Brand new Model Y won't accept Tesla Wall Connector?

[bsd107]

I just received delivery today of a brand new Model Y (LR). I now find that I am unable to insert my Telsa Wall Connector into the car's charging port. When inserting the connector into the car's charging port, it gets most of the way in, I hear a click and see the port's indicator change color, but it will not let the connector insert all the way in. I immediately receive a notification from my phone's Tesla app, "402976 Charge cable not fully secured. Please adjust the connection to improve charging". If I hold the connector there it just keeps clicking every second or two but does not let the connector insert.

I use this Tesla Wall Connector every day on my MY99 Model 3, and I just checked again and it works fine. (I had the Tesla Wall Connector, black version, installed in late 2019, so I believe it is the Gen2 version...)

I also tested the Model Y with the 120V Mobile Connector NEMA 5-15 that comes in the car's trunk, and that inserts into the Model Y's charging port just fine and seems to actually charge.

But for some reason the MY22 Model Y will not let my Tesla Wall Connector insert, despite it working fine in my MY19 Model 3.

I immediately requested a service appointment, but the soonest appointment isn't for another 5 days. Ridiculous that I can't charge my brand new car.

I also let the car stew around on WiFi for a few hours and download a bunch of updates, and the car now claims that its firmware is up to date.

Any ideas, other than a defective charging port on the car?

Thanks in advance!

 

[LoudMusic]

Push harder.

Seriously. My MY20 was similar. I thought I pushed it in all the way, it basically stopped moving, the car threw the same error. I pulled it out and pushed harder. The port is quite snug the first few times.

 

[CaseyL]

Push harder.

Seriously. My MY20 was similar. I thought I pushed it in all the way, it basically stopped moving, the car threw the same error. I pulled it out and pushed harder. The port is quite snug the first few times.

This is probably all it takes. It really is a snug fit.

It wouldn't hurt to look at the inside of wall connector plug with a flashlight to make sure no foreign objects are in there. Turn off the circuit breaker before probing around.

I did once encounter a Supercharger plug that was actually damaged and would not insert all the way.

 

[Fourdoor]

Not to be vulgar, but push hard and fast.

You need to get the connector fully seated before the locking pin tries to engage.

Keith

 

[LoudMusic]

Not to be vulgar, but push hard and fast.

You need to get the connector fully seated before the locking pin tries to engage.

Keith

I don't think that's vulgar. If you'd said something like "push it push it real good", then yeah I'd say that's borderline vulgar.

 

[bsd107]

Thanks for the advice, but.... no luck.

I can line it up and then quickly shove it a ton of force as fast as I can (less than 1/10th of a second) and it still has a hard stop a little less than a centimeter from all-in. And, it is a really hard stop, like hitting a brick wall.

I can't see anything in my Wall Connector plug that could possibly be stopping this. And, again I just tried this AGAIN in my MY19 Model 3 and it slides in perfectly. I have been using this Wall Connector for 2.5 years, so, yes, I do know what kind of speed you need to use under normal conditions.

And, yet, the Mobile Connector slides in with no problem, even if I do it really slowly.

Somehow the car's charging port is triggering too soon as I slide in the Wall Connector plug and blocking me from getting it inserted. Makes no sense to me...

 

[LoudMusic]

Isn't there some issue with a bit of plastic broken off on the charge port around one of the connectors?

 

[Big Earl]

Isn't there some issue with a bit of plastic broken off on the charge port around one of the connectors?

Yep. Sounds like one of the plastic dead fronts from one of the pins on the Model 3’s charge port is stuck in the charging wand, preventing it from being fully inserted into the Y’s charge port.

 

[LoudMusic]

Yep. Sounds like one of the plastic dead fronts from one of the pins on the Model 3’s charge port is stuck in the charging wand, preventing it from being fully inserted into the Y’s charge port.

Mirror Universe thread about it.

Broken charge port pin left me dead in the water

teslaownersonline.com

 

[Mrbrock]

Thanks for the advice, but.... no luck.

