Charge Port Suddenly having Issues

[Pruitt]

The charge port on my 2016 S, which just turned over 100,000 miles, is suddenly behaving oddly.

The light ring no longer illuminates when I go to charge. For a couple of days it took four of five seconds to light (unusual; it always lit up as soon as the port opened), not it isn't lighting at all.

I can hear a soft clicking noise before I insert the charge cable, which I think is the port trying to lock onto the cable. When I insert the cable, the car charges normally (for now).

Last time I removed the cable, the port didn't close. After awhile I pushed it closed by hand. This seems to be constant now as well.

Anyone else run into this? It's pretty annoying. I'm wondering if it's a harbinger of charging problems to come.

 

[KalJoMoS]

Do you have any error messages on the screen at the same time? There are several discussions, just use the search function.

 

[NewbyMaybe]

Seems like a recent trend, related to last software update?

 

[Pruitt]

Do you have any error messages on the screen at the same time? There are several discussions, just use the search function.

No, no error messages at all. Screen looks normal.

 

[Pruitt]

I scheduled service for the charge port and an issue with the right rear door window closing. Supposedly got some messages from service on my phone, but the app isn't communicating with anything right now (phone & wifi is fine; Tesla servers might be having issues) so I can't see the messages. And no other way to find out what they're trying to tell me.

 

[NewbyMaybe]

Raining a lot? There's a drain under the port that clogs, taillight needs to be removed to deal with it.

 

[Pruitt]

No, and the

Raining a lot? There's a drain under the port that clogs, taillight needs to be removed to deal with it.

Nope. It's very dry out here (Wyoming).

 

[airborne spoon]

My charge port door went out and that made it so the lock pin didn't retract for about 30 seconds after the door opened. It's only an $80 part just grab a new one and that'll prob fix it

 

[ucmndd]

Agree this sounds like charge port door sensor, not charge port itself.

 

[Pruitt]

My charge port door went out and that made it so the lock pin didn't retract for about 30 seconds after the door opened. It's only an $80 part just grab a new one and that'll prob fix it

Agree this sounds like charge port door sensor, not charge port itself.

Would that also explain the LED ring going out?

Any idea where I would obtain the replacement part?

 

[NewbyMaybe]

Service center.

 

[Pruitt]

Service center.

The Tesla service center? They'll actually sell you parts?

 

[NewbyMaybe]

Yes

 

[NewbyMaybe]

Did you look on the computer's service page, notifications?

 

[Pruitt]

...computer's service page, notifications?

Not sure what you're referring to...
What computer, and what notification would I be looking for?

 

[NewbyMaybe]

On the menu in the car.

 

[Pruitt]

Nothing there related to the charge port. The Tesla person I got over the phone said there was nothing in the logs, either.
Dumb thing keeps saying USB file system is corrupted and that I need to reformat the drive, but it plays just fine.

 

[David29]

The charge port on my 2016 S, which just turned over 100,000 miles, is suddenly behaving oddly.

The light ring no longer illuminates when I go to charge. For a couple of days it took four of five seconds to light (unusual; it always lit up as soon as the port opened), not it isn't lighting at all.

I can hear a soft clicking noise before I insert the charge cable, which I think is the port trying to lock onto the cable. When I insert the cable, the car charges normally (for now).

Last time I removed the cable, the port didn't close. After awhile I pushed it closed by hand. This seems to be constant now as well.

Anyone else run into this? It's pretty annoying. I'm wondering if it's a harbinger of charging problems to come.

This same thing is happening to the charge port light on my 2015 70D, just in the last few days. The first thing I noticed was actually that the locking mechanism was slow to unlock so that the cable could be inserted. After a couple of such instances, I noticed that there is no ring light. I also found the light does not illuminate when the car is charging. I have mobile service scheduled for next week.
To the OP -- What happened with yours? Did you repair it yourself, or get Tesla to do it?

 

[Pruitt]

Sorry, I was remiss in not updating the thread.

The mobile service tech came by on July 10 and replaced the charge port. He said it looked like water had managed to get into the mechanism and probably just slowly corroded the electrical contacts. Took about an hour to replace it, and cost just over $200. New port is working fine.

Very pleased with the service and the cost.

 

[David29]

In my case, Tesla mobile service came today to replace the charge port, but the technician was unable to remove it! He said that he was unable to remove two of the four bolts that fasten the port to the fender. After working on it for awhile, he concluded that it needs to go to the shop, probably for a weld repair of the receivers for the two bolts. He scheduled the car for a service appointment at the service center, in a couple of weeks. He reassembled what he had disassembled and tested to be sure the car can be charged. I think he was here about 2 hours.
One side observation I made is that he had to remove the frunk in order to get access to the 12-volt battery, which he had to disconnect to remove the charge port. That was a fair amount of effort, and I am curious if the later cars are arranged so that it is less work to get at the battery. It certainly took more effort than it would have on any ICE car I have owned, so that increases the cost and difficulty of service.