Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
A tiny piece of metal, no bigger than a finger, is behind one of the largest steering recalls of the year.
Volkswagen and Audi have long argued that German engineering keeps their cars on the road for years without trouble.
This week that argument has been tested by a single fastener buried deep in the front axle of some of their most popular family cars.
Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority, the KBA, has ordered Volkswagen and Audi to call back around 2.86 million vehicles worldwide over a steering gear bolt that can corrode and snap in service, according to the German motorists’ association ADAC. The two actions carry KBA references 17016R for Volkswagen and 17014R for Audi.
The affected cars are the VW Golf, Golf Variant, Tiguan, Touran and Caddy built between September 24, 2013 and July 1, 2024, and the Audi Q3 built between October 31, 2017 and May 23, 2024. In Germany alone, 895,832 VW models and 58,555 Audi Q3s are covered, t-online reports.
What can actually happen
The steering gear translates every turn of the wheel into movement at the front axle, and it is bolted to the subframe at two points. Over years of exposure to road salt and moisture, one of those bolts can rust through and break. If it does, the steering gear hangs on a single mount and can shift under load, most acutely at parking speeds. The KBA warns that a broken bolt can lead to a failure of the steering.
VW estimates that no more than 1 percent of the recalled cars actually show damage, and no injuries or property damage have so far been linked to the defect. Owners can keep driving until their dealer appointment.
Free fix, and a separate US recall
Workshops will swap the existing fastener for a corrosion-resistant bolt. The repair takes about an hour and is free of charge, ADAC says. Volkswagen has published the recall code 48VS for its models and 48LG for the Audi Q3.
The US is being handled through a separate action. On September 11, Volkswagen Group of America filed NHTSA campaign 26V590, covering 208,724 vehicles: 85,713 units of the 2018 Tiguan, 82,601 units of the 2018 and 2019 Atlas, and 40,410 units of the 2019 to 2021 Audi Q3. The defect is the same corroded steering rack bolt, and dealers will fit a new corrosion-resistant, polymer-coated bolt at no cost. Volkswagen and Audi say they are not aware of any crashes, injuries or fatalities tied to the issue in North America.
Owner notification letters in the United States are scheduled to go out on November 10, and the campaign is now searchable by VIN on the NHTSA website.
