Level 1 Charger stuck stuck stuck!

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Konan the Explorer

Well-Known Member
Had to use the Kona EV 2019 included level 1 charger for a few days as our garage was tied up with some renos. This morning we went to use the car and the charger WILL NOT release, it is refusing to budge. The black button will not depress no matter whether we use the unlock door button , the key fob or the emergency release cable.

If you use the unlock method to release you can hear it trying and then resetting after the normal 15 second time out, same with the release cable, pull the cable feel some resistance and then 15 seconds later you can hear it reset. I have tried setting the charge level lower and letting it get to desired charge level so that it sees it as full charge requested and no change. Charger is charging fine, so it seems to be sending data back and forth.

I would think that the plastic latch on the charge handle was jammed except I can move the handle around and it seems free both side to side and top to bottom as well as I can push it in and out about 1/8". Doesn't seems jammed, but the charger handle black button is unable to move

I would note that the emergency release seems to only do what the fob does and pulls the lock pin solenoid not a cable over ride of a mechanical piece, its more of an alternate electronic switch.

Feel free to add ideas or correct me on functions if you know anything that may help to prevent a tow to dealer

Thanks!
 
You've probably already been there, but Wikipedia's J1772 page says [I added underline], "In addition, the charge port on many modern cars with a J1772 connector have an extendable pin that blocks the J1772 latch from being raised. By extending this pin, it becomes impossible to raise the release latch. In this way, the vehicle can prevent a plugged-in J1772 connector from being removed. This is essential for the CCS implementation where the connector is not designed to break the heavy DC charging current."

I hope you can find a solution. Please let us know what happens. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the comment. Yes I would agree this is the issue. After some discussion with a friend who also has a Kona and comparing notes we are pretty sure the the white lockout pin you describe is stuck in place. I had always made an assumption that the emergency bypass was a mechanical cable to pull on the pin and remove it but I think now that it is just another way of controlling the pin solenoid electrically and not physically moving the pin. I will post the solution but for now it looks like its going to be a tow to the dealer, :(
 
KiwiME said:
It doesn't seem logical that a mechanical pull knob would not actually lift the pin. Pull 'harder'!
Click to expand...
I've had to use the emergency release cable on a couple of occasions and it felt as though it was an entirely mechanical process. However, it does involve a surprising long pull so perhaps KiwiME's 'harder' could be interpreted as 'further'!
 
I have almost pulled that knob inside out. What I have noticed is when the charger is plugged in and charging normally in level 1 or 2 if you wish to interrupt charging you hit the key fob and the charge handle button is able to be depressed within the 15 seconds and removed. Now with it stuck when you hit the fob or pull on the cable orange release you hear an action take place in behind the charge receptacle and then 15 seconds later it drops out and resets. If you pull on the cable it seems to be triggering a switch to release but then after 15 seconds the cable actually pulls back in.

My logic says that yes it should be mechanically connected, but for some reason that pin is jammed. and maybe come unconnected from the cable? so that all you get is the solenoid pulling back on the cable. Interestingly if you unplug the charger from AC wall end and pull the cable it feels like it is connected to nothing at all, like once data between car and charger ceases there is a different scenario.
 
If you watch this video of the emergency release cable operation



At the 2:20 mark you will see he pulls the release and then lets go of the knob and then he can pull the cord out of the receptacle, if he can let go of the release knob it seems like that all its doing is triggering a switch and not directly connected to the pin mechanically.
 
That's because the lock pin is 'bistable', the knob simply toggles it to the unlocked position. It doesn't have to hold it there.
Likewise, the control circuit has separate wires for lock and unlock.
 
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