The Volkswagen Group has launched one of its largest recall campaigns in recent years after detecting a possible safety issue in the steering system of nearly three million Volkswagen, Audi, and Seat vehicles sold worldwide. The Federal Motor Vehicle Authority of Germany (KBA) estimates that 2,159,054 Volkswagen vehicles are potentially affected, another 696,547 correspond to the Audi Q3, and 66,224 to Seat models, raising the total for these three brands to around 2.92 million units. The campaign is preventive and, so far, the German authority has no record of material or personal damage related to this defect.
The origin of the problem lies in a fastening screw of the steering system. Volkswagen explains that, under certain environmental conditions and after years of exposure to the salt used to prevent ice on the roads, that part may suffer corrosion. If the deterioration progresses enough, the screw could break and compromise the functioning of the steering, increasing the risk of losing control of the car.
Which Volkswagen models are affected
The majority of the campaign corresponds to Volkswagen, with 2,159,054 potentially affected vehicles worldwide, of which 895,832 are in Germany. The KBA includes in the campaign the Volkswagen Golf, Golf Variant, Tiguan, Touran, and Caddy produced between September 24, 2013, and July 1, 2024. The official German reference for this action is 17016R and Volkswagen internally uses the code 48VS.
This does not mean that all Golf, Tiguan, or Touran manufactured during that period have the defect. The campaign identifies potentially affected vehicles based on their configuration and components, so the model and year of manufacture are not enough to determine if a specific car needs to go to the workshop. The definitive check must be done through the chassis number or VIN.
Audi Q3: nearly 700,000 units
In Audi, the recall affects exclusively the Q3, specifically certain units manufactured between October 31, 2017, and May 23, 2024. The KBA counts 696,547 potentially affected vehicles worldwide, of which 58,555 are circulating in Germany. The campaign uses the reference 17014R from the German authority and the internal code 48LG from Audi.
Audi has explained that its internal inspections detected that factors such as humidity, salt, and certain environmental conditions can promote the corrosion of the part over several years. The company qualifies the action as a call for preventive review and will replace the affected element with another with greater resistance to corrosion.
Seat Ateca and Tarraco will also have to go to the workshop
The campaign also affects Seat, although on a much smaller scale. The KBA indicates 66,224 potentially affected cars worldwide, 43,574 of them in Germany, corresponding to Seat Ateca and Tarraco manufactured between April 2016 and September 2024. In this case, the reference from the German authority is 17017R.
Therefore, talking about 2.8 million vehicles from Volkswagen, Audi, and Seat is somewhat imprecise. Volkswagen and Audi alone account for 2,855,601 units and, when incorporating the Seats, the figure approaches 2.92 million. In Spain, a complete breakdown that allows knowing how many vehicles registered in the country are included in the action has not yet been publicly disseminated.
What they will do in the workshop
The proposed solution is relatively simple: to replace the steering fastening screw with another with greater resistance to corrosion. The manufacturer has indicated that the repair will be carried out within the preventive campaign and at no cost to the owner. In the case of Audi, the company estimates that the intervention can be completed in approximately one hour.
The existence of a recall does not mean that the vehicle has already suffered a breakdown or that the steering will fail immediately. The KBA speaks of "potentially affected" cars and Volkswagen estimates that only a small part of the included units could actually present the problem, but the nature of the part makes it necessary to replace it preventively.
How to know if my car is affected in Spain
Spanish drivers do not have to rely solely on the model or the year of registration. When a manufacturer detects a widespread safety defect, it must communicate it to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) and to the owners of the affected vehicles. The notice may arrive by letter and, since 2024, the DGT also incorporates recall campaigns into its Vehicle Registry.
The owner can check on the electronic headquarters of Traffic if they have any pending campaign by identifying themselves with a digital certificate, electronic DNI, or Cl@ve. It is also possible to check a specific vehicle using its chassis number or VIN, the 17-character code that appears, among other places, on the ITV card and in the car documentation. If there is a pending notice, the DGT recommends contacting the official service of the brand as soon as possible, which will indicate how to proceed and will carry out the corresponding repair free of charge.
Can you continue driving?
The information disseminated so far does not include a general order to immobilize the vehicles. The German authority has no record of accidents or injuries related to the defect, and the action is presented as preventive, so the cars can continue to circulate while the review is organized.
This does not diminish the importance of the campaign. As it is a component of the steering, owners who receive the notice should arrange for the repair without unnecessarily delaying it. If the driver detects abnormal changes in the feel of the steering, unusual noises, or any warning light, the recommendation is to consult the technical service before continuing to use the vehicle normally.
The group's campaign is even larger if Skoda is included
The scope of the problem goes even beyond Volkswagen, Audi, and Seat. A report from Reuters indicates that Skoda would also have more than a million vehicles included in related actions, which would raise the number of affected cars within the Volkswagen Group to around four million. Seat also confirmed its participation in the campaign.
For Spanish owners, however, the decisive data will not be the global size of the recall, but the VIN of their vehicle. A Golf, Tiguan, Q3, Ateca, or Tarraco manufactured within the indicated dates is not automatically defective, but it may be part of the campaign. The solution involves a free intervention in the workshop to replace a small part that, if deteriorated over the years, could compromise one of the most important systems for the safety of the car: the steering.