Bent charge port pin - “fixed” and working now — safe to leave as is or should I replace?

[sammy5001]

The bottom left small pin on my charge port was pretty seriously bent and thus can’t charge. I managed to fix it using a needle plier to get it somewhat straight again. I have been able to charge using SC and L2 for a couple days now, although for w/e reason it takes extra force to get the charger fully plugged in (otherwise I get lowed charging amps).

After a couple days it now appears that the pin is more or less perfectly straight again — and pretty hard to tell that it was ever bent in the first place.

Question: Is it wise/safe to just leave it as-is and keep driving or get it replaced?

I have an appointment with Tesla service for this (pretty far out…) but they won’t tell me whether it’s covered under warranty or not until I show up… The thing is that I’m pretty certain this was caused by SC. As you all know, the SC V3 cables are super short and when plugged into the CT it’s always on tight tension. I believe it’s this tension that cause the pin to be twisted in the first place. And then the next time I try to plug in, the SC plug would squish the pin causing it to be bent. So a combination of (1) bad design and (2) user error I suppose.

Question: anyone else had experience replacing the charge port out of pocket and how much it costed?

Question: Anyone have solutions to this short SC charge cable problem? I tried searching online for extension cables but (1) they’re generally limited to 50A and (2) it appears they’re not recommended for safety reasons. The only alternate solution that I can think of is to put the CT on extraction mode, making a couple inches taller, and thus a bit closer to the SC charge cable — not sure how much this will actually help but will test out next time.

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[HaulingAss]

I've charged at numerous Superchargers in my Cybertruck in 4 states and the only time I noticed excessive tension on the charging port was when I didn't park close enough to where the charge cable exits the pedestal (I moved the truck closer). No, you don't have to adjust the suspension higher, that's not going to make nearly as much difference as good positioning. There is no question that you need a new charge port, Tesla could good will the cost, or they might charge you, it would be at their discretion since this doesn't appear to be a manufacturing defect, at least not to my sensibilities. The cost of a new charge port is low enough that it wouldn't be worth fighting over who pays for it.

In the future I recommend resisting the temptation to plug it in after you realized you didn't park close enough for it to reach without excessive strain. As you back up, use the rear camera to position yourself, not only fore/aft but also left/right (in relation to where the cable exits the Supercharger). Some locations have less room for error, but I've never found one that couldn't easily be plugged in without strain.

 

[mongo]

The bottom left small pin on my charge port was pretty seriously bent and thus can’t charge. I managed to fix it using a needle plier to get it somewhat straight again. I have been able to charge using SC and L2 for a couple days now, although for w/e reason it takes extra force to get the charger fully plugged in (otherwise I get lowed charging amps).

After a couple days it now appears that the pin is more or less perfectly straight again — and pretty hard to tell that it was ever bent in the first place.

Question: Is it wise/safe to just leave it as-is and keep driving or get it replaced?

I have an appointment with Tesla service for this (pretty far out…) but they won’t tell me whether it’s covered under warranty or not until I show up… The thing is that I’m pretty certain this was caused by SC. As you all know, the SC V3 cables are super short and when plugged into the CT it’s always on tight tension. I believe it’s this tension that cause the pin to be twisted in the first place. And then the next time I try to plug in, the SC plug would squish the pin causing it to be bent. So a combination of (1) bad design and (2) user error I suppose.

Question: anyone else had experience replacing the charge port out of pocket and how much it costed?

Question: Anyone have solutions to this short SC charge cable problem? I tried searching online for extension cables but (1) they’re generally limited to 50A and (2) it appears they’re not recommended for safety reasons. The only alternate solution that I can think of is to put the CT on extraction mode, making a couple inches taller, and thus a bit closer to the SC charge cable — not sure how much this will actually help but will test out next time.

It may have been pushed further into the housing resulting it in being shorter than normal which results in less forgiveness when it comes to alignment.
I'd recommend getting it replaced to prevent future issues with or damage to Supercharger Chargers.

 

[REM]

I had the same thing happen to my Model 3; turned out the level 3 charger that a friend of mine used was damaged and they didn't notice. Upon plugging in, it bent the pin. Luckily, I believe those smaller pins are only used for communications, so there is very little current running through them.

We got the pin bent back into place, and after a few thermal cycles it seems to have corrected itself. I would advise the Service Center that it was a supercharger that caused the issue, and ask them to check to see if this is indeed a warranty item. I don't think you have any hazards on your hand, but if you are still having a little trouble inserting the charge handle, then it's definitely something that needs to be fixed.

As for the extension cables: absolutely not. they are extremely dangerous, and should be outright banned for sale and usage. They are made in mystery Chinese locations, and have no certifications whatsoever. Furthermore, they interfere with safety mechanisms built into the Superchargers. Do not use them; don't care how many times other people have successfully used them before.

If Tesla comes out with an extension, then I'll change my mind on it.

