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Charge port won't release connector, red T logo, errors on screen

24K views 65 replies 42 participants last post by  MelindaV 
#1 · (Edited)
Experienced this today after I lost power during a charging session. Cable seemed to be fine (actually had to use it just so I could remove the charging cable).

After a few reboots, door control was back, but red error light wouldn't go away. Powered it down for 15 minutes, no luck. Powered it down for a couple of hours, which did reset the error, and allowed me to start charging again.
 
#2 ·
I got these error messages today, but in a different situation. I had finished a supercharging session and when I pushed the charge handle button to stop charging and unplug it unlocked the charge port, but it immediately relocked before I could pull out the charge handle. I repeated this two or three more times and then the charge indicator turned red and those errors popped up on the screen. The charge cord was locked in the port. I tried all the resets and button pushes. Tried unlocking the car and the charge port on the screen and in the app. Tried restarting charging, but it wouldn’t restart. I was on hold with Tesla, but then I decided to check out the owner’s manual and saw the manual release. I didn’t have to pull back the carpet at all. I just reached through those slots and pulled and it was all good. Definitely a weird error.
 
#4 ·
This morning I went out to my Model 3 and unlocked the driver door as I always do. I then proceeded to the rear of the car and went to press the button on the charge connector and then the Tesla T went RED and I heard a error message from inside the car. The connector wouldn't release and was still locked. Getting in the car I had two different error messages (car won't charge + something about removing the charge cable). I honestly didn't know what to do... I held in the two knobs on the steering wheel and the display turned off then back on after a few seconds. Nope. I pressed the "reset" on the Tesla Wall Connector. Nope. I then turned off the circuit breaker feeding power to the wall connector. Nope.

I didn't know what else to do so I opened the truck and pulled the release. Then I was able to remove the connector.

I then put the cable back up around the wall connector and got in the car. I don't know why, but I also then pressed the two knobs again and killed the display (is this a soft reboot?). I then proceeded to drive to work and that car was fine. No messages on the display. I've opened and closed the charge port door a couple times w/o any issues. I won't charge again until later tonight when I get home.

Any insights? Please tell me I didn't do something stupid to my car...
 
#6 ·
I'm backlevel on the firmware and don't live in a cold climate so I haven't been following the associated feature changes closely, but I thought one of the cold climate changes was to keep the charge port unlocked so the wand won't get frozen in place?
 
#8 ·
Just to add this for info... my Model 3 is in a garage and it was ~ 55F when this occurred, which would not enable any of the cold weather "enhancements" IMHO. I believe the behavior is only changed at or below freezing temps.

This is my first issue with my car and I didn't call anything into service since I was able to resolve it myself, but I want to make sure I don't do any damage either. I remember reading somewhere that you shouldn't use the release for the charge port unless you have to... well I did have to as far as I could tell. I tried everything else I could think of before doing it.
 
#9 ·
You did the right thing by pulling the charge cable release cable. Programming can get convoluted and complicated. This looks to be a bug that was introduced with the cold weather enhancements. It doesn't have to be cold for a bug in the enhancement to show up. I imagine it's already repaired in version 46.2.
 
#10 ·
was on 44.2 and doing fine but this afternoon update went to 46.2.

Keep my model 3 in climate controlled garage at 61 degrees

Went to go to work this evening, pushed button to release charging cable and could not pull cable out and "T" went RED.

I tried unlocking the charge port from the car and the phone - clicking UNLOCK does nothing.

Tried flipping breaker on Wall Charger, no dice.

So, I angrily took my backup vehicle to work (where I am now) trying to lookup solutions that don't involve trying to schedule service.

Until just now, I didn't know about the trunk emergency release. Can I use this safely? Should I just have service come to the house?

Whats the consensus since a lot of people seem to be having this problem.

Thanks
 
#12 ·
was on 44.2 and doing fine but this afternoon update went to 46.2.

Keep my model 3 in climate controlled garage at 61 degrees

Went to go to work this evening, pushed button to release charging cable and could not pull cable out and "T" went RED.

I tried unlocking the charge port from the car and the phone - clicking UNLOCK does nothing.

Tried flipping breaker on Wall Charger, no dice.

So, I angrily took my backup vehicle to work (where I am now) trying to lookup solutions that don't involve trying to schedule service.

Until just now, I didn't know about the trunk emergency release. Can I use this safely? Should I just have service come to the house?

Whats the consensus since a lot of people seem to be having this problem.

Thanks
Just pull the release. You already or will have errors on the screen. Reboots might speed up getting rid of the errors.

Sounds like 46.2 has not fixed this yet.
 
