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Charging lock stuck locked (down) and couldn’t connect any chargers- don’t do this…

12K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  wscan  
#1 ·
I did the following so no charging connector could be connected to my Prime. Basically, don’t remove a charging plug if you haven’t unlocked the doors first, even if it is possible to do so if the black clip is broken off the charger plug that would normally prevent the plug to be removed. What happens is the metal piece that locks the charger in, was stuck down and wouldn’t go up when unlocking the car later. Here is what I did to cause this and what I had to do to fix it.

I went to a charging station and the black clip at the top of their plugs had been cut off. (The clip that makes it so the plug can’t be removed without first pressing the cars door unlock button bc that metal piece on the car that goes down to lock it in place). When I was done charging I pulled the plug out and didn’t realize I had forgotten to hit the unlock button first. Therefore the metal piece that locks the plug on, was still down in the lock position. Later I went to plug in somewhere else and bc the metal pin was in the down position, I couldn’t plug any plugs in. Locking and unlocking the car wouldn’t get the metal pin to go up. I was unable to charge my car there.

The only way I could figure out how to fix it was to drive back to the charging station with the plugs with the broken clips and slide it in one of those plugs with the black clip broken off. Then I can’t remember if I started charging or not, but I unlocked the doors and because a plug was inserted the metal pin did go up this time. I was then able to charge everywhere going forward.
 
#3 ·
There is an "emergency" charging cable lock release lever. It's in the Owners Manual, page 110, on how to manually “release” the charging cable lock. Read the owners manual. You will be able resolve simple issues like this.

FYI, “lock” for the charging cable: metal plunger is UP, not down. Down would mean the metal plunger is retracted and NOT extended to lock the cable. Just like your front door at home, the deadbolt is locked when the metal bolt is extended outward.
 
#4 ·
FYI, “lock” for the charging cable: metal plunger is UP, not down. Down would mean the metal plunger is retracted and NOT extended to lock the cable. Just like your front door at home, the deadbolt is locked when the metal bolt is extended outward.
Thanks for the tip on the emergency unlock.
About your comment where you say the metal piece is up for locked, not down. In my car the metal piece goes down, extends down, to lock the charger in, and goes up, or retracts upward, to unlock then charging plug.