Important Panasonic 120v charging adapter safety tip

An important safety tip for those who use the older Leaf's Panasonic-supplied 120v charging cord frequently: you may need to tighten the wiring screws in the plug to prevent future overheating and possible damage.

I noticed over time that the prongs on my 120v charging adapter plug felt warm to hot a few seconds after unplugging, following a 2-4 hour charge session. Lately the prongs have become hot enough that they were very uncomfortable to touch. I disassembled the plug and securely tightened the three wiring screws. Now the plug is just warm after charging.

I estimate I've used my 120v adapter about 500 times over the last 3.5 years. Thermal cycling thorough ordinary repeated use may have loosened the cord connection with the plug. If yours is similarly old, you might want to check the plug contacts for excessive heat after charging, and tighten the wiring screws if necessary.

If you mean that you have plugged in and unplugged the EVSE 500 times, then this is the main source of the problem. In a case where the EVSE has, for some reason, to be turned off, a heavy-duty switch for the outlet is a better way. If you have to keep taking it with you, you might want to look at an L-2 (or even L-1 if no 240 volts onsite) charging station.

I've used mine maybe 20 times total during last 3 years and had the same issue, seems like it is related to inadequate torquing at the factory or possibly a flaw in plug design.

I discovered mine was running warm using a heavy duty extension cord (which one should not do). I concluded it could have been the outlet that had the problems. Instead of dealing with the details of the problem, I replaced the outlet with a heavy duty 20 amp outlet (it was a 20 amp circuit), abandoned the extension cord, and went to charging from the 240 volt outlet - putting the 120 volt EVSE back in the car to have with me in emergency.

The 120 volt L1 EVSE that came with the car apparently has a temperature sensor in the plug, as it has instructions that tell of error indications when the plug gets too hot. If you do the EVSE Upgrade they remove that plug, so you lose that sensor, but you probably are much less likely to use it on a marginal 120 volt plug.

alanlarson said:

The 120 volt L1 EVSE that came with the car apparently has a temperature sensor in the plug, as it has instructions that tell of error indications when the plug gets too hot. If you do the EVSE Upgrade they remove that plug, so you lose that sensor, but you probably are much less likely to use it on a marginal 120 volt plug.

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I think the temp sensor is new for the '13+ Leaf L1 EVSEs.

Also, besides the entire design changing (brick included), the J1772 handle is different on my EVSE vs. that of an '11/'12, as is the 120 volt plug. On mine, I don't see any means of disassembling the plug to get to any wiring screws.

On mine, I don't see any means of disassembling the plug to get to any wiring screws.

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The OP may have been calling the outlet a "plug." That isn't really clear.

OP here: the problem is with the plug on the Panasonic 120VAC EVSE (charging adapter) supplied in the cargo bag with 2011-2012 Leafs. The wiring screws in the plug seem to get loose over time, leading to overheating. The plug in this older EVSE can be disassembled and fixed with a #2 philips screwdriver.

I have used my factory 120V EVSE about 500 times over 3.5 years plugging in to a 120v exterior outlet at work. My company will not install a level 2 station (note to self: get a job at Google or Apple), but I am thankful they installed a couple of 120V-20A outlets.

Both the 120V outlet and the EVSE are doing fine after the screw tightening in the EVSE.

It sounds like to EVSE supplied with 2013+ Leafs has a molded plug that can not be disassembled. Regardless, it's wise to check for excess heat on the EVSE's plug prongs once in a while, a few seconds after unplugging it.