#11 ·
I wonder if the progression of events when this happens might be making the issue worse. I can imagine someone pushing the button, and then trying to pull on the charging cable. Then trying to pull harder. And ultimately, by the time they try the "Unlock Charge Port" button, the cable has firmly wedged the little pin into the UP position.

What I'm getting at is I wonder if pushing the cable in and then trying to unlock the charge port makes any difference.

Failing that, you can try to use the emergency release. The car will yell at you, but there's nothing inherently unsafe about it.
 
#14 ·
I had the same experience as you the first time I charged after getting the 44.2 release, but I was at the first stop of a road trip and had just finished charging at a Supercharger. I used the release in the trunk and it was fine for the rest of the trip and ever since. I do believe it is just a bug of some sort with the cold climate features that have been added in the latest updates, and have read that many have had similar problems right after updating and then never having the problem again.
 
#16 ·
This update has been a mess. I noticed that because the cable doesn't lock when inserted that my car appears to not sleep until the scheduled charge time has come and its complete. Could be Teslafi keeping it awake but the car sleeps fine any other time.
 
#17 ·
Yeah, I think that's what my car is doing too. I never connected the charge lock not firing to the car not sleeping. I think you may be right. And the only way I could clear it was to start a charge cycle and when it was done it shutdown normally.
 
#19 ·
I was stuck at a Supercharger for 25 minutes. I got a Red Charging symbol with the wand stuck at Supercharger. I got an error and restarted the car twice, to no avail. Eventually, I got Tesla on the phone and found out there is a release in the trunk. I thought it was only to open a stuck or frozen door, but if you hold the string while pulling it, the lock on the charging wand will be released. This should definitely be listed on a Tips and Tricks sticky or thread. Ironically, when I came out fo the mall, a guy was having the same problem and been there for an hour asking other Tesla owners for help. I showed him quickly, receiving many thanks, and headed home.. my good deed for the day accomplished.
 
#22 ·
I just had the same thing happen to my Tesla. I was parked at a Supercharger and the charger would not release. So I used the release cable in the trunk. After this I had the three error messages and then a red light on the charger port. I tried plugging in at home but my charger was red and locked in. I called Tesla Roadside assistance and they had me perform a hard reset which did not resolve the issue. They set up a Ranger to come and fix it in the next 24-48 hours.

After reading this thread, I decided to try and reset it one more time. This time when I released the charger from the trunk, I felt the cable "pop" back into position and viola! Now the message was gone and I am back to charging.

I hope this helps someone else out in the future. It could be the manual release is not closing up properly and that is what is setting off the errors.
 
#23 ·
I just experienced this for the first time today. I drove about 35 miles to a Mall and plugged into the SC. After about an hour I returned, hit stop charging and went to release the cable and it was stuck, I pushed the button and got the flashing red Tesla icon and a bunch of bleeps from the console (3 warning messages asking me to unplug the cable before attempting charging).

I used the manual release which was no issue, Funnily enough it was 41 degrees when this happened. I've charged in colder weather with the 44.2 update and not had this happen before.
 
#24 ·
Tesla M3 LR AWD Updated to 46.2 last night and this morning upon trying to unplug, light indicator turns red and the cable will not release from charge port. Indicator light stays red.

Onboard screen has 3 error messages:

! Unable to charge
! Charging disabled
! Never use charge port lever to insert cable.

After making sure charging stopped, I opened the trunk to pull the emergency release cable, which allowed release of the cable from the charger port.
Charger port door does not automatically close. I had to use the on screen controls to close the port door.

One important tip - after using the emergency release cable, make sure the cable wire is stuffed back into its hub and is fully retracted. I have noticed that if the release cable still is dangling out a bit, this affects engagement of the charger cable on future tries.

I got into the car and drove to work, and the screen persistently showed the 3 error messages as above. After a full day of work, got back into the car and the error messages are gone.
I'm able to charge normally tonight. I have a strong suspicion that the 46.2 update is to blame.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Mine just gave me the same error after the cold weather software update today. As soon as I tried to remove the charge cable, the servo motor glitched-out and I got the red T next to the charge port. Ironically, the update says it addresses several bugs. LOL, whatever...

Edit: cleared up after 30 minutes, and stressing out, yelling at family and dog.
 
#26 ·
@Molloy Check if you still have the magnet at the end of the door.

I recently discovered that this is important for the charge port assembly to know whether the door is open or closed. In some cases, without it, the assembly can get confused and show a red T, preventing charge.

Had my local Service Center check it, and they replaced the magnet, using windshield glue to make sure it doesn't fall out again.
 
