Volkswagen recalls over 3 million vehicles over steering risk

Berlin: German automobile giant Volkswagen confirmed Friday a recall of over three million vehicles worldwide over what the German transport authority KBA said was a potential steering risk.

The affected models include VW's Tiguan, Touran, Golf and Caddy vehicles built between 2013 and 2024, and around 700,000 Audi models built from 2017 to 2024, the KBA said in brief statements this week.

The Handelsblatt newspaper later reported Friday that Seat and Skoda models were also swept up in the recall.

Corrosion could cause a bolt to fracture, leading to steering failure, though no such incidents have been reported, the KBA said.

"A corrosion problem" was discovered in quality control checks of the vehicles, a Volkswagen spokesman told AFP.

"We're now recalling the affected vehicles as a precautionary measure, and there have been no human injuries," he said, adding that drivers could continue to use the vehicles until obtaining a dealer appointment for bolt replacements.

A Seat spokesman told AFP that it was recalling 224,000 Ateca and Tarraco models built between 2016 and 2026 worldwide because of the issue. AFP has contacted a Skoda spokesman for comment.