Audi is facing potential lawsuits worth billions as 77,000 e-tron owners are restricted from fully charging their electric car batteries due to fire risks.
Last year, Jaguar was forced to buy back nearly 3,000 electric vehicles from customers after failing to resolve a similar issue with flammable batteries.
Now, Audi faces the same challenge.
Tens of Thousands of Affected Vehicles
So far, 70,000 Audi e-tron owners have been notified that they cannot fully charge their vehicles due to problematic LG-manufactured battery packs.
Meanwhile, some hybrid vehicle owners have been told not to charge their batteries at all.
Now, a lawsuit from angry customers appears imminent, as Audi has yet to find a permanent solution. The company initially promised a software fix, but that solution has been delayed indefinitely.
According to recall documents from Germany’s Federal Road Safety Agency (KBA), 43,000 vehicles in Europe are part of the recall.
Serious Battery Defects and Fire Risks
The issue stems from a major defect in the high-voltage battery, which can cause self-discharge and thermal overload, increasing the risk of fire. Several incidents have already been reported.
For now, Audi’s response has been limited to placing warning stickers on the vehicles and advising owners not to charge their cars—either fully or at all.
Originally, Audi stated that a software-based fix would be available in the spring, but that deadline has now been pushed back indefinitely.
Experts warn that if the defect lies in the battery cells themselves, then software cannot fix the issue.
“If it’s a matter of defective cells, it’s a mechanical failure that software cannot resolve. The only thing software can do is detect overheating and trigger an alarm,” David Brandell told Carup.
Audi is under pressure to find a solution, as defective battery packs could lead to a financial blow in the billions for the already struggling brand.
However, Audi insists that the battery packs in its electric and hybrid models are modular, meaning they should be repairable—at least in theory.
Even so, if Audi cannot find a solution outside of replacing battery packs, the company could face significant warranty costs.
Legal Trouble Already Brewing in the U.S.
In the United States, Audi e-tron owners have already filed lawsuits, alleging that the company has failed to properly inform them about the battery defect and has not done enough to fix the issue.
But Audi is not alone in facing battery-related problems.
In the U.S., Samsung has taken responsibility for 180,000 problematic electric cars, showing that battery safety remains a major issue across multiple manufacturers.
