Audi recalls 9,048 US-built-import EVs over SK battery fire risk

Audi is recalling 9,048 electric vehicles in the United States over battery cells supplied from Hungary that US regulators say cannot rule out battery fires. The count splits into 7,040 Audi Q4 e-tron units from the 2024 and 2025 model years, built between 4 December 2023 and 24 April 2025, and 2,008 Q4 Sportback e-tron units from the same model years, produced between 30 November 2023 and 22 April 2025.

No incidents have been reported in practice. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nonetheless warns that battery fires cannot be ruled out. Owners should charge affected vehicles to no more than 80% until further notice.

Where were the cars built?

All of them came from Volkswagen's plant in Zwickau, Germany. Audi has no production facility of its own in North America. Its Mexican plant builds mainly combustion-engine vehicles and hybrids. So US-bound electric Audis still ship from Europe.

The recall is Audi's own decision, framed as a "voluntary safety recall." That label matters. A voluntary action moves faster than a mandated one, but it also leaves the repair path undefined. How a permanent fix will be implemented remains unclear, and Audi has not said.

What is the root cause?

The battery and production characteristics identified across affected Volkswagen Group vehicles also apply to certain Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron models, Audi found. That is no coincidence, because both the Q4 e-tron and the VW ID. models sit on the Group's MEB platform with partially identical batteries.

NHTSA, as customary for US recalls, names the cell supplier explicitly: SK Battery Manufacturing in Hungary, part of the SK On Group. Audi warns that "certain charging profiles combined with a state of charge over 80% may trigger thermal propagation." Affected US vehicles are to be taken to dealers for testing.

How does this connect to Volkswagen's recall?

Volkswagen began examining its vehicles more closely in September after identifying internal battery issues. Those irregularities culminated a week ago in a worldwide recall of several VW ID. model series. Nearly 72,700 electric vehicles must return to workshops; roughly 10,000 of them are in Germany alone.

The Audi action rides on that investigation. It confirms the defect is not confined to one brand within the Group. It also confirms the exposure is not confined to one supplier plant.

Is a European Audi recall coming?

That remains open. No entry has yet appeared in the database of the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt). NHTSA does state, however, that "a large portion" of the affected Q4 e-tron vehicles with potential issues were produced for the North American market. If a European recall follows, it will likely be small.

What else is running in the US?

Two further US battery actions are already live:

• 22,524 ID.4 vehicles from the 2023 to 2026 model years, with cells from SK Battery America. These were built in the US, and Volkswagen again advises a maximum 80% charge, citing thermal runaway risk above that threshold.
• 44,551 ID.4 vehicles recalled earlier in 2026, all from the Chattanooga plant, caused by misaligned electrodes in individual cells.

What to watch next

Watch for the KBA database entry that would confirm or kill a European Audi recall. Watch for the dealer test protocol and any hardware replacement program in the US. And watch whether SK On comments publicly on cell production quality across its Hungarian and American plants — so far, it has not.