These are the Volkswagen, Audi and Seat affected by the problems with the steering

The Volkswagen group remains in the eye of the storm. Less than two weeks after announcing its reorganization plan (which will affect hundreds of thousands of workers in Europe and entail the closure of factories in Germany), the industrial group based in Wolfsburg must face a new problem affecting more than 2.8 million passenger cars from the Audi, Volkswagen, and Seat brands manufactured between September 2013 and July 2024.

The German industrial group has detected in various internal quality checks that a steering bolt may have problems with corrosion and premature wear and affect the vehicle's steering, and that, in extreme cases, it could imply a risk of an accident. However, the Volkswagen group has announced that it has not detected any case that could associate this technical issue with breakdowns or accidents that have already occurred. Nevertheless, it will call the affected vehicles in for inspection to solve the problem by replacing the steering fixing bolt.

According to internal company sources, the premature wear of this bolt was favored by specific driving conditions, especially in the colder countries of Europe, where the salt that authorities spread on the roads to avoid the formation of ice patches and the persistent humidity in climates like the Atlantic act as catalysts and accelerators of corrosion.

Seven affected models

The report made public by the German Federal Transport Authority (KBA) indicates that there are seven vehicles manufactured between the month of September 2013 and July 2024 that are affected by the use of this steering fixing bolt. They are the Volkswagen Tiguan, Touran, Golf Variant and Sportsvan and Caddy, the Audi Q3 manufactured between October 2017 and May 2024, and the Seat Ateca and Tarraco manufactured between April 2016 and September 2024.

At this point, it is worth noting that none of these models have been manufactured at the Martorell plant nor do they affect the local supply chain, since all the affected models have been manufactured at the plants in Wolfsburg (Germany), Gyor (Hungary) or Kvasny (Czech Republic).