Just out of curiosity have you tried the supplied charging cable? Also I wonder if you’re able to remove the connector from the vehicle while charging? Possibly if it can’t fully lock the default is a very low charge rate in case the plug is removed?

 

I agree with PoRscheTek. I am going to make an educated guess that the car is sensing a high impedance connection in the charging system. Did you get a positive click when you plugged the cable into the charge port?

 

I just tried the supplied cable. It also gave me a fault.

Yes, I can pull it out during a charging session so it’s not locking properly. I think the clicking sounds are a failed attempt to get a good grasp on the plug.

 

Since I haven’t had my hands on an ID 4 I don’t know specifics but the Taycan is a pin that drops down to not allow the release tab to lift up. If it’s possible just make sure it’s not stuck. Also the Taycan has a emergency release that once pulled needs to be manually reset from inside. It sets faults and will not allow the charge socket to function. (They have 2) Visually inspect the best you can and just see if anything looks out of place. Other than that I think it’s a trip to the dealer.

 

You might need to revisit your dealer or maybe a different dealer with a better service department. Between this and the blank screen issue you keep seeing, it sounds like there is a gremlin somewhere.

 

Haha! Yep, I have a gremlin. Thankfully I’m a patient, optimistic guy.

 

Thanks, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to rip open that emergency access panel. It’s sort of sown shut, and you can tear it a bit to get access to the emergency cables you described. But maybe I need to wiggle something in there.

 

My ID4 has been at the dealer's since last Tuesday. Pretty much the same problem. Here was the sequence of events: I had charged the car from a level 2 Grizzl-E charger when I first brought it home -- no problem at all. Last Monday night, I again plugged the car in. After about a half hour, the Grizzl-E threw a fault and stopped charging. I rebooted the Grizzl-E by switching the breaker off and on; the fault light went out. I probably should have removed the charger from the socket before rebooting the charger, but I didn't. When I tried to remove it, it was locked. The manual was unhelpful but something I did eventually unlocked it. I decided not to leave the charger on overnight but, by the next morning, the Grizzl_E again showed a fault light, even thought there was no load and it was not plugged into the car. I called Grizzl-E; they are sending me a replacement. Meanwhile, I tried to charge the car with the supplied 110V EVSE. It worked for a few minutes, then dropped the charging voltage and started alternately flashing the red and green charger status light. The "Emergency Charging Only" message appeared in the cockpit. I called VW Customer Care; they made an appointment for me at a dealer and I took the car in. That was last Tuesday. It is now Saturday night and, although the dealer and VW Customer Care have called me almost daily, I do not know that they have made any progress.

 

I just dropped off the car at the dealer for service. Here’s a video showing what causes the fault: the pin doesn’t fully extend to lock the plug in place.

 

Should be an easy fix.

 

Had the same error on Saturday. When I plugged in again yesterday it didn't have the problem.

 

That’s fortunate. It’s been persistent and replicable on multiple EVSEs.

 

In about 2 weeks I have a follow-up with the service department at the dealership. I'll mention the problem to them, especially if I keep seeing it.

 

Update: the service department assessed it and found a solution after only 3 hours. I need to replace the actuator (whatever that is). The only problem is that the part is in Germany. I’ll find out tomorrow how long it will take to get here.

 

So thats a part of the socket on your car? Not something specific to to EVSE(s)? I wonder, did it break, fall out of alignment, or tolerance? Hmmm?

 

Were you still able to charge the car, even when you got the "Emergency Charging Only" error message?

 

I was able to charge it at 1kW. I left it plugged in for 11.5 hours last night. It added 11.5kW, as one would expect, which amounted to an estimated 47 miles (according to my ChargePoint app).

 

I wonder if the actuator was DOA and was missed as part of the pre-delivery inspection (error overlooked or dismissed when they charged it). I've heard the PDI list is very long and seems (like my nav issue), things are easy to miss as they build the routine.

 

Glad they got it fixed easy! Takes time to get parts from Germany. Usually 2 weeks for us.

 

I looked it up. The actuator is a motorized device that extends the rod to lock the plug into place. It’s part of the receptacle on the car, not the EVSE. You can see it trying to poke out in my video above. It’s not fixed yet, just diagnosed. They said they ordered the part with a code “red” or something, which is highest priority. It could be sent overnight or in a couple weeks. I will know for sure tomorrow.

