Audi recalls several thousand Q5 PHEV and A7 PHEV due to risk of battery overheating

Volkswagen Group of America has announced a recall of 4,616 Audi Q5 PHEV and A7 PHEV vehicles due to a potentially dangerous problem with Samsung SDI high-voltage cell batteries. They can overheat and lead to "thermal events," simply put: fire.

Here's What We Know

The cars subject to the recall were manufactured between 10 August 2021 and 10 December 2022. In the case of the Q5, we're talking about the Q5 55 TFSI e quattro version, and with the A7, we're talking about the A7 55 TFSI e quattro. Interestingly, most of the cars included in the recall are Q5s, as Audi has only produced 10 units of the problematic A7 for the US market.

Documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that the cause of battery overheating has not yet been determined. The problem probably lies in manufacturing defects at the supplier. Audi launched its first investigation back in August 2023, after four cases of batteries overheating outside the US.

How Audi is addressing the problem

Audi dealers and service centres in the US have received diagnostic software that can identify potential battery problems. If the diagnostics show a dangerous condition of the modules, they will replace them or even the entire battery.

Audi plans to send out official recall notices to owners by 24 January 2025. Also under recall are 228 vehicles in Canada, including 226 Q5s and 2 A7s.

Source: Autoevolution