Audi Recalls 9,048 Q4 E-Trons Over Battery Fire Risk, Tells Owners to Cap Charging at 80%

Audi has issued a recall covering 9,048 Q4 e-tron crossovers because a defect in the high-voltage pack could, in the wrong circumstances, lead to thermal runaway. The brand’s remedy for now is blunt: owners are being asked to keep the battery below an 80% state of charge until a permanent fix is ready.

The move lands barely two weeks after Volkswagen recalled ID.4 packs for essentially the same concern. That overlap is not a coincidence. The Q4 e-tron and ID.4 ride on shared mechanicals, and both draw cells from the same Hungarian supplier, SK Battery Manufacturing, part of SK On.

How Audi Got Here

According to the recall notice, Audi’s Product Safety Committee was alerted to thermal runaway incidents in Volkswagen high-voltage batteries of the type also fitted to the Q4. Audi then ran its own diagnostics and concluded that particular charging profiles, combined with a state of charge above 80%, could trigger thermal propagation inside the pack.

Most of the affected vehicles were sold in North America. Notably, no battery fires have been recorded in connection with the issue so far — the recall is precautionary in nature, not a response to a field failure.

What Owners Should Expect

There is no repair yet. Audi’s interim step is a software-based charge limiter that holds the pack at 80%, and cars flagged during diagnostics will need to visit a dealer for deeper testing.

• Charge cap: Software limiter holds state of charge at 80% for now
• Dealer visit: Vehicles needing extra assessment go in for further testing
• Limiter removal: The cap comes off once the pack is repaired or cleared
• Fire reports: None recorded to date

That limiter carries a real cost for drivers. Twenty percent of the usable capacity they paid for is simply off the table, which can sting on longer trips and in cold weather. It is a manageable trade-off against fire risk, but an annoying one all the same.

Recall Snapshot: 9,048 Audi Q4 e-tron units · Supplier: SK Battery Manufacturing (SK On, Hungary) · Interim remedy: charge limit to 80% · Fires reported: none

The Bigger Question

Neither Audi nor Volkswagen has publicly identified the root cause — and that is the part worth watching. The same cell supply underpins two of the group’s highest-volume electric models, so a shared fix would be the logical outcome.

For owners, the practical advice is simple: set the cap, keep an eye out for the recall letter, and get the car in as soon as a remedy is announced. The Q4 e-tron remains a capable, likable compact electric SUV. It just has an asterisk next to its battery for the moment.