 

I would hope that it is more like the overnight option.

I suppose there just isn't much in the way of parts inventory in the U.S. as of yet.

 

After I got my ID.4 this same thing happened to me a couple of times. I thought it was my Leviton EVSE. After those two times it has worked flawlessly. Also worked with multiple DCFC’s. I wonder if this is going to be the first recall as it seems they may have a lot of defective actuators. I am not going to the dealer as of now because it seems to be working fine but may if it happens again.

 

Just got the call from the service department. It will take a week to get the part shipped from Germany and processed through customs. Super annoying, but I’ve waited this long, I can wait a few more days! The loaner is a Jetta, which makes the ID4 a super-luxury car by comparison.

 

My loaner was a Jetta also. They were embarrassed that it was all they had at the time. Worked out well since we are in the market for our 16YO, who may or may not have had a test drive. 😉

 

They have a Tiguan also, but said that I would be happier in the Jetta. What do you think? Should I switch it up? I have never driven a Tiguan before.

 

Go for it. It would be an interesting comparison to an ID.4.

 

It is an interesting contrast with the UK site (speakev). There the dealers are slammed doing 2.1 software updates, so people who have trouble with newer cars (like ID.4) are having long waits.

 

Oh wow - that’s a perfect storm. Sounds awful! I’m taking it all in stride. The fact that I’m choosing between a Jetta and a Tiguan for a loaner is nothing compared to what they must be going through in the UK (on top of Brexit). That said, I hope VW does something nice for us early adopters down the road.

 

For those of you following my saga, the replacement part being shipped from Germany was promised in on 4/13. That got pushed to 4/14. Then we found out it got held up in Memphis during a storm. It still hasn’t arrived.

But guess what has arrived: the original car I had reserved. I should have waited instead of buying the canceled FE the dealer had on the lot. At least I can get my deposit back now. But it’s 11 days and counting with the brand new car still in the shop. 😢

At least VW is offering to give me some financial consideration for this horrible inconvenience. I don’t have it in writing yet, but I’m expecting something substantial.

 

but I’m expecting something substantial.

I hope by substantial you mean a month's payment because that's what it will likely be. Or a $100 dollar gift card, which is what they gave me after a similar situation.

 

Michael SD, If you do opt for a Tiguan loaner, and it would be a good comparison, do spring for 91/93 octane fuel. A friend was told by his salesman - "it will take 87 regular gas" but of course didn't finish the sentence with ".. but it will have far less than optimal performance as the turbo psi and engine timing will be retarded, among other things, as a low octane pre-detonation safeguard."

But mostly here's hoping your plug-lock solenoid shows up and gets installed very soon. And you certainly do deserve some consideration for your long wait and very positive attitude! 👍

 

I did switch to the Tiguan, and I’m much happier driving it than the Jetta. I haven’t filled up the gas tank yet, but I don’t think I’ll be paying for premium fuel only to return it, which I expect will be next week.

 

Did it fault every single time or were you able to get it to work sometimes? This was the thread I found after getting the same error that prompted me to start jiggling the handle until it latched. But now that I've gotten it to work at least once I have this suspicion that unless it fails every single time at the dealership they aren't going to do anything for me.

That combined with them keeping your car for two weeks even though it could have been charged with a DC charger makes me not want to waste my time going all the way down there.

 

Wouldn't Michael have still needed the plug-lock solenoid to properly latch for an EA DC fast charge plug as well?
Isn't that why the "unlock when charged" feature exists, as a courtesy to others waiting at same (as well as an L2 station)?

 

I'm not sure. I know that I was getting this error with our EVSE but not at the fast charge stations. I was eventually able to get it to charge the other night when I was helping troubleshoot in the other thread but I haven't tried since my wife got back from her trip. He did say he was able to charge 11kwh earlier in the thread so he was getting some charging somewhere along the line.

By not sure, I meant you are correct that in order to charge either AC or DC that locking pin needs to come out but what I don't know is whether it never came out or if it was intermittent.

 

Just throwing this out there but there could be slight dimensional differences between the locking latch on the handle between EVSE’s or fast chargers. Also if one was a bit loose it’s possible the handle could be canted in such a way that the locking pin comes out of its turtle shell, runs into an obstacle (the latch) and returns to its home, resulting in an error. I haven’t encountered this problem myself but I have shown a flashlight into the port while connecting/disconnecting and you can see the pin do its thing.