Overview
- The Kraftfahrt‑Bundesamt (KBA) registered the safety recall on Friday and Volkswagen and Audi have begun notifying owners to bring affected cars to authorized dealers for a free repair.
- KBA listings cover Volkswagen models Golf, Golf Variant, Tiguan, Touran and Caddy (production 24.09.2013–01.07.2024) and the Audi Q3 (31.10.2017–23.05.2024), with roughly 895,832 VW and 58,555 Audi vehicles in Germany and about 2.16 million VW and 696,547 Audi cars worldwide recorded.
- The fault is corrosion of a steering‑gear fastening screw from moisture and road salt exposure that can cause the screw head to break and, in the worst case, lead to loss of steering; the fix is replacing it with a corrosion‑resistant screw at a dealer workshop.
- Dealers say the repair takes about an hour and is free, but internal notices and reporting show an initial shortage of the specified replacement screw may force use of a temporary part and require some owners to return for a final approved replacement.
- The KBA is monitoring the action, no injuries or damage linked to the defect have been reported so far, and media reports that Seat and Škoda lines may also be affected remain partly unconfirmed by KBA entries and are under further review.