If you drive a 2024 or 2025 Audi Q4 e-tron, the last 20% of your battery may now be off limits. Volkswagen Group of America filed an Audi Q4 e-tron recall with NHTSA on October 21, 2026, covering 9,048 electric SUVs whose high-voltage battery can overheat and catch fire when charged above 80%. The odds of a fire are low. The hit to your daily range is not.
Quick answer: The recall (NHTSA 26V698, Audi code 93SK) covers 9,048 2024–2025 Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron SUVs built between November 30, 2023 and April 24, 2025. Some battery cells may overheat above an 80% charge. Flagged owners must cap charging at 80% until Audi finishes a final fix.
Which Audi Q4 e-tron models are in the recall?
The filing splits the population into 7,040 Q4 e-tron SUVs and 2,008 Q4 Sportback e-tron models. Audi didn’t include every car from those build dates. It matched VINs to suspect cells using battery traceability records and available charging data, so your neighbor’s Q4 can be clear while yours isn’t.
The cells come from SK Battery Manufacturing Kft. in Komárom, Hungary, according to the Part 573 safety recall report. Audi estimates just 0.1% carry the defect. VINs became searchable on October 23, 2026.
What’s wrong with the Q4 e-tron battery?
Audi hasn’t pinned down the root cause, but its findings point to manufacturing deviations in certain cells. Certain charging profiles above an 80% state of charge can trigger thermal propagation. That’s the chain reaction where one overheating cell heats its neighbors until the pack burns.
Why 80%? A fuller lithium-ion cell sits at a higher voltage with more stored energy, so there’s less margin when a flawed cell misbehaves. Audi says it knows of no claims, crashes, fires or injuries tied to this defect in its own vehicles.
Do you have to limit charging to 80%?
Not every owner does. Audi has already reviewed battery diagnostic data for the recalled cars. If yours shows no need for further checks, no interim action is required. If the data is missing or flags a concern, you’ll be told to cap charging at 80% and book a diagnostic check at an Audi dealer.
Here’s the trap. Plenty of owners charge to 100% the night before a road trip. If your car is flagged, that habit puts you exactly where the filing says the risk lives. Set the charge limit to 80% in the car’s charging menu, then check it again after any software update.
Audi planned to notify dealers by October 23. Interim owner letters are due by December 18, 2026, and Audi hasn’t set a date for the final remedy.
How much range do you lose at an 80% cap?
Car and Driver lists the 2025 Q4 e-tron’s EPA range at up to 288 miles for the rear-drive Q4 45 and up to 258 miles for the all-wheel-drive Q4 55 quattro. An 80% ceiling trims those to roughly 230 and 206 miles. Winter cold and highway speed will cut further, so plan on less.
One small upside: the Q4’s 77.0-kWh pack charges from 10% to 80% in about 28 minutes at up to 175 kW, per Car and Driver. The slow part of any fast-charge session is above 80%, so a capped car loses little time on road trips. These are 2025 figures; 2024 ratings may differ.
Is this tied to the Volkswagen ID.4 battery recall?
Almost certainly. Audi’s own chronology says its safety committee acted after learning on September 21, 2026, of battery thermal events in other Volkswagen Group vehicles using the same type of battery. Volkswagen had already recalled 22,524 2023–2026 ID.4s (NHTSA 26V630) with the same 80% advice.
Electrek reported on October 20 that Volkswagen would apply a remote 80% limit to affected ID.4s unless owners opted out. Audi hasn’t announced a remote cap for the Q4, so for now the limit is on you.
Buying a used Q4 e-tron? Check this first
Run the VIN through NHTSA’s recall lookup before you sign. If it’s in the 93SK population, ask the seller for the dealer’s battery diagnostic result in writing and whether the 80% cap applies. A flagged car is a 206–230 mile car until Audi ships a fix, which is a fair reason to negotiate.
For contrast, see our coverage of the Toyota Land Cruiser hybrid fuel-leak recall and the Range Rover rearview camera recall. If this pushes you toward a different EV, compare the 2027 Mustang Mach-E’s new pricing before you trade.
Audi Q4 e-tron recall FAQ
Which vehicles are included in the Audi Q4 e-tron recall?
The recall covers 9,048 2024–2025 Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron SUVs built between November 30, 2023 and April 24, 2025. That’s 7,040 Q4 e-tron and 2,008 Sportback models. Only cars with battery cells from a suspect production batch are included, so check your VIN on NHTSA’s site rather than assuming.
Should I stop charging my Audi Q4 e-tron to 100%?
If Audi or NHTSA’s VIN lookup shows your car is in recall 93SK and its battery data was flagged or missing, yes. Keep charging at or below 80% until a dealer completes the battery diagnostic check and Audi says the limit can come off. Cars whose data showed no concern need no interim action.
When will Audi have a fix for the Q4 e-tron battery recall?
Audi hasn’t set a date. Its October 21, 2026 filing says the final remedy is still in development and the root cause is under investigation. Interim owner letters are due by December 18, 2026, and owners will get a second letter once a permanent fix exists. Until then, flagged cars keep the 80% cap.
The Audi Q4 e-tron recall comes down to one number: 80. If your car is flagged, every charge above it is a risk Audi has told you not to take, and until a final remedy arrives, a Q4 55 quattro that once promised 258 miles is a roughly 206-mile SUV.