Audi is recalling 9,048 2024-2025 Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron SUVs in the US over a high-voltage battery fire risk tied to SK On cells. Owners are told to cap charging at 80% until a fix is ready. Here's how to check your VIN and what to do now.
Photo: Audi
If you own a 2024 or 2025 Audi Q4 e-tron, there's a good chance a recall letter is headed to your mailbox. And until a fix exists, Audi's advice is one most EV owners never expect to hear: stop charging past 80%.
Audi is recalling 9,048 Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron SUVs in the United States over a high-voltage battery defect that could lead to a fire. It's the latest, and now the luxury, chapter of a Volkswagen Group battery problem that has grown to more than 85,000 EVs worldwide. Here's what owners need to know.
| Detail | Recall info |
|---|---|
| Models | Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron |
| Model years | 2024 and 2025 |
| Built | Late 2023 through April 2025 |
| US vehicles | 9,048 (12,734 worldwide) |
| NHTSA campaign | 26V698 |
| Audi recall code | 93SK |
| Battery cells | SK On (SK Battery Manufacturing, Komárom, Hungary) |
| Owner letters | Expected by December 18, 2026 |
Check your car now: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Affected VINs have been searchable since October 23.
According to Volkswagen Group's filing with federal safety regulators, "certain charging profiles combined with a state of charge over 80% may trigger thermal propagation." In plain English, under certain conditions one damaged battery cell can overheat and pass that heat to the cells around it, a chain reaction that can end in a fire.
The hard part is that nobody yet knows exactly why. The recall documents say the "exact root cause remains under active investigation." Audi's Product Safety Committee began looking into the issue on September 21, after reports of battery thermal events in other VW Group EVs that use the same type of battery.
How much range do you lose? Capping the charge at 80% means giving up roughly the top fifth of your battery. For a Q4 e-tron rated at around 250 miles, that's about 50 miles less on a full charge. For daily driving most owners won't notice. Before a road trip, plan an extra charging stop.
The Audi recall is part of a much bigger problem across Volkswagen Group.
Keep it in perspective: Audi says it knows of no fires, crashes or injuries in its own vehicles tied to this defect, and it estimates only about 0.1% of the recalled cars actually have the faulty condition. That's roughly 9 cars out of 9,048. The 80% limit is a precaution while engineers find the root cause. But until a remedy exists, the recall is still open, and owners should follow the limit.
Battery recalls aren't new. GM's Chevy Bolt recall replaced batteries in more than 140,000 cars, and Hyundai's Kona Electric had a similar problem. What makes this one notable is how long it's taking. Weeks into the investigation, VW Group still hasn't identified a root cause, and the only "fix" for now is a software limit and a promise of more information by mid-December.
For shoppers looking at a used 2024–2025 Q4 e-tron or ID.4, the advice is simple: check the VIN before you buy, ask whether the recall battery diagnostic has been done, and factor the 80% limit into your range plans until the remedy is out.
The bottom line: If you drive a 2024 or 2025 Audi Q4 e-tron, set your charge limit to 80% today and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The risk is very small, with no reported fires in Audis, but the cause still isn't known and a permanent fix isn't ready. Expect a letter by December 18. We'll update this story as soon as Audi announces the remedy.
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