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#27 ·
The other day I got the 2018.48.12.1 release and since then twice now I've had the same issue with the three messages, including "Never use charge port lever to insert cable". I don't even know what a charge port lever is. Both times I just drove a different car, leaving the Model 3 to sit, still plugged in. When I came back it was fine and I was able to remove the charge cable normally.

I wonder if there is some problem with this release because it started the next morning after the update. The car sits in the garage which has been around 50°F both times this has happened. I do have the magnet on my charge door, so that's not the issue. I wonder if we'll start to see more people with this issue on this release or if perhaps I coincidentally got a hardware problem right after the update.

-David
 
#28 ·
It's likely not the release. I've seen no reports of it and have it myself on my car.

The charge port assembly can get confused as to the status of the door and the port.

Since you have the magnet attached, it'll reset status when it closes or if enough time passes.

By the way, if you want to know where the manual charge port lever is, just open the trunk and look on the left panel where there are open slits. You'll see the lever. It should only be pulled if you're unable to remove the cable via the cable button.
 
#29 ·
Ditto to the posts here. Couldn’t release the cable, got the red Tesla light at the charging port, cryptic message on the screen that I didn’t (and still don’t) understand, called Tesla, while on hold pulled up manual, learned about magic release in the trunk, and voila, all was fixed.
 
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#30 ·
This error is happening to me now, have the 4 errors - the "magnet" is still in place. Tried the reset and power down steps, suggested here and by Tesla over the phone. Those steps did not resolve the errors.

I just now powered off and will wait for few hours to see if the error resolves, if not, then I will call and get service.

BTW, this morning I noted that I was able to remove the HP Wall Connector cable (white Tesla on charger port) without my cellphone or unlocking the port from the App or inside console, from charging last night. Could this have
Tablet computer Product Output device Communication Device Gadget
confused the system? Did you involve service after the errors resolve on their own?
 
#31 ·
Nothing you did should cause this.

It may be the charge port assembly, but we'll know in a few hours.

As for involving service, I wouldn't wait. You can always cancel an appt if it clears on its own.
 
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#33 ·
Still with errors after leaving the car alone overnight, and still red on the charging port.
This afternoon, it got worse. I think the 12V battery died. The HV battery had 195 miles range one hour before this shutdown.
The car lowered the driver window down when I entered the car, then only the LED lights from trunk/puddle/ambient lights are functioning/on. I was not able to open the FRUNK before the shutdown. I hope the mobile service peeps can fix it, if not it will be carried to the nearest service center. :(
 
#34 ·
Still with errors after leaving the car alone overnight, and still red on the charging port.
This afternoon, it got worse. I think the 12V battery died. The HV battery had 195 miles range one hour before this shutdown.
The car lowered the driver window down when I entered the car, then only the LED lights from trunk/puddle/ambient lights are functioning/on. I was not able to open the FRUNK before the shutdown. I hope the mobile service peeps can fix it, if not it will be carried to the nearest service center. :(
My M3 is being worked on at the service center this morning for the same error. She's been there since Saturday. I think they are replacing the charge port and associated cabling. I'll let you know what they are doing and the result.
 
#43 ·
Do you still have the magnet on the door?
 
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#45 ·
I got this exact message recently on a trip while at a SC in Strasburg, VA. It was rainy and temp was 38 degrees. I did release the cable from the trunk, and as everyone has noticed, the error messages stay there. I called roadside assistance and the Tesla rep said (1) its ok to drive and (2) the errors reset once you put the car to sleep. I reset the computer to no avail by the way. I continued to my destination without incident and then parked and walked away. When I returned after it had been in sleep mode for a short while, the error messages were gone. This is not a hardware issue. The Tesla agent said there would be a software fix for this in the next OTA update...the one coming this week I believe.
 
#46 ·
Yesterday, at home, I plugged the charging cable into my M3 and the indicator light next to the port turned red. I pressed the button and remove the handle but it won't unlock so I couldn't pull it out. So I did a warm reboot and no luck and a cold reboot that didn't work either. Went on line and found that there's a way to release the charging handle lock by physically pulling a small cable inside the trunk located behind the charging port. So I tried it again and still no joy so I called Tesla support. (I always find them friendly and helpful.) The tech had me do a warm reboot and cold reboot again and still no luck. So he had me do a cold reboot while pressing the brake pedal and then waiting 3 minutes to start up again and still no luck. So he transferred me to another tech who advised the M3 does have a firmware bug regarding this issue and the only thing left to do is let the car just sit for two hours and it will go away. Yikes! So I left it alone over night and sure enough this morning it was fine. So I guess they're working a fix. Glad it happened at home. It was very off putting because what if happens at a remote charging location. You can drive the car with this condition but you better have some juice in the tank or you have to wait it out. BTW I've never had this issue with my Model S.
 
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