Volkswagen Tiguan, Atlas and Audi Q3 Recall Over Steering Bolt Corrosion
NHTSA classifies this as a Steering/Suspension recall. A steering or suspension recall addresses a defect in the components that control the vehicle's direction and ride, which can affect handling and, in more severe cases, contribute to a loss of control. Steering/Suspension recalls make up 7% of the 637 NHTSA vehicle recalls Areazine has archived (45 of them).
Read this recall in 30 seconds
- Hazard category
- Steering/Suspension
- Share of archive
- 7% of 637 recalls
- Source
- NHTSA
- Published
- September 18, 2026
A steering or suspension recall addresses a defect in the components that control the vehicle's direction and ride, which can affect handling and, in more severe cases, contribute to a loss of control.
Record status: a point-in-time snapshot of NHTSA's recall notice. Confirm your exact VIN is affected via NHTSA's own VIN lookup tool before acting, since recall scope is set by build date and trim, not model year alone.
What Happened
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 vehicles. One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe may corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housing can break.
Which Products Are Affected
The recall covers certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 vehicles. A total of 208724 units are affected. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 48LG and 48VT. The NHTSA Campaign Number is 26V590000.
What You Should Do
Dealers will replace the right-side steering rack mounting bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 10, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 16, 2026.
Why This Matters
A broken steering rack housing can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Source
NHTSA Campaign 26V590000 - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Original source: NHTSA Official Notice ↗
Related Vehicle Recalls
All Vehicle Recalls →Elsewhere in the country: similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this NHTSA vehicle recall: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (1,162 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (high) notices issued closest in time to September 18, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this NHTSA vehicle recall.