Taos

Make
Volkswagen
Segment
SUV

While German brands enjoy a reputation for high quality and precision engineering, there's always the potential for design faults and issues to slip through the cracks. Take Porsche, for instance. Very recently, the all-electric Taycan was subjected to a recall after an issue with the center seat belt buckle wiring harness was discovered. It sounds minor, but the problem could prevent child seats from being improperly secured.

It's not the only VW Group vehicle to face a safety problem; the popular Tiguan and Taos compact SUVs now find themselves subjected to suspension knuckle issues and, as such, 10,119 examples are being recalled. According to the NHTSA, the Volkswagen crossovers may be fitted with incorrectly manufactured rear suspension knuckles which could, potentially, crack and disintegrate.

This poses a safety risk. The failure of this crucial component could lead to a loss of vehicle stability, increasing the risk of a crash. According to the report, the issue pertains to rear-fitted knuckles on both the left and right sides of the respective vehicles. The NHTSA describes the component flaw as a "failure of break waves mechanism in [the] degassing station, in which the impurities are removed before the injection of the rear knuckles. Incorrectly manufactured parts due to a failure in the casting process."

2,876 examples of the MY2022 Tiguan produced between September 1 and December 1 last year are potentially affected, along with 4,753 units of 2021 Tiguan LWB built between July 23, 2021, and September 13, 2021. The smaller Taos is the least affected, with a total of 2,490 2022 models produced between September 10, 2021, and December 26, 2021.

Notification letters are set to be mailed by May 20, 2022, instructing customers to bring their vehicles in for inspection. If required, a VW dealer will replace one of both rear suspension knuckles at no cost to the owner. Previously, the Tiguan was also recalled for an equally alarming reason. 2018 models fitted with a panoramic roof and ambient lighting were fitted with potentially faulty LED strips that could possibly catch fire.

Elsewhere, the Blue Oval has also had a spate of bad luck with its compact SUVs. While only three units in total were affected, the recall cited the Escape and Corsair Hybrid's high-voltage battery system as the problem.