the bolt, which can then break. This can disrupt the connection of the steering components, and in the worst case, lead to its failure. No accidents, material damage or injuries related to this defect have been reported so far.

Owners of affected vehicles should contact a service centre. There, the fastening will be inspected, and the problematic bolt will be replaced free of charge with one that is more resistant to corrosion.

The Volkswagen campaign has the code 48VS and KBA number 17016R. For Audi, the code 48LG and KBA number 17014R are used. However, the year of manufacture alone does not mean that a specific vehicle is necessarily included in the campaign; this must be checked by VIN with a dealer or in the recall database.

Based on materials from: ADAC, Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, Tagesschau