Can't remove charging unit - Resolved

The same thing happened to me this weekend. I posted the whole story here:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=18050&p=390309#p390309" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The car had to be dragged onto a flat bed truck as it would not go into neutral.

The dealer said he thought he remembered a service bulletin on it.

I just got my car back today, after four days. The Nissan dealer, the one I bought it from, didn't even bother to charge my car. I plugged in and had to wait another hour just to have enough miles to make it home.

They replaced my EVSE charger with a newer version, that has a redesigned latching mechanism. It has a different part number than the original one that came with my 2013 Leaf.

My advice to everyone is to contact their dealer and insist on a replacement. At any minute, this could happen to you. Nissan knows these defective units are out there, and they are just a ticking time bomb.

Just had this happen to a colleague of mine who has a 2013 as well. Makes me a little nervous about my cable since I got my Leaf around the same time. I always use my 240V EVSE at home but I definitely don't want to get stuck out if I charge at a friend's house... Here's his story:

Yesterday I had some trouble with my Leaf. I trickle charge my Leaf at home with the charger that came with the car, and when I went to it yesterday morning I could not get the charger cable off the car. I tried the emergency release but that did not work so I called Poughkeepsie Nissan. He tried to walk me through getting that cable off but was unsuccessful. I called for roadside assistance, and a flatbed arrived to my house about an hour later. He tried also but couldn't get the cable off. With that cable still attached the car would not shift into neutral, so he dragged the Leaf onto the flatbed. When we arrived at the dealership he could not get the Leaf off the flatbed so a tech came out, and released it somehow. The found out that the charge cable was bad, and ordered me a new one so I am still using the car but charging it at the Nissan dealership

I'm having the same problem that others have described: the charger for my 2013 Leaf can't be removed. I followed the directions in the owner's manual (page CH-20) without success.
The release button on the charge is stuck in the down position - I suspect that I may have the problem others mention of a broken piece of plastic inside the charger handle .

Any solutions?
Does Nissan pay for towing and repairs in situations like this?

EssDee said:

I'm having the same problem that others have described: the charger for my 2013 Leaf can't be removed. I followed the directions in the owner's manual (page CH-20) without success.
The release button on the charge is stuck in the down position - I suspect that I may have the problem others mention of a broken piece of plastic inside the charger handle .

Any solutions?
Does Nissan pay for towing and repairs in situations like this?

Click to expand...

Use a small screwdriver or similar item to pry up the end of the latch on the J1772 connector (handle of charging unit). If it is the Nissan 120-volt unit included with the car, it is covered by the 5-year, 60,000-mile powertrain and EV system warranty so try not to damage it and take it to your dealer for repair/replacement. If it is the 120-volt unit, towing or roadside service might be covered--call the EV Support phone number to find out and arrange towing.

Hi--

I've got a version of this problem, and it's a doozy.

We have a two-week-old Siemens Versicharger, hard-wired to our garage. Used it about 9 times, successfully. On Thursday, the Versicharger wand stuck. The trigger is completely frozen--no movement. We have tried both the dashboard lock toggle button and the key fob unlock button--you can hear, feel and see a mechanism moving, but nothing changes with the charger/EVSE connection.

If this helps, my husband noted that the EVSE had a red (error) halo (operations indicator light), so he followed the steps to resolve it, and turned the breaker on and off, a couple of times. Now, we assume b/c the wand remains connected, it keeps trying to charge. Even when the battery is full, it maintains a steady green halo (which shouldn't be on if it's finished).

We have talked to the dealer, who passed us on to Nissan corporate, who says it absolutely has to be the Siemens unit. So we have spent some quality time with the Siemens rep, gone over everything he can think of. Now he has even suggested having an electrician come out and disconnect the hose, drive to the dealer and...I don't know, disassemble the entire front end to remove the charger?

The Siemens rep has been pretty reasonable, btw, this isn't meant as a complaint about them so far.

Our next step is to call the dealer/corporate again and see how doable that is and what they can do and how many $$$ this will cost us, warranty or no warranty.

So my question to y'all is: has anyone encountered this type of experience, can you offer any kind of advice? I'd be grateful for insights.

Thanks in advance.

