Charger Won’t Lock Anymore

[Tocunvt]

I used to hear the “lock” sound after plugging my WC into my car. Now it doesn’t lock, ever. Even if I lock my car and/or the car is actively charging; I can just pull the charger out without having to push the release button. I’ve read about this before and the solution was the little locking pin mechanism breaks off and gets stuck but this isn’t the case as all the components are in tact and look fine. Any ideas?

 

[Tocunvt]

Refreshing this in hopes of getting some traffic...

 

[jjrandorin]

Refreshing this in hopes of getting some traffic...

What did tesla say about it when you made your service appointment and took it in?

 

[Tocunvt]

Haha I’m clearly hoping it’s something I’m missing/something I can do myself (and avoid the hassle of taking it in for service). But thanks for being helpful!

 

[GtiMart]

I believe the cable doesn't lock on normal chargers when it's below freezing, so it doesn't jam that way. Is it cold where you live?

 

[jjrandorin]

I believe the cable doesn't lock on normal chargers when it's below freezing, so it doesn't jam that way. Is it cold where you live?

Good catch. I dont live in a place that gets "that" cold (lowest is high 30s at night for the most part). Looking through the tesla model 3 manual, I found the following on page 183:

=======================================

Charge Port Light

• WHITE: The charge port door is open. Model 3 is ready to charge and the connector is not inserted, or the charge port latch is unlocked and the connector is ready to be removed.

NOTE: In cold ambient temperatures below 41° F (5° C), the charge port remains unlocked whenever the vehicle is not charging. In these situations, the charge port light is white

=======================================

Maybe its under 41 degrees where OP is? OP if you want to read further about this in the tesla manual, search the manual for "charge port light". I downloaded a tesla model 3 manual online, but they have several versions of the manual because of firmware updates, so the page numbers change.

 

[Tocunvt]

Hmm interesting, it’s definitely cold where I live (northern VA) and that might be it. Although I think I was able to pull it out, without pushing the release button, while charging. I’ll try that again and report back. Thanks!

 

[rrolsbe]

Hmm interesting, it’s definitely cold where I live (northern VA) and that might be it. Although I think I was able to pull it out, without pushing the release button, while charging. I’ll try that again and report back. Thanks!

If the latch does not properly engage and the interlock system fails to determine such, pulling out the wand (without pushing the release button) during an active supercharging session would not be a good thing. Can you say arc welder!!!

 

[rrolsbe]

If the latch does not properly engage and the interlock system fails to determine such, pulling out the wand (without pushing the release button) during an active supercharging session would not be a good thing. Can you say arc welder!!!

There probably is a sense pin that breaks contact before the to large DC or AC charging pins break contact? This would be the safety fallback if the lock failed and the wand was pulled without pushing the release button.

 

[MidwestM3P]

Maybe check the manual release cable inside the trunk and see if it's caught on something, or maybe jiggle it and to see if it's jammed and just needs moved a bit. Worth a shot.