Audi has issued another recall for its E-Tron GT and RS E-Tron GT electric cars over potential battery issues that could lead to short circuits and fires, the NHTSA disclosed Monday.
The recall of 6,499 vehicles from model years 2022-2024 follows a similar recalled for the related Porsche Taycan affecting over 27,000 vehicles. The Audi and Porsche EVs share the Volkswagen Group J1 platform and fast-charging hardware, meaning recalls of one model often affect the other.
In this case, "production issues" with battery modules could lead to defects that could allow internal short circuits, which in turn could lead to overheating and fires, according to the NHTSA.
2024 Audi e-tron GT
Battery concerns prompted another recall of these same models in April, albeit with smaller populations encompassing 1,042 E-Tron GT and RS E-Tron GT electric vehicles and 606 Taycans. It's unclear if new Audi and Porsche recalls are related to the April recalls, but issues and remedies remain the same.
Like Porsche with its most recent Taycan recall, Audi will install new diagnostic software in affected vehicles, free of charge. That software isn't expected to be available until the first quarter of 2025, however. As an interim measure, dealers will perform inspections and, if issues are found with battery modules, instruct owners to only charge their cars to 80% until those modules can be replaced free of charge.
Some cars already have online data monitoring, in which case dealers will monitor for problematic battery modules. If a problem is found, owners will be instructed to only charge their cars to 80% until the affected module can be replaced by an Audi dealer, again, free of charge.
2024 Audi e-tron GT
Audi plans to mail owner notification letters November 29. Owners can also contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834 for more information. Audi has two reference numbers for this recall: 931A for vehicles with online data monitoring already enabled and 931B for those without.
In addition to the battery short-circuit recalls, the E-Tron GT/RS E-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan were jointly recalled for a battery seal issue last year. Later in the year, Audi and Porsche also recalled the mobile charging cable for these models and other EVs and plug-in hybrids, replacing it with a new version that brought better thermal safety.