I've never done it before, but it shouldn't be too hard to unbolt the screws that hold the charging port to the bezel. You should then be able to disconnect this part:



And then pull it through the front of the car with the J1772 handle still attached to the charging port.

Once removed from the car, it would be a lot easier to work on. I would guess that you'll end up having to purchase a new charging port:

https://goo.gl/oH9ozx

You haven't mentioned what year your Leaf is, so you may need to search that same site for the right part for your model year.

I would think that a dealer will charge thousands $$$ to fix this, but it shouldn't be that hard to do yourself

Thank you for responding!

I thought I had specified that it’s a 2017 (2.5 months old, leased). Sorry. Since both car and charger are brand new and under warranty, it is unlikely we will do anything lest we void the warranty, but I definitely wanted to know if it’s been encountered before, ‘cause it seems like a unicorn issue. Knowledge is good to have before dealing w/corporate.

It's highly unlikely that Nissan are going to cover this issue under the warranty, unless you can somehow prove it wasn't the EVSE at fault.

FYI, Nissan can't force you to get the work done at a Nissan dealership - you have the freedom to get the work done whether you wish. Having said that, you do need to document whatever work is done as otherwise, down the road, Nissan could claim that "maintenance" wasn't done as expected. So, DIY is pretty much a non-starter if you don't want to risk voiding the warranty...

Are you certain that the plug is effectively welded to the charging port pins? It might just be the connector lock that's stuck...

I would follow the steps on page CH-20 (page 69 of this PDF) of the 2017 Owner's Manual, to see if the charge connector lock is engaged:

https://www.nissan.ca/content/dam/nissan/ca/owners/manuals/LEAF/2017-Nissan-LEAF.pdf

If it's the connector lock that's the root cause, that procedure should unlock it. Definitely worth trying.

We've tried the screwdriver maneuver, no effect.

Are you certain that the plug is effectively welded to the charging port pins? It might just be the connector lock that's stuck...

Click to expand...

What we know is that the trigger of the EVSE wand does not depress--when you try to depress it, there is 0% movement, as if (and I understand that this might actually be what is wrong) there is something wedged underneath the internal trigger mechanism keeping it from moving. I've asked our contact at Siemens for diagrams of the interior of the wand and the point where it attaches within the car, to look and see what might have logically slipped/broken/etc. Probs won't hear back from him until Monday, though.

ReisheJ said:

We have talked to the dealer, who passed us on to Nissan corporate, who says it absolutely has to be the Siemens unit. So we have spent some quality time with the Siemens rep, gone over everything he can think of. Now he has even suggested having an electrician come out and disconnect the hose, drive to the dealer and...I don't know, disassemble the entire front end to remove the charger?

The Siemens rep has been pretty reasonable, btw, this isn't meant as a complaint about them so far.

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

Seems that Siemens would be very interesting in resolving this issue - why would they NOT send their own "electrician" that knows the details of the connector design so that it can safely be disassembled, disconnected and forensics on the problem. It sounds like the unit may still be "live" with voltage - be very careful! Will the Leaf actually drive???

I have a 2012, which may not have all the "bells and whistles" on the connector - simply a mechanical lock that is directly activated by the thumb lever - that has been known to break - which allows the "screwdriver" approach. Please let us know your final resolution!

I am not certain when it started, but my 2015 has a switch on the dash that controls a solenoid which moves a plunger over the lower end of the J1772 handle latch. This effectively locks the J1772 connector to the car. It also has an electric latch on the charge port door which is controlled by a switch on the dash and a button on the key fob. My 2011 did not have the J1772 lock solenoid and had a cable-operated latch for the charge port door.

I have never used the J1772 lock so I experimented with it tonight. The J1772 handle release lever will move a little, but not enough to unplug the connector when the lock is engaged. I can also see the white plastic plunger move in and out when the switch is operated.

Reishej,
Since you say the latch on the Siemens J1772 plug is completely jammed and does not move at all, I believe the problem is in the handle and not with the electric lock on the car. I suggest you make sure the lock switch is in the center off position with no lights on (not in auto or lock). Then take photos or video to show that the release handle will not move at all. Next, use a screwdriver or other tools to bend or break the lower end of the release handle so that the J1772 connector can be unplugged. Check for damage to the port on the car before attempting to charge. Save all of the broken pieces to show Siemens for warranty replacement or repair.

