Audi recalls 9,048 Q4 e-trons over battery fire risk: who should stop at 80%, and what it costs in range

What Audi has filed

Volkswagen Group of America submitted safety recall 26V698 to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on 21 October 2026. It covers 7,040 Q4 e-trons built between 4 December 2023 and 24 April 2025, and 2,008 Q4 Sportback e-trons built between 30 November 2023 and 22 April 2025, all from the 2024 and 2025 model years. Audi's own code for the campaign is 93SK.^1,2

The filing says the root cause is unknown. Some batteries may not meet the required quality standard, and a state of charge above 80% may trigger thermal propagation, meaning heat spreading from cell to cell, which can lead to a fire. The cells were made by SK Battery Manufacturing in Komárom, Hungary. Audi says a fault may not be detectable in advance.¹

Audi says it knows of no claims, crashes, fires, injuries or deaths linked to the defect in its cars, and estimates that 0.1% of the 9,048 have it. That would be about nine cars. The recall was reported by InsideEVs, Motor1, AutoGuide and WBIW, among others.^1,6,7,8,9

How it links to the ID.4 recall

According to the filing, Audi's product safety committee learned on 21 September 2026 of battery thermal events in other Volkswagen Group cars with the same type of battery. On 14 October it found the same battery and production traits in a defined group of Q4 e-trons, most of them built for North America, and decided on a voluntary recall.¹

Volkswagen's own ID.4 recall, 26V630, was filed on 30 September and covers 22,524 cars built from January 2023 to February 2025. It uses the same wording about charging above 80% and also lists an estimated defect rate of 0.1%. Volkswagen counted 23 US claims between January 2024 and August 2026. Those cells came from SK Battery America in Georgia, not Hungary, and the part numbers listed differ.³

Not every recalled car may keep the cap

NHTSA's public summary tells all owners to charge to no more than 80% until a repair is done. Audi's filing is narrower. It says Audi has already reviewed the battery data available for these cars, and those whose data shows no need for further checks need no interim measure for now.^1,2

Where battery data is missing, or shows a need for checks, owners will be told to limit charging to 80% and to bring the car to an Audi dealer for a battery test. Depending on the result, the limit stays until a final repair exists, or the owner is told it can be lifted. AutoGuide reports that owners can set the limit in the car's screen or the phone app.^1,8

The filing also gives two end dates. The vehicle details list build dates up to late April 2025, but another section says cars produced through June 2025 are included. The VIN lookup is the safer test of whether a car is covered.¹

What 80% costs in rated range

Charjin's calculation takes each US version's EPA range and assumes it scales with the charge limit. The 2025 Q4 45 e-tron, rated at 288 miles, drops to about 230. The Q4 55 e-tron quattro and Sportback 55, rated at 258 miles in both model years, drop to about 206. The 2024 Q4 40 e-tron falls from 265 to about 212.⁴

The 2024 Q4 50 e-tron quattro falls from 236 to about 189 miles, and the Sportback 50 from 242 to about 194. So the cap costs between about 47 and 58 rated miles. These are test-cycle figures. At motorway speed and in winter the usable range will be lower, and so will the loss in miles.⁴

For daily driving most owners will not notice, because few trips use the top fifth of the battery. The cap matters on long journeys, where the first leg from home is shorter. Later legs are less affected if you already stop rapid charging at around 80%.⁴

What to do, and what is still unknown

Enter your VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup; affected VINs became searchable on 23 October 2026. If the car is listed, set the charge limit to 80% and keep it there until Audi says otherwise. Interim letters are due to be posted by 18 December, with a second letter once a repair exists. Audi's US customer service number is 1-800-253-2834.^1,2

If you are looking at a used 2024 or 2025 Q4 e-tron, check the VIN before you buy and ask whether the dealer battery test has been done. Charjin found no matching Transport Canada recall for the Q4 e-tron as of 27 October 2026, and could not confirm whether any cars outside the US are affected.^1,5

Still unknown: the root cause, what the repair will involve, when it will arrive, and whether Audi will offer any reimbursement. The Audi filing does not describe a reimbursement plan.¹