Charger door won't open

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KonaTom

KonaTom

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Went to charge today and couldn't get the charger flap to open. Tried everything I could think of, but it would not open. It's kept in a garage and the temperatures are mild anyway. Finally took it to the dealer, and they couldn't open it either, after trying different plastic probes, etc. Finally they said they would have to take off some of the front end to get at the back of the charger compartment, and that took an hour. They finally got it to work, they say, but have ordered a new switch. They said the switch has an electrical component that prevents it from opening in different situations, and they figured it was faulty.
I guess that is one of the weak points with this car, the charger door that leaks when it snows, and I guess it locks when the switch doesn't work.
 
I believe pretty much all cars have some kind of switch. Just thinking of the E-Tron and Porsche with their fancy slide down charge doors. They will have the same problem if "the switch" doesn't want to work.

They could have gone with a traditional cable, just like ice cars and the gas flap. But nowadays everything is electronic.
 
KonaTom said:
Went to charge today and couldn't get the charger flap to open. Tried everything I could think of, but it would not open. It's kept in a garage and the temperatures are mild anyway. Finally took it to the dealer, and they couldn't open it either, after trying different plastic probes, etc. Finally they said they would have to take off some of the front end to get at the back of the charger compartment, and that took an hour. They finally got it to work, they say, but have ordered a new switch. They said the switch has an electrical component that prevents it from opening in different situations, and they figured it was faulty.
I guess that is one of the weak points with this car, the charger door that leaks when it snows, and I guess it locks when the switch doesn't work.
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Good thing you had enough charge to get you there, could have involved a tow truck.
I wonder if the defective part is this:
https://www.hyundaipartsdeal.com/genuine/hyundai-push-opener-fuel-filler-dr~81560-g7001.html
 
I thought there was some sort of manual release for that door under the hood. My recollection is that there is an orange knob in there somewhere that you pull on or something along those lines. Did they try this?
 
ericy said:
I thought there was some sort of manual release for that door under the hood. My recollection is that there is an orange knob in there somewhere that you pull on or something along those lines. Did they try this?
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I believe the emergency knob only releases a stuck charging cable - meaning the door would off necessity already be open.
 
ericy said:
I thought there was some sort of manual release for that door under the hood. My recollection is that there is an orange knob in there somewhere that you pull on or something along those lines. Did they try this?
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Yeah I thought so too, but that release is for the charge cable if it won't release, not the door. I tried it.
 
electriceddy said:
Good thing you had enough charge to get you there, could have involved a tow truck.
I wonder if the defective part is this:
https://www.hyundaipartsdeal.com/genuine/hyundai-push-opener-fuel-filler-dr~81560-g7001.html
Click to expand...
I don't know. The dealer said that usually the problem is the customer doesn't put the covers back on the sockets after charging and the covers get caught in the door hinge, but that was not my case. I see the covers are sitting on my seat, so I guess they had to remove them too, hopefully they will reinstall them. They said the part should be in next week.
Good point about the charge state. If your car is as old as yours and mine (nearly two years), maybe it isn't a good idea to let the charge get too low before charging, because I think this will be an ongoing problem.
 
KonaTom said:
I don't know. The dealer said that usually the problem is the customer doesn't put the covers back on the sockets after charging and the covers get caught in the door hinge, but that was not my case. I see the covers are sitting on my seat, so I guess they had to remove them too, hopefully they will reinstall them. They said the part should be in next week.
Good point about the charge state. If your car is as old as yours and mine (nearly two years), maybe it isn't a good idea to let the charge get too low before charging, because I think this will be an ongoing problem.
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Kona electric should've had the charge port in the same spot as the ioniq,or move it to the side like the Bolt, Etron. The covers for the j1772,and CCS could've been better designed given the various regions the vehicle would live in.The Bolt's covers is actually good,and it's sealed. Saw a Leaf use part of an exercise band with a handle to make sure their door would open,wished I took the picture:p
Our early adopter stories will become the comdey for future EV generations...
 
This has been addressed a number of times. Most people who have driven the Kona in Winter snow and ice have complained about. One solution has been proposed by EVSyrup on YouTube. Here is the link:
 
ehatch said:
Kona electric should've had the charge port in the same spot as the ioniq,or move it to the side like the Bolt, Etron. The covers for the j1772,and CCS could've been better designed given the various regions the vehicle would live in.The Bolt's covers is actually good,and it's sealed. Saw a Leaf use part of an exercise band with a handle to make sure their door would open,wished I took the picture:p
Our early adopter stories will become the comdey for future EV generations...
Click to expand...
Both my Leafs I used ty wraps tied together attached to the mechanical linkage as a back up. I left a tab sticking out of the hood front gap barely noticeable and proved useful on several occasions when the actuator wouldn't release the door. The linkage is a lot more difficult to access on Kona EV as it is behind the charge port assy, but if more problems arise in this area, I will not hesitate to do something similar.
 
