Audi has recalled thousands of Q4 e-tron electric SUVs in the United States over a battery defect that could lead to a fire, extending a string of battery-related recalls across the Volkswagen Group. Electrek reported on October 28, 2026 that the group's affected EVs now exceed 85,000 worldwide, with Audi accounting for nearly 13,000 of them.
The US recall
According to the report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, recall number 26V698 was submitted on October 21 by Volkswagen Group of America. Dealers were notified on October 23, and owners can look up their vehicle identification number from the same day. Interim owner letters are due on December 18, 2026, and letters for a final remedy will follow later, because the fix is being phased in.
The US population is 9,048 vehicles. Of those, 7,040 are model year 2024 and 2025 Q4 e-tron SUVs built between December 4, 2023 and April 24, 2025, and 2,008 are model year 2024 and 2025 Q4 Sportback e-tron models built between November 30, 2023 and April 22, 2025. The filing's remedy section mentions production through June 2025, which does not match those build dates, so owners should rely on the VIN look-up. NHTSA's estimate is that 0.1 percent of the affected vehicles contain the defect.
The defect
The suspect part is a high-voltage battery module made by SK Battery Manufacturing Kft. in Komarom, Hungary. InsideEVs identifies the supplier as part of SK On. Audi has not found a root cause. The filing says that when the battery's state of charge is above 80 percent, certain charging profiles may cause thermal propagation, in which overheating spreads from cell to cell and can lead to a fire.
Audi reports no known claims, crashes, fires, injuries or deaths linked to the problem. That matters: this is a precautionary action based on a risk, not a response to a string of incidents.
What owners are told to do
Until a remedy exists, the guidance is to limit charging to 80 percent. Dealers will run a battery diagnostic and, if needed, apply a temporary software cap at 80 percent. Electrek adds that Volkswagen emailed owners about a temporary 80 percent cap setting, with an opt-out deadline of October 21. Audi's customer line in the US is 1-800-253-2834, and NHTSA's hotline is 1-888-327-4236.
One caution: a copy of the NHTSA report that we read, hosted by a third-party site, also carries a consumer advisory with different wording on parking outside. We have not been able to open the original NHTSA recall page, so owners should check the VIN look-up and the official notice for the current instructions.
The wider Volkswagen picture
Electrek's count of 85,402 vehicles globally, including 12,734 Audis, is its own tally and we have not confirmed it against a Volkswagen or regulator statement. The outlet says it follows an earlier October NHTSA recall of 22,524 model year 2023 to 2026 ID.4 vehicles, and that other affected models include the ID.Buzz, ID.3, ID.4, ID.7 and Cupra Born, across batches built from 2022 to 2025. Germany's KBA is investigating three recalls covering 72,668 EVs, 9,881 of them in Germany.
Why it matters
Battery recalls tied to a single module supplier can spread across brands quickly, because the same part is used in several models. They also hurt confidence at a moment when used EVs are selling well in the US. For Indian readers, the Q4 e-tron is not sold here in this form, and no India-specific recall has been announced.
What to watch next
The main unknowns are the root cause, the final remedy, and whether regulators in Europe widen their investigation. The December owner letters will show how Audi plans to repair or replace the affected modules.
Published October 30, 2026. Gadgets365 will update this article as more information becomes available.