I can line it up and then quickly shove it a ton of force as fast as I can (less than 1/10th of a second) and it still has a hard stop a little less than a centimeter from all-in. And, it is a really hard stop, like hitting a brick wall.

I can't see anything in my Wall Connector plug that could possibly be stopping this. And, again I just tried this AGAIN in my MY19 Model 3 and it slides in perfectly. I have been using this Wall Connector for 2.5 years, so, yes, I do know what kind of speed you need to use under normal conditions.

And, yet, the Mobile Connector slides in with no problem, even if I do it really slowly.

Somehow the car's charging port is triggering too soon as I slide in the Wall Connector plug and blocking me from getting it inserted. Makes no sense to me...

Look in the M3 charge port, do both pins look the same or does it look like one is missing? I had one missing on my M3 a while back and it won't affect the M3 being able to charge with one missing but if it is stuck in the charge handle, then it will affect other cars using the handle.

 

[SageBrush]

This certainly sounds consistent with a deadfront that has moved.

Here is the Tesla service bulletin with nice photos

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10154509-9999.pdf

 

[EVer Hopeful]

That's a pretty involved process in that TSB

 

[bsd107]

OK, first: thanks everyone for your help!

As some had suggested, yes, my problem was due to a black plastic piece of the MY19 Model 3 charging port that had broken off and was stuck into my Tesla Wall Connector. This is what was preventing the Connector from inserting all the way into the charging port of the MY22 Model Y.

I disconnected power to the Tesla Wall connector, prodded the offending piece with a screwdriver enough times that it eventually dislodged and could fall out by gravity.

For the record, trying to jam the connector hard and fast into the Model Y charging port was NOT a good idea - all I was doing was jamming the piece of plastic even harder and further into the Wall Connector. Luckily it was not too hard to get out, as there is simply no way to get even needle-nose pliers into that connector...

Anyway, all is well that ends well. The Model Y is now charging just fine, and the Model 3 still accepts the Wall Connector despite the broken plastic piece. Doesn't bother me as the Model 3 is a lease about to be returned anyway.

Thanks again, everyone, for your help!

Key to attached photos:
Yellow shows the Wall Connector with the black plastic piece stuck inside
Green shows what the Charging Port is supposed to look like
Red shows the Charging Port with the black plastic missing and broken off
last photo shows the black plastic piece after I fished it out of my Wall Connector

 

[SageBrush]

Excellent photos !

FWIW, these plastic pieces (called deadfronts) are for insulation. They are not needed for operation, but are there to offer some protection against shock if inquisitive fingers are stuck inside.

You *should* have the deadfront added back to the Model 3 so that the next owner enjoys the safety Tesla engineered into the port.

 

[jerseygirl18]

I did a road trip to my friend who has a Y & I have an X. At first the husbands could not make a connection...the next day I tried b4 I would have to visit a SC..it has an angle that has to be inserted from...slightly handle down & end of nozzle up....of course it worked when a Wife got involved!!
So, now I gave you 2 tips!!
Good Luck!!

 

[Rocky_H]

I've had both of these, and the symptoms do feel different and take some specific description. I had been to a Supercharger where the plug was just too tight a fit, and I couldn't get it into my car's charge port. Plastic tolerances can be a little off. But I've also had this one, where you feel a really solid clunk of it hitting up against something, and it's well short of all the way in, and that's the deadfront piece of plastic.

 

[5StarAdvisor]

I wonder if that Easter egg still works, press and release the button a bunch of times and it lights up like a disco ball

 

[Kairide]

This was probably one of the funnier TMC threads where no one got easily offended and turned it in to a dumpster fire.

 

[peterept]

Thank you to this post. I just had exactly the same issue trying to charge my brand new Model Y for the first time.

It is the same issue you discoveeed - in my case BOTH tips from the model 3 are happily lodged inside the charger wand 8-(

 

[boulder.dude]

Yep. Sounds like one of the plastic dead fronts from one of the pins on the Model 3’s charge port is stuck in the charging wand, preventing it from being fully inserted into the Y’s charge port.

Your M3 just doesn’t want to share the charger with another car…