VW Is About To Issue Its Largest Recall Since Dieselgate

Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a recall affecting the 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas, 2018 Tiguan, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3. The recall is due to a steering rack bolt that may break, which could result in a total loss of steering. It turns out, though, that this U.S. recall appears to only be scratching the surface of the issue.

The NHTSA recall notice said that 208,274 vehicles are impacted in the U.S., but on a global scale, a new report shows the severity of this safety concern. In fact, this recall campaign could be VW’s largest since Dieselgate.

Read: One Tiny Bolt Is Giving VW SUVs A Big Handling Headache

It’s now been revealed by German publication Handelsblatt that the true number of the recall could be close to four million units worldwide. This includes approximately two million VW-branded vehicles, more than one million Skodas, about 700,000 Audi, and 200,000 Seat models.

Data released by the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Germany reveals the Golf, Golf Variant, Tiguan, Touran, and Caddy are impacted. It appears the Q3 is the only Audi model involved, while Seat models impacted are thought to include the Ateca and Tarraco built from April 2016 to September 2024.

How Can The Fault Be Fixed?

The recall was triggered by the right-hand steering rack mounting bolt, which is the one at risk of failure. Presumably, it’s this same bolt that could fail on vehicles in other markets. The bolt is believed to be especially susceptible to moisture and corrosion, particularly in countries that use road salt during winter.

If there’s a sliver of good news for Volkswagen, it’s that while it may be forced to issue several recalls impacting millions of vehicles, it won’t need to fix or buy back cars as it did during the Dieselgate scandal. All that’s required is the installation of a new steering rack bolt with a better corrosion-resistant coating.