Volkswagen limits charging to 80% on about 5,000 UK electric cars over a battery overheating and fire risk
Volkswagen has limited charging to 80% on about 5,000 UK electric cars over a battery fire risk, and owners must wait for a letter and a check to lift it.
Volkswagen has limited charging to 80% on about 5,000 UK electric cars because batteries charged beyond that level may overheat and catch fire, Autocar understands.
The UK figure sits within some 85,000 affected cars worldwide, and covers ID 3, ID 4, ID 7, ID Buzz and Cupra Born models produced between 2022 and 2025.
For vans, Volkswagen’s UK notice for recall 93MF covers ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo vehicles with “high-voltage batteries that were produced by a specific supplier between 2022 and 2025”.
VW said: “When the battery is charged to over 80%, overheating may occur, posing a fire risk.”
The factory has temporarily limited the maximum charge to 80%, and in most cases this was done remotely. Autocar reported it was applied by an over-the-air software update.
VW said affected owners will receive a letter in due course with next steps, which may include a visit to a Volkswagen Van Centre for an inspection.
Autocar reported that some cars will need a one-hour physical safety check, with battery modules replaced where needed. Others can be checked and updated over the air, with a date and instructions to follow. VW has not given a timeframe.
VW said technical faults would not be “necessarily recognisable”, so all of the cars need checking.
Until then, the 80% limit means owners cannot use full range. Autocar calculated from official WLTP figures for the ID 3 that the 20% shortfall could amount to between 40 and 70 miles.
VW also advises owners to activate Battery Care Mode, which restricts charging to 80%, through the app or the vehicle’s infotainment screen.
On the official status, VW’s UK page says: “We are preparing for a recall for safety reasons on a number of vehicles equipped with a specific type of high-voltage battery.”
In Germany the recall is already registered. The Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), the federal motor transport authority, is monitoring three programmes covering 72,668 VW and Cupra electric cars, Car-Recalls reported.
Programme 17137R, code 93MF, lists 62,927 vehicles built from 13 July 2022 to 6 June 2025. Programme 17101R lists 5,050 vehicles built from 18 September 2023 to 27 June 2025, and 17103R lists 4,691 Cupra Born cars.
The 5,050 figure is close to the UK estimate, but its geographic scope is not stated.
Autocar said a recall in other markets also includes the Audi Q4 E-tron, which the UK notice does not list.
The German remedy for the safety recall comes in two stages. Owners first receive warning labels for the charging socket and cabin, with instructions not to charge above 80%. A later software update will flag abnormalities in individual battery modules, and modules or the whole battery will be replaced if a fault is found.
There have been no confirmed cases of injury, VW said, but some property damage has been reported.