 

[CyberGus]

The good news is that pin is for data, not power, so it's not really a safety issue. But after being bent, it will most likely fail when you are at 5% and 500 miles from home lol. Replacing it now buys you peace of mind.

I believe the part is relatively expensive because the assembly includes long buss bars directly to the pack.

Charge Port - BUSBar Chargeport Assembly (Remove and Replace)

 

[mongo]

The good news is that pin is for data, not power, so it's not really a safety issue. But after being bent, it will most likely fail when you are at 5% and 500 miles from home lol. Replacing it now buys you peace of mind.

I believe the part is relatively expensive because the assembly includes long buss bars directly to the pack.

Charge Port - BUSBar Chargeport Assembly (Remove and Replace)

And the possibility it breaks off in the charge handle disabling that post...

 

[CT Owner Vito]

The bottom left small pin on my charge port was pretty seriously bent and thus can’t charge. I managed to fix it using a needle plier to get it somewhat straight again. I have been able to charge using SC and L2 for a couple days now, although for w/e reason it takes extra force to get the charger fully plugged in (otherwise I get lowed charging amps).

After a couple days it now appears that the pin is more or less perfectly straight again — and pretty hard to tell that it was ever bent in the first place.

Question: Is it wise/safe to just leave it as-is and keep driving or get it replaced?

I have an appointment with Tesla service for this (pretty far out…) but they won’t tell me whether it’s covered under warranty or not until I show up… The thing is that I’m pretty certain this was caused by SC. As you all know, the SC V3 cables are super short and when plugged into the CT it’s always on tight tension. I believe it’s this tension that cause the pin to be twisted in the first place. And then the next time I try to plug in, the SC plug would squish the pin causing it to be bent. So a combination of (1) bad design and (2) user error I suppose.

Question: anyone else had experience replacing the charge port out of pocket and how much it costed?

Question: Anyone have solutions to this short SC charge cable problem? I tried searching online for extension cables but (1) they’re generally limited to 50A and (2) it appears they’re not recommended for safety reasons. The only alternate solution that I can think of is to put the CT on extraction mode, making a couple inches taller, and thus a bit closer to the SC charge cable — not sure how much this will actually help but will test out next time.

I actually back all the way in. Until my rear tires hit the curb stop. The rear of the Beast is way past the Pedestal, but the charge port is almost exactly in line with its cable.
Of course, there are a few sites where the pedestals are not quite spaced far enough apart to fit between. On those sites, I try to take the last spot (if available), and follow the above guidelines. Haven’t had any issues and I drive all over the Eastern States- NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, & VA, regularly.

 

[Korben Dallas]

I had the same thing happen to my Model 3; turned out the level 3 charger that a friend of mine used was damaged and they didn't notice. Upon plugging in, it bent the pin. Luckily, I believe those smaller pins are only used for communications, so there is very little current running through them.

We got the pin bent back into place, and after a few thermal cycles it seems to have corrected itself. I would advise the Service Center that it was a supercharger that caused the issue, and ask them to check to see if this is indeed a warranty item. I don't think you have any hazards on your hand, but if you are still having a little trouble inserting the charge handle, then it's definitely something that needs to be fixed.

As for the extension cables: absolutely not. they are extremely dangerous, and should be outright banned for sale and usage. They are made in mystery Chinese locations, and have no certifications whatsoever. Furthermore, they interfere with safety mechanisms built into the Superchargers. Do not use them; don't care how many times other people have successfully used them before.

If Tesla comes out with an extension, then I'll change my mind on it.

I wholeheartedly agree those extension ’cords’ should never be used at a SC, any reputable company like Lectron should include a clear notification that it should never be used for that purpose. The primary reason being that their cable would probably melt due to the current being pushed by the SC & create a significant fire danger.

That said, I have been using a Lectron 20’ extension cable at home for going on 2 years now without incident, charging both my Cybertruck & my MYP when connected to a Tesla UWC.

 

[sammy5001]

The good news is that pin is for data, not power, so it's not really a safety issue. But after being bent, it will most likely fail when you are at 5% and 500 miles from home lol. Replacing it now buys you peace of mind.

I believe the part is relatively expensive because the assembly includes long buss bars directly to the pack.

Charge Port - BUSBar Chargeport Assembly (Remove and Replace)

Nice. Good to know this is only for data and only this piece needs to be replaced and not the entire charge port. Let’s see what Tesla service quotes me on this.

 

[disisisaaco]

Nice. Good to know this is only for data and only this piece needs to be replaced and not the entire charge port. Let’s see what Tesla service quotes me on this.

@sammy5001 did you ever get this fixed? This actually happened to me over the weekend and I was able to use a pair of pliers to straighten out the bottom-right pin. Charging fine so far. This happened because of a damaged destination charger. I took it to Tesla and they said it wasn't covered under warranty and quoted me $600.00. Can I ask who told you only that piece needs to be replaced? Tesla told me they would need to replace the entire thing.

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