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Frozen charger door

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Interesting weather in Toronto where rain changed to snow.
So, first time this happens to me: Home Charger is on my wife’s M3. When I take it out, door is frozen open… so I’m moving the charger to my MY, charging door is frozen closed!
What is the best solution? Get some not too hot water? I thought the defrost would take care of it, but I had in on defrost for 5 min at Costco before getting back home… should I just enable it and try again?
 

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Interesting weather in Toronto where rain changed to snow.
So, first time this happens to me: Home Charger is on my wife’s M3. When I take it out, door is frozen open… so I’m moving the charger to my MY, charging door is frozen closed!
What is the best solution? Get some not too hot water? I thought the defrost would take care of it, but I had in on defrost for 5 min at Costco before getting back home… should I just enable it and try again?
If the charge port is shut and frozen , some mildly hot water should help melt some of the frozen ice so that the spring/lever action can open the charge port. You hay have to do it for some time before the temp changes and the spring action can open the port . Best of luck
 
5 minutes is not enough time to defrost the charge port. Using the Tesla app activate vehicle defrosting option found with the hidden controls (Press and hold any control icon on the main Tesla app screen to reveal the hidden controls, then drag the control you want to the row with the controls.

See Tesla App Quick Controls -
20 Tesla Hidden Features You NEED To Know About


A hair dryer would be one method of safely melting the ice around the charge port cover.
 
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Yup, hot water if you have too, but if you are within extension cord range a hair dryer would be better because you are not adding more water that can re-freeze later.

Keith

PS: People use the defrost option for an HOUR or more to get door handles freed up (one of the reasons they added the door popper option on the phone app), and the charge port is further from the hot air source than the door handles... 5 min isn't going to do anything.
 
Yup, hot water if you have too, but if you are within extension cord range a hair dryer would be better because you are not adding more water that can re-freeze later.

Keith

PS: People use the defrost option for an HOUR or more to get door handles freed up (one of the reasons they added the door popper option on the phone app), and the charge port is further from the hot air source than the door handles... 5 min isn't going to do anything.
The charge port is now heated, just turn on vehicle defrost or max windshield defrost (press twice for windshield defogger/defroster icon to change from blue to red.) The vehicle displayed within the Tesla app will indicate when the charge port heater is active.
 
The charge port is now heated, just turn on vehicle defrost or max windshield defrost (press twice for windshield defogger/defroster icon to change from blue to red.) The vehicle displayed within the Tesla app will indicate when the charge port heater is active.

Is it part of the max defrost, or rear window defrost? Not doubting you, just used to (in other cars) resistive elements (rear window, outside mirrors, etc) being on one circuit while things defrosted by hot air are on a different control.

Keith
 
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Is it part of the max defrost, or rear window defrost? Not doubting you, just used to (in other cars) resistive elements (rear window, outside mirrors, etc) being on one circuit while things defrosted by hot air are on a different control.

Keith
According to the release notes:

"Your car can now use the charge port inlet heater to help defrost the inside of the charge port. The charge port inlet heater can be activated in cold ambient temperatures by enabling preconditioning using the mobile app, activating the rear defrost button on the vehicle’s touchscreen, or preconditioning the vehicle using scheduled departure."

There is now an additional defrost vehicle function that can be activated from the Tesla app (press and hold any displayed icon on the main app screen center row of icon to reveal the additional icons/functions that can be dragged to the row.)

The defrost vehicle function should also turn on the charge port inlet heater. The Tesla app will display whether the charge port inlet heater is active as it does when using the Tesla app to precondition the Tesla Model Y.

Tesla Model 3 & Y To Get Heated Charging Port Via Upcoming Update
 
The charge port is now heated, just turn on vehicle defrost or max windshield defrost (press twice for windshield defogger/defroster icon to change from blue to red.) The vehicle displayed within the Tesla app will indicate when the charge port heater is active.
Is that the same as the app? My car is 2022, it has the heated windshield wiper base. It has been on now for 10min, still frozen shut. I may not be able to charge, but I was able to drain the battery! 😂
1671841115118.png
 
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Is that the same as the app? My car is 2022, it has the heated windshield wiper base.View attachment 888433
That icon will defrost the vehicle. Defrost vehicle is one of the hidden icons that can be dragged to the row of 4 (or 5 if you know the trick) functions of the main Tesla app screen. . The standard preconditioning is controlled by either tapping the fan icon or opening the Climate Control menu within the Tesla app and turning on Climate Control. From the Climate Control screen you can turn on the windshield defogger/defroster (tap twice so the icon color changes from blue to red for maximum windshield defrosting. This will also turn on the heated side mirrors.)

I believe the defrost vehicle function combines preconditioning the passenger cabin with maximum windshield defrosting, rear glass defroster, charge port inlet heater, camera heaters and windshield wiper resting spot windshield heaters but I have not read where the defrost vehicle function is documented.
 