I am not certain when it started, but my 2015 has a switch on the dash that controls a solenoid which moves a plunger over the lower end of the J1772 handle latch. This effectively locks the J1772 connector to the car. It also has an electric latch on the charge port door which is controlled by a switch on the dash and a button on the key fob. My 2011 did not have the J1772 lock solenoid and had a cable-operated latch for the charge port door.

Click to expand...

The change was one of the updates for 2013.

Thank you everyone so far for responding--I really appreciate all of the input!

We were aware of the electronic lock option on the Leaf--the electronic lock was not on when I plugged in, but just to cover all of the bases we have cycled through the lock/unlock button several times, as well as the charger unlock button on the key fob. When we try UNLOCK from either the button or the key fob, you can hear the mechanism moving, as well as see movement from a piece that's visible through a cutout at the base of the area normally covered by the charging port.

We have tried both screwdriver maneuvers--the one described in the manual, turning a specific screw clockwise, and wedging a screwdriver to try to budge the locking mechanism--well, when I say tried, I mean that my husband wasn't able to fit a screwdriver into the very, very narrow space, and a jeweler's screwdriver didn't seem to connect with anything (maybe too short?). It's possible we just haven't found the right object to use as a tool; we will cast about to see if we can find something the right size and shape. Would a popsicle stick work? I have craft sticks that are longer and wider than actual popsicle sticks. Is there somewhere online I can find some sort of diagram or picture of the clip we're fishing for and where it is located?

I agree that Siemens should be very interested in figuring out what's going on; while I doubt they will send a tech from the Carolinas to NY to investigate personally, it would be nifty if they would contract someone to sort this out, but I'm not holding my breath. The representative we have been dealing with seems motivated to help, and I've sent him additional pictures and questions and believe he will continue to work with us.

It is not the latch on the car that you need to pry up or break. It is the end of the "trigger" handle latch on the J1772 plug that is holding it. You should be able to insert a screwdriver under the "trigger" latch from the side. Look at the J1772 plug on the 120-volt Nissan unit (in the bag in the luggage area) to get a better idea of how the latch on the plug works. The "trigger" is metal on some plugs and plastic on others, but all of the ones I have ever used were basically the same shape and functioned the same.

If you cannot bend or break the "trigger" latch, I suppose you could make certain that the power is turned off to the Siemens unit and then start breaking the plug until you can remove it from the car. Be very careful not to damage the receptacle in the car. Be aware that most of the cost of the charging unit is in the cable and J1772 plug. You could also open the unit and disconnect the cable (or disconnect the whole unit and remove it from the wall). Then you could take the car to the dealer and let them remove the plug. Since that will probably not be warranty work as far as Nissan is concerned, you could try to get reimbursement from Siemens. I don't know if the car will go into "Ready" mode to be drivable with the plug (that is not energized) in place. The car will definitely not go into Ready mode while a properly functioning charging unit is connected (even if not actually charging).

Edited to add: I turned off the breaker and verified that my AeroVironment EVSE was completely powered off. I then tried starting my 2015 LEAF this morning. I saw the green plugged in symbol when I opened the door and the car would not go into Ready mode. Even though the EVSE had no power, the car still sensed the presence of the plug. Therefore, your car will probably need to be towed to the dealer unless you can remove the J1772 plug.

Good news: A good friend of ours who works with cars came over and took off the big plastic panel over the front part of the area over the hood and then the small plastic cover over the top of the charge port assembly, and pressed the latch up and freed it. Our car is no longer tethered to our house.

The trigger on the Versicharger wand, meanwhile, is still frozen. Needless to say, we will be requesting a replacement tomorrow. Given the holidays, I'm guessing we're looking at at least a week. Luckily we have another car and don't drive long distances.

Thank you to everyone who has offered insight, and while I hope no one ever has to go through this, if someone does, I hope this discussion is helpful to them in solving their problem with limited tears.

Edited to add: The Siemens rep emailed midday to say that he was conferring with their engineers to decide how to proceed. Which has me a little nervous. Are they envisioning a scenario where I would keep the present equipment? I don't know how one would go about fixing the piece in question, nor would I trust it. Sigh.

For me it turned out to be the button right beside the charge port opener was accidentally moved to “Lock” and all I had to do was flip it to Auto.