UMC Charging cable button frozen

[rog1206]

Hello Everyone,

I'm here in the PNW and it's been getting down into the 20's or 30 degree range in temps. My car is parked outside (whole car was covered in frost) and for the first time yesterday, I could not get the charging cable to unlatch from the car. I had the driver side door open, the green ring showing on the charging port but when I pushed on the charging cable button, the button wouldn't move and it felt solid.

After a call to the local Tesla service center and not getting a call back, I used a heat gun to warm up the charging cable near the port, I was able to push down on the button and noticed a lot of water getting squeezed out of the area where the button is at. After this, the charge cord was able to unlatch. Isn't the button area on the charge cord supposed be sealed?

Did a search but didn't anyone else with this problem.

Happy Holidays!

-Rog

 

[BrettS]

It does seem unusual that water would get in there and freeze, so it will be interesting to see what the service center says.

However, you do have other options if this happens in the future. You can also unlock the charge connector with the app on your phone, from the touch screen in the car, or by pressing and holding the ‘trunk’ of the key fob.

 

[rog1206]

I'll try that next time it happens and thanks for the response.

 

[Rocky_H]

And one other thing is that because your door was open, the heating in the car was running. It will always try to draw that energy through the charge cable if it's connected, so unlocking the charge port from the touch screen or key fob might only be successful for a second or so. If you want the door open, turn the heater off, so it will stop pulling current through the cable, and you can get the port to really unlock.

 

[scottm]

The button on the charge handle does two things:
- sends an RF signal from the handle to the chargeport door, so it opens the door. Yours and other nearby Telsas!
- interrupts the data signal during a charge that tells the car to unlock the handle, so you can pull it out

The button on my UMC has just recently stopped being able to open the door with its RF signal.
So I have to use other methods to pop the door open.

But the button still does the interrupt so I can pull the handle out.

I'm OK using other methods to open the door, there are many. But if this is a deteriorating situation, I'm wondering if the button will degrade enough so I will someday not be able to pull the handle out by interrupting the charge? I guess I'd have to go to the App or car console and "stop charging" .. to get the ring to stop glowing green and revert to pale blue. I think in that state I can just pull the handle out... I'll have to try tomorrow.

Anyway... Has anybody else had just the RF portion of their UMC fail to operate? It could be the button or the RF circuit itself (burnt out), or antenna in the handle.. that kind of thing. Anybody tried repairing this RF portion?

 

[Rocky_H]

Anyway... Has anybody else had just the RF portion of their UMC fail to operate? It could be the button or the RF circuit itself (burnt out), or antenna in the handle.. that kind of thing. Anybody tried repairing this RF portion?

I have heard of that rarely, but you might need to narrow down the variable first to find out if it's the transmitter in the handle or the receiver in the car that has the problem.

 

[scottm]

I have heard of that rarely, but you might need to narrow down the variable first to find out if it's the transmitter in the handle or the receiver in the car that has the problem.

It's the transmitter.

Receiver side works for every other charger handle I press.

 

[Elric2176]

The button on my UMC has just recently stopped being able to open the door with it

Anyway... Has anybody else had just the RF portion of their UMC fail to operate? It could be the button or the RF circuit itself (burnt out), or antenna in the handle.. that kind of thing. Anybody tried repairing this RF portion?

Mine has started doing this. It still works very occasionally to open the charge door but usually doesn’t. A supercharger cable works every time.

Unlatching still works fine.