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Is that the same as the app? My car is 2022, it has the heated windshield wiper baseView attachment 888433
Is what the same as the app? What are you trying to do? You can turn on the windshield defroster from within the Climate Controls menu from the Tesla app. The new defrost vehicle function within the Tesla app should enable you to also turn on the maximum windshield defrost function with one tap. Normally you have to open the Climate Control section of the Tesla app, tap the windshield defogger/defroster icon twice so that the windshield defogger/defroster icon turns red. I believe the new defrost vehicle icon can accomplish this with one tap.
 
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Nothing that money can’t solve!

After draining 10% of the battery defrosting without any luck, I open a service request. When o did that it provided me a suggestion (screenshot). I gently used the card around the port, then it was free to open. Did the same thing to clear the snow from the M3 that wouldn’t close.
1671844299825.png
 
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Is what the same as the app? What are you trying to do? You can turn on the windshield defroster from within the Climate Controls menu from the Tesla app. The new defrost vehicle function within the Tesla app should enable you to also turn on the maximum windshield defrost function with one tap. Normally you have to open the Climate Control section of the Tesla app, tap the windshield defogger/defroster icon twice so that the windshield defogger/defroster icon turns red. I believe the new defrost vehicle icon can accomplish this with one tap.
I was referring to the icon I pasted, but I should have attached as an image. Anyhow, the credit card trick did it.
 

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The heated charge port inlet can help make it possible to remove the charging connector from the charge port if the charging release mechanism has become frozen due to rain, sleet, snow and ice conditions while charging the Tesla Model Y outdoors, uncovered. The heated charge port inlet will not defrost a frozen charge port cover (door). The credit card method may work, also a hair dryer if you are able to reach the charge port with a hand held hair dryer, plugged into an extension cord if needed, then plugged into an electrical outlet. Activating the defrost vehicle icon would probably not help unfreeze the charge port cover, would only turn on the charge port inlet heater.
 
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The heated charge port inlet can help make it possible to remove the charging connector from the charge port if the charging release mechanism has become frozen due to rain, sleet, snow and ice conditions while charging the Tesla Model Y outdoors, uncovered. The heated charge port inlet will not defrost a frozen charge port cover (door). The credit card method may work, also a hair dryer if you are able to reach the charge port with a hand held hair dryer, plugged into an extension cord if needed, then plugged into an electrical outlet. Activating the defrost vehicle icon would probably not help unfreeze the charge port cover, would only turn on the charge port inlet heater.
Makes sense. I’m glad to go through this while at home and not travelling somewhere trying to figure it out at a supercharger! 🙂
 
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I added a plastic bag to cover the charge port and Tesla adapter, to help prevent that.
There are two plastic bag tricks. The first is prevention, like you mentioned above. Cover the charge port and the charging handle with a plastic bag, or two, to help keep freezing rain or snow away from the port. Currently, my car has this set up after 5 straight days of 50mph blowing snow and -11º F. temps. I'll let you know how well this works after Sunday when I begin to unwrap it. Note: in a bad ice storm, there is a real possibility that all this plastic could be firmly stuck to your car and jam it all up.

i-gWwxVZK-XL.jpg


The second trick, if your charging port is already frozen solid, is to have a large sturdy plastic bag filled with warm (not too hot) water and hold it against the charging port door. This might thaw the outer door enough to allow it to open. If there's frozen rain in the mechanism behind the door, it won't work. Then you have to use Bjorn's method.

 
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There are two plastic bag tricks. The first is prevention, like you mentioned above. Cover the charge port and the charging handle with a plastic bag, or two, to help keep freezing rain or snow away from the port. Currently, my car has this set up after 5 straight days of 50mph blowing snow and -11º F. temps. I'll let you know how well this works after Sunday when I begin to unwrap it. Note: in a bad ice storm, there is a real possibility that all this plastic could be firmly stuck to your car and jam it all up.

i-gWwxVZK-XL.jpg


The second trick, if your charging port is already frozen solid, is to have a large sturdy plastic bag filled with warm (not too hot) water and hold it against the charging port door. This might thaw the outer door enough to allow it to open. If there's frozen rain in the mechanism behind the door, it won't work. Then you have to use Bjorn's method.

The new app icon to open the door is GREAT, I used it several times since yesterday as all doors were frozen. What I like about the credit card trick is that you can do it anywhere. I would be hard to find a plastic bag and warm water at a super charger.
I don’t ever recall my ICE car having an issue to open the tank lid. Honestly this is a bit of a design flaw IMHO.
 
^ Agree completely. On day three of ownership, both the charge port door and door handles were frozen shut. There wasn’t an ice storm. Maybe there was moisture in the air, but I couldn’t get into the car for a while and was regretting my purchase. A few days later I discovered the door open icon buried in the app. Do any of you use silicon spray around the window seals to prevent the windows from sticking?