Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Red light on charge port after extended plug in session

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I assume I am like a lot of folks and have been leaving my car plugged in and charging more than usual without using it much. IE it is plugged in for several days at a time between uses. Twice in the last month it has displayed a steady red light. There is no indication on the displays inside that anything is wrong other that it is plugged in. If I unplug it and plug it back in all is good the blue light is displayed. Anyone else encounter this?
 
We had this issue when we had "dirty" power, which was caused by faulty grid equipment and impacted Tesla owners in a large area around the failed equipment.

If possible, see if there are any reports of similar issues with other Tesla owners in the area - the local Service Center may be able to help with that.

Or, if you can run a similar test, plugged into someone else's connection you can see if you can reproduce it.

Another test - if you are charging with a wall connector, try using your mobile connector and see if you see the same problem.

When we had our issue - our wall connected and mobile connector (at various amp settings on multiple circuits) failed after a while with the red ring of death - and the same was true for our neighbor across the street.
 
Hi Bikeandsail,

You mention the blue light which is generally associated with waiting for scheduled charging...
There have been problems with the software lately that gives the red ring after a scheduled charge.

To test this you could turn off scheduled charging for a few days, leave it plugged in, and see what happens...
This would let it charge as needed.

This could narrow it down a bit what the problem may be.

Good luck,

Shawn
 
I had poor wiring on a plug at one of my houses. Previous owner had pulled aluminum wire for the 14-50. I had to replace it with copper to get good connections. Until then, it would intermittently get upset and turn red. This could definitely be an indicator you are having problems with your wiring and is worth taking apart and inspecting the connections on both ends. Plenty of stories here on TMC about folks using the garbage Leviton 14-50R receptacles (sold everywhere) and having the connections go bad.
 
  • Helpful
Reactions: SSedan
Hi Bikeandsail,

You mention the blue light which is generally associated with waiting for scheduled charging...
There have been problems with the software lately that gives the red ring after a scheduled charge.

To test this you could turn off scheduled charging for a few days, leave it plugged in, and see what happens...
This would let it charge as needed.

This could narrow it down a bit what the problem may be.

Good luck,

Shawn
Hi Shawn,

I suspect your answer it the correct one. This does happen with a scheduled charge. I have a whole house surge protector and think the power not likely the problem.

Ron
 
I had poor wiring on a plug at one of my houses. Previous owner had pulled aluminum wire for the 14-50. I had to replace it with copper to get good connections. Until then, it would intermittently get upset and turn red. This could definitely be an indicator you are having problems with your wiring and is worth taking apart and inspecting the connections on both ends. Plenty of stories here on TMC about folks using the garbage Leviton 14-50R receptacles (sold everywhere) and having the connections go bad.

Back in the day the problem was not the Aluminum wire. It was with the termination at the plug and origin at the fusebox. They probably did not use dielectric grease. Copper is safer so no problem about swapping wires BUT this was the common issue with Aluminum... People either forgot or cheaped out and did not use special terminators with dielectric grease. The area would develop resistance and heat up and even cause fires. Check the rest of your house and either replace or terminate correctly. Aluminum was big in like the seventies and eighties because of the price of Copper, but Copper has a better heating curve and conducts electricity and heat better.

Best,

T