Looking at the docs it's clear that the port itself is not mechanically or electrically connected to the door assembly. Not unexpectedly, it appears that they procure the port as a standard assembly and the body designers provided the opening in the bumper to access and protect it. The port is attached to the front metalwork while the door is fitted to the inside of the urethane bumper.

The door assembly including the door, door-closed sensor, lock, timer override button, LED charge level indicator lights and the illuminated multi-color ring are all CAN controlled from what's effectively the body control module (IGPM). The port actuator is also hard-wired directly to that along with a sensor which I'm assuming detects the position of the plug lock actuator.

But more relevant to the thread, the issue with the door not opening that is addressed by the TSB relates to the fact that the door must be pushed in slightly to release the rather-cheap push-to-lock/push-to-release "ball-point pen" mechanism. The TSB provides for ensuring the clearance between the door opening and the port face (with caps installed) is sufficient. Perhaps the caps were an afterthought and took up some of the designed-in clearance?

The same issue appears when the gap between the door and its frame is filled with ice. The right fix from Hyundai is to either seal the door right to the edges, or preferably not use this type of mechanism. Of course they could move the port elsewhere but that would reduce convenience for everyone worldwide every time they charge.

upload_2020-12-11_16-19-33.webp upload_2020-12-11_16-28-32.webp
 
electriceddy said:
A bit of a change since I met with you at Superstore Nanaimo charger during that com error struggle:
https://insideevsforum.com/communit...ost-pics-of-your-kona.6276/page-6#post-113151
:)
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Congrats. I might consider something too, but not expecting that much of a trade-in value, at least at Duncan dealership. I'm planning on going to Nanaimo for future servicing.
BTW, have you noticed if your new Kona is quieter than the 2019. My wife has a 2019 but built in May that year, and I swear it is quieter than mine that was built in Dec. 2018.
 
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KiwiME said:
Looking at the docs it's clear that the port itself is not mechanically or electrically connected to the door assembly. Not unexpectedly, it appears that they procure the port as a standard assembly and the body designers provided the opening in the bumper to access and protect it. The port is attached to the front metalwork while the door is fitted to the inside of the urethane bumper.

The door assembly including the door, door-closed sensor, lock, timer override button, LED charge level indicator lights and the illuminated multi-color ring are all CAN controlled from what's effectively the body control module (IGPM). The port actuator is also hard-wired directly to that along with a sensor which I'm assuming detects the position of the plug lock actuator.

But more relevant to the thread, the issue with the door not opening that is addressed by the TSB relates to the fact that the door must be pushed in slightly to release the rather-cheap push-to-lock/push-to-release "ball-point pen" mechanism. The TSB provides for ensuring the clearance between the door opening and the port face (with caps installed) is sufficient. Perhaps the caps were an afterthought and took up some of the designed-in clearance?

The same issue appears when the gap between the door and its frame is filled with ice. The right fix from Hyundai is to either seal the door right to the edges, or preferably not use this type of mechanism. Of course they could move the port elsewhere but that would reduce convenience for everyone worldwide every time they charge.

View attachment 10197 View attachment 10198
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Thanks for the diagrams (that should help), it would be nice however to know the description the arrows are pointing to in the first illustration
 
KiwiME said:
Looking at the docs it's clear that the port itself is not mechanically or electrically connected to the door assembly. Not unexpectedly, it appears that they procure the port as a standard assembly and the body designers provided the opening in the bumper to access and protect it. The port is attached to the front metalwork while the door is fitted to the inside of the urethane bumper.
...
The same issue appears when the gap between the door and its frame is filled with ice. The right fix from Hyundai is to either seal the door right to the edges, or preferably not use this type of mechanism. Of course they could move the port elsewhere but that would reduce convenience for everyone worldwide every time they charge.
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Quite agree. I had this mechanism on the fuel door of my diesel Tiguan. Eventually it stuck and took quite a bit "encouragement" to get it open.
 
I'm getting my "switch" replaced next Tuesday as the part is in now. It is working right now, but I think they disconnected the electrical part, so it is just mechanical now.
 
I found the charging door only can open in 15s after I open the car door. This is not very clearly described in manual. The first day I owned the car I encountered this problem as well and I have to call dealer. Dealer told me use fob lock the car door then unlock then open the charging door less than 15s. Hope this is not your situation. Sometimes I don’t need this procedure and the charging door is openable. Not sure why but lock and unlock the car door indeed make the charging door openable.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
KonaTom said:
I'm getting my "switch" replaced next Tuesday as the part is in now. It is working right now, but I think they disconnected the electrical part, so it is just mechanical now.
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Sounds like a better way to go anyway, but I suppose someone inevitably will try to charge while the car is in run mode:oops:
 
electriceddy said:
Sounds like a better way to go anyway, but I suppose someone inevitably will try to charge while the car is in run mode:oops:
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HaHa. I wonder if I could disconnect the power to it myself. Don't see a lot of reason why it needs the extra protection of an electrical lock.
 
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