The German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on 25 September 2026 that Volkswagen is to recall roughly four million vehicles because of possible steering problems, more than one million of them of the Škoda brand.
According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, citing its sources, the Volkswagen group is to recall roughly four million vehicles worldwide because of possible steering problems. The newspaper reported this on 25 September 2026.[1][2] More than one million of the vehicles are to be of the Škoda brand.[1][2]
Scope
According to the figures available so far from Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the measure is to cover about 2.16 million Volkswagen vehicles and around 700,000 Audi vehicles. According to Handelsblatt's sources, it also concerns more than one million Škoda vehicles and roughly 200,000 Seat vehicles.[1][2] Handelsblatt reported that the scale of the action has no equivalent in the group since the emissions scandal about ten years ago.[1] In the Czech Republic, according to the Czech News Agency, the recall concerns almost 48,000 cars.[1]
The defect
The KBA stated that for the Volkswagen brand the defect concerns the Tiguan, Touran, Golf Variant, Caddy and Golf models built from 24 September 2013 to 1 July 2024, and for Audi the Q3 model from the period from 31 October 2017 to 23 May 2024.[1][2] The steering may fail because of a broken bolt that secures the steering mechanism. The remedy is replacement with a corrosion-resistant bolt.[1] The KBA reported no damage or injuries and is continuing to examine the case. According to a Volkswagen spokesman, owners of the affected vehicles can continue to drive them.[1][2]
Škoda Auto confirmed to the Czech News Agency that it is urging owners of the affected vehicles to visit an authorised service centre. Spokesman Martin Ježek said that during long operation in the presence of road salt the fixing bolt in the steering system can corrode and in isolated cases the function of the steering can be impaired. According to him, no one had so far reported any injury or significant property damage in this connection.[1]
Related articles: Škoda Auto
Chronology
- — Volkswagen Group is recalling about 200,000 vehicles in the Czech Republic over possible steering problems, around 150,000 of them of the Škoda brand. ČTK / České noviny ČT24
- — According to press reports, Volkswagen is to recall about four million cars over steering problems, including more than a million Škoda vehicles. iROZHLAS ČTK / České noviny
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Impact on the Czech Republic
On 3 October 2026, Czech Television, citing a statement from Škoda Auto, reported that the recall in the Czech Republic would affect about 200,000 vehicles, of which roughly 150,000 are of the Škoda brand. Worldwide the action concerns about four million vehicles of the group, of which more than one million are Škoda vehicles [3][4].
The head of Škoda Auto for the Czech market, Jiří Maláček, said that the bolt replacement concerns the Octavia, Karoq, Kodiaq and Superb models. The steering may fail in vehicles built between 2013 and 2024 because of a broken bolt that secures the steering mechanism. The bolt is being replaced with another, corrosion-resistant one. Škoda Auto had already urged owners of the affected vehicles to visit authorised service centres at the end of September 2026 [3][5].
In the Czech Republic the action also concerns 44,756 Volkswagen vehicles of the Touran, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace, Golf Sportsvan, Golf Variant and Caddy model lines, 1,971 Seat vehicles of the Ateca and Tarraco models, and 894 Audi Q3 cars [3][5].
Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) had earlier stated that no damage or injuries had been reported in connection with the problem and that it was continuing to examine the case. According to a Volkswagen spokesman, owners of the affected vehicles can keep driving them [3].
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 25 September 2026
- Echo24 — 25 September 2026
- ČTK / České noviny — 3 October 2026
- ČT24 — 3 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 3 October 2026