Volkswagen, Audi and Seat are recalling roughly a million vehicles in Germany to fix a corrosion-prone screw in the steering gear that can snap and, in the worst case, cause the steering to fail.
According to Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the campaign covers VW models including the Tiguan, Touran, Golf Variant, Golf and Caddy, plus the Audi Q3, under KBA references 17016R for Volkswagen and 17014R for Audi. heise puts the figure at around 954,000 Volkswagen and Audi cars; tagesschau, citing KBA data, reports nearly 900,000 VWs, some 60,000 Audis and about 44,000 Seats, taking the total past one million.
The defect is a mounting screw on the steering rack that can rust through moisture and road salt and then break. Owners will be contacted and the affected screw replaced at a workshop with a more corrosion-resistant part — a repair that the ADAC motoring club describes as comparatively quick.
The campaign is one of Germany's largest recalls of the year and arrives at an awkward moment for Volkswagen, which is already wrestling with cost pressure and scrutiny of its software and components. Drivers can check whether their car is affected via the KBA recall database or by asking a dealer with the vehicle identification number.
