Help! Charging door won't open!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bruce M.
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Just got back from the dealer. They got it open (I wasn't able to watch -- in the U.S. it's pretty standard that auto shops don't let customers in the shop area) and apparently the lock was malfunctioning. They're ordering a new one but say it will take a month or so to arrive, most likely. That, alas, is sometimes the drawback of living in Hawaii. So for a month or so I'll have a charger door that doesn't lock, but at least I can charge it.

They didn't charge me anything today. I trust that will continue.

The Kona Electric only recently became available here, and the dealer had one on the lot that I looked at while I was waiting. It had a bright green sign advertising "!,000 Discount" -- except when you read the fine print, that was actually $1,000 off the $2,850 dealer markup they'd added to the price. Car dealers are a piece of work.
 
electriceddy said:
Installing a manual port door disconnect should be a priority with any manufacture as this type of issue (whether that be electronic or mechanical failure) could in reality affect any EV without one.
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100% agree. This particular incident happened in fortunate circumstances: I was home, battery was about 50% charged, and I live about 8 miles from the local Hyundai dealer -- almost all of that distance downhill. In different circumstances I could easily have been left stranded. This is a no-brainer.
 
I've encountered the 'charging-door-wont-open' problem on a couple of occasions. The local Hyundai dealer appeared to be aware of the issue and replaced the actuator under warranty. The replacement actuator appears to have a little more travel than the original.
 
Bruce M. said:
Hmmm... well if I can get the charging door open (more accurately, when the dealer gets the door open), we'll see if dirt or something got in there. For now I'm stuck keeping my driving to a minimum till I can get to the dealer, hopefully Monday.
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I have had this problem four times now. We had the dealer "fix" it about a month ago and it happened again a few days ago.

I just took a credit card and slid it around and it opened. I did this three minutes ago and it worked easily.

But I'm pissed. I have calls in to the dealer (who gave me the instructions for releasing the actual charger and not the door; how could they not know this???) I tested it a bunch of times and it seems to be opening now.

I don't live in a cold climate; there was no dirt under the door. I cannot believe Hyundai doesn't do a recall on this. Really frustrating.

P.S. the "credit card" I used was a Trader Joes card; it has more give than a VISA, MC etc.
 
At long last my dealer finally has the part to do a proper fix (they say) -- for nearly 2 months now I've had a charging door that won't close properly because they'd ordered the wrong part the first time. I bring the car in tomorrow. I sure hope they can get it done this time, and that it stays fixed for more than a month.
 
At long last, the story ends -- I think -- but with one final glitch. I took my Kona in today, as scheduled, and they did complete the repair under warranty -- a good thing, because the part alone was about $750 -- but when I drove away, the car kept beeping at me that the charger door was open. I stopped and checked it and it seemed fine, but I opened it and closed it firmly to be sure and resumed my trip home -- and the charger door beeping resumed! Ugh! Back to the dealer, who spent another hour or so finally getting it right. All seems well now, but the service department at Big Island Motors is staffed by idiots.
 
On my way to the dealer now to pick up my Kona. I've had a loaner from the dealer for about TWO WEEKS while they "fix" the charging door. This is the second time I've taken in my car for this. And I'm hoping they've got it right now.

I feel as if they're acting surprised by the problem. HOWEVER, I just found a Technical Service Bulletin for the 2019 Kona Electric with the EXACT same problem! It's TSB #: 20-BD-002H and it's dated January 2020. The file is called MC-10172139-0001.pdf and you can find it easily in a Google search. I cannot believe there has been ample time to correct this problem and they have not. And it's a substantial problem!! I mean you can't charge the car...how are you supposed to drive. Ugh.

Here is the description of the TSB: Description: This bulletin describes the procedure to repair certain Kona Electric (OS EV) vehicles which may experience difficulty with opening the charging door.
 
Had this stuck door problem numerous times over the last 18 months of ownership. Never happens when at the dealer! None of the standard fixes have worked for me, only perseverance and thousands of lock/unlock operations.
However, this week I think I solved it.
Door hinge and lock plunger are perfectly clean. I don't believe that was ever the problem.

SOLUTION:
There's a tiny rubber bung in the end of the lock plunger.
Remove it.
Problem solved.

I think the issue, on my 2022 UK model, has been that the rubber bung, while pressed against the outer door, exerted a tiny bit of pressure on the plunger. This was enough to interfere with the lock actuator mechanism. Removing the bung relieved the pressure and the door opens every time now.

