The charge port in my 2018 Model S just failed. The door opens properly, but then it just makes a grinding sound and the LED ring never lights up. Upon inspection I can see that the locking pin isn't pulling down, so the grinding sound must be a failure of the mechanism responsible for that. Unfortunately, the next service appointment I can get is in 3 weeks!
I decided to try a hack. Since the problem is with the locking pin, I tried opening the panel in the trunk and pressing the manual release lever. Voila! The LED ring turned white and I was able to insert the charge wand. I also have to use the lever to remove it. I'm hoping that'll keep working until my appointment, where I'm sure they'll just replace the whole charge port.
Figured I'd leave this here in case someone else runs across this problem. For those who've never used the manual release (like me), there's a picture of how to do it in the charging section of the Owner's manual. You have to reach in a bit to find the lever - it's a short, plastic nub that you push towards the front of the car.
I decided to try a hack. Since the problem is with the locking pin, I tried opening the panel in the trunk and pressing the manual release lever. Voila! The LED ring turned white and I was able to insert the charge wand. I also have to use the lever to remove it. I'm hoping that'll keep working until my appointment, where I'm sure they'll just replace the whole charge port.
Figured I'd leave this here in case someone else runs across this problem. For those who've never used the manual release (like me), there's a picture of how to do it in the charging section of the Owner's manual. You have to reach in a bit to find the lever - it's a short, plastic nub that you push towards the front of the car.
