Audi Gods strike--my battery exploded!!!!!

[Elliott Potter <epotter@abraxis.com>]

Car A: 1989 Ford Escort
Car B: 1993 Audi 90CS

Car A is not starting, and it seems to have a flat battery.  No problem,
I decided to give him a jump.  We conencted the cables exactly as
specified by the directions written on the Autobahn battery in my Audi. 
The Ford doesn't start, same problems.  So, we disconnect the cables,
again following the procedure printed on the battery.  Then we drove the
car no more than 5 minutes, stopped it for no more than 10 minutes,
started it again, drove again no more than 5 minutes, then stopped for
about an hour.

When I went to get in the car then, the remote locks worked fine, I got
in the car, turned the key, and *BAM!!!!* the car lurches, the lights
all go out, and *smoke starts coming from under the hood*!!!

I opened the hood to find the decorative plastic cover that went on top
of the battery was cracked and misplaced, and *the top of the battery
had blown off!!!*  Not just the part that you take off to add water, but
the *whole top half of the battery*.

There was no actual fire, or sparks.  It just seems that there was a lot
of pressure that built up inside the battery.

Hmmm....

This definitely put a damper on the evening........

Anyway, does anybody have any suggestions on how this might have
happened?  The battery was an Autobahn battery that I got from the
dealer, it was the maintenance free type.  It's still very much under
warranty, but that's not what worries me.

Is there a chance that something else was damaged when the battery blew
up (I use the term "blew up," there was no actual fire though)?  I've
gone around and doused the whole area with baking soda so I don't think
I'm going to worry about body damage, but what about other sensitive
components, i.e. the ABS system or the alternator?

I wonder if this has anything to do with my A/C ;)
naaaaahhh....

Thanks in advance

Elliott