I tested this solution by locking/unlocking the plunger while pressing gently with a finger. Pressure = won't unlock; no pressure = unlock. This conclusion is also supported by the experience of those who have had their actuator replaced with a slightly more powerful or less worn unit.

Hope this helps someone.
 
cameronag said:
Had this stuck door problem numerous times over the last 18 months of ownership. Never happens when at the dealer! None of the standard fixes have worked for me, only perseverance and thousands of lock/unlock operations.
However, this week I think I solved it.
Door hinge and lock plunger are perfectly clean. I don't believe that was ever the problem.

SOLUTION:
There's a tiny rubber bung in the end of the lock plunger.
Remove it.
Problem solved.

I think the issue, on my 2022 UK model, has been that the rubber bung, while pressed against the outer door, exerted a tiny bit of pressure on the plunger. This was enough to interfere with the lock actuator mechanism. Removing the bung relieved the pressure and the door opens every time now.

I tested this solution by locking/unlocking the plunger while pressing gently with a finger. Pressure = won't unlock; no pressure = unlock. This conclusion is also supported by the experience of those who have had their actuator replaced with a slightly more powerful or less worn unit.

Hope this helps someone.
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Makes sense, thanks for that info:)
 
It’s an intriguing theory. You can see the item in question clearly in my photo from an earlier post, right in the centre.
I tried prying it out but it was resisting and I didn’t want to damage it. It certainly does rub (and rotate) against the cover and I can only assume it’s intended to keep it from rattling.
It’s small in diameter but I could see in principle how it could hinder rotation of the bolt if there was debris present.
...
I did a quick test with some similar plastic but the spring torque present while opening was always strong enough to overcome the rubber stiction. But I'm not having any issues either. A tiny dab of grease might be useful.

Anyway, thanks for bringing that up. It's always good to have that as a suggestion as the question comes up now and again on Ioniq/Kona and Niro forums.
upload_2024-3-16_12-10-13.webp
 
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I think the real problem is engineering/design. And... A lot of these doors work the same way with a rotating plunger that hooks into the latch. I'm still struggling with locking this at all, sorry it stills seems really stupid. Nobody can siphon my electricity, and if they want to tear off the door, that mickey-mouse latch is not going to stop anyone with a pry bar. This stuff is all ABS with other plastics that tend to warp/shift and such slightly over time, attached to a bumper cover made of soft plastic. I'd put a bet many of the problems are related to minor distortions of the materials creating pressure preventing the latch/lock from operating optimally. The service bulletin simply pads the assembly mount.
 
Bruce M. said:
Yes, like you I rarely let my battery go below 50% except on long drives when I can't avoid it. So I can do essential driving for a couple days, but the recreational drive I was going to do today got scrubbed. I didn't perceive any signs of trouble. I worked perfectly normally right through the last time I charged, which was probably 4 days ago. Then, this morning, it just wouldn't open.
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My experience exactly! No problems and then no possibility of charging. WTF?
 
Vicki Ayala said:
On my way to the dealer now to pick up my Kona. I've had a loaner from the dealer for about TWO WEEKS while they "fix" the charging door. This is the second time I've taken in my car for this. And I'm hoping they've got it right now.

I feel as if they're acting surprised by the problem. HOWEVER, I just found a Technical Service Bulletin for the 2019 Kona Electric with the EXACT same problem! It's TSB #: 20-BD-002H and it's dated January 2020. The file is called MC-10172139-0001.pdf and you can find it easily in a Google search. I cannot believe there has been ample time to correct this problem and they have not. And it's a substantial problem!! I mean you can't charge the car...how are you supposed to drive. Ugh.

Here is the description of the TSB: Description: This bulletin describes the procedure to repair certain Kona Electric (OS EV) vehicles which may experience difficulty with opening the charging door.
Click to expand...

What I'm really shocked about is that Hyundai hasn't issued a blanket Service Campaign to provide a permanent fix for this issue - I don't mean replacing the failing part, because as some report, it just happens again over time. But providing a FIX that will OPEN the darn door manually. A cable or something inside the front hood.
 
Tim94549 said:
What I'm really shocked about is that Hyundai hasn't issued a blanket Service Campaign to provide a permanent fix for this issue - I don't mean replacing the failing part, because as some report, it just happens again over time. But providing a FIX that will OPEN the darn door manually. A cable or something inside the front hood.
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Not sure if your joking but yes there is such a cable.
 
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