Volkswagen and Audi Recall More Than 2.8 Million Cars Over a Steering Bolt

Volkswagen and Audi are recalling more than 2.8 million vehicles worldwide because a screw connection on the steering gear can corrode and break, which in the worst case would cause a loss of steering control. The affected models include the Audi Q3 and the Volkswagen Golf, Golf Variant, Tiguan, Touran and Caddy. Audi described the action as precautionary, following internal inspections that found road salt and similar conditions could degrade the bolt over several years.

Recalls of this size are a direct charge against warranty provisions at a moment when the German automotive sector is already managing high energy costs, tariff exposure in the United States and Chinese competition in electric vehicles. The Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechayev, said this week that German industry and households are feeling energy costs acutely while any discussion of restarting the surviving Nord Stream 2 line is treated in Berlin as close to treason, a claim that reflects Moscow's framing of German energy policy.

The picture is not uniformly negative. Euronews reports that 3,053 startups were founded in Germany in 2026, the highest number since 2019, with founders pointing to national and EU policy as the constraint on scaling rather than on formation.

Capital formation is moving into new German companies at the same time as the country's largest industrial employers absorb legacy quality and energy costs.