Audi has issued a recall for hundreds of vehicles in its e-tron range over fears the battery could short circuit and spark a fire.
The recall notice, issued earlier this week, affects 369 vehicles, e-tron GTs and RS GTs, from 2020 to 2024.
‘Due to a manufacturing issue, the cell modules installed in the high voltage battery may be defective,’ the notice states.
‘A short circuit could cause a thermal overload and result in a vehicle fire over time. The potential defect can be determined with an initial check.’
The e-tron was launched at the end of 2018 as Audi’s first all-electric vehicle.
A brand new e-tron GT starts at $160,922, and incurs an additional $22,977 luxury vehicle tax, according to Audi’s website.
An RS e-tron GT starts at $213,768 and incurs a luxury vehicle tax of nearly $40,000.
Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by Audi Australia and asked to schedule an appointment to have the battery inspected.
If the inspection detects a defect, Audi will repair the vehicle free of charge.
As a precaution, owners have been ‘urgently’ advised not to charge the battery higher than 80 per cent until their vehicle has been inspected.
‘This minimises the potential risk described above and also protects the battery,’ the recall notice states.