2016 e-Golf won't charge - shows Red LED

[Jhumroo]

My e-Golf won't charge. I've had this car for almost 5-years and had no issues with charging until a couple days ago when I last charged it with a 240V Level 2 charger. Now when I plug the charger in, it tries to establish a connection a few times, fails and shows a Red LED.

I also tried my old 110V Level 1 charger with the same result. Looks like the charging pin lock won't stay engaged. When I plug the charger, the pin comes out, goes back in, comes out, back in, and after a few times the Red light comes on.

I found there was a Technical Bulletin out about the charging port. But VW said they would still charge a $195 diagnostic fee and the fix may not be covered under warranty.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10155778-9999.pdf

Also found this video to change the actuator, but I'm not brave enough to attempt this on my own.


The car does not have much charge left so I'm hesitant to drive it far for a fix.

Anyone else experience this and have any recommendation?

 

[f1geek]

I see the charge port as part of the high voltage battery system, which I think is warrantied for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Looks like a tough job for someone with little experience doing this work. Best of luck. Please let us know what fixes the issue.

Based on the TSB, it looks like the pin needs to move a bit further out to lock. Might you be able to use a pair of pliers to pull the locking pin a few extra mm out of its socket?

 

[DannyEgolf]

I think i responded on fb or reddit. I'm thinking the pin going in and out it's working
like it's supposed to, as a consequence of instructions. it's not charging for some other reason.
That's just my guess.

 

[DevinDahlgren]

I have a 2015 e-Golf and have had many battles with it charging. One battle was the pin not coming out, preventing the car from charging. I saw that bulletin and it was helpful for me to resolve that battle. But based on what you're saying, the pin doesn't seem to be your issue. Another one of my battles was the 110 charger I was using. It was the one that came with the car. It behaved as if it was working, but it turned out to be faulty. I learned this when I borrowed a charger from a friend, and the car started to charge as soon as I plugged theirs in. Although, you've tried two different chargers and are experiencing the same issue. Such a frustrating situation to be in. I feel your pain. Another weird thing I noticed at my place was I had my 110 charger plugged into an outdoor GFCI outlet. If I'd reset the outlet, that would work, and the car would charge. I think this had something to do with the relationship between the failing charger and the outlet, not the car. If the charger has no proper ground, it won't charge the car. I wish I could offer more. Good luck getting this resolved.

 

[f1geek]

while unlikely, maybe both of your stations are faulty. Can you borrow a third to try out?

What errors are showing up when you use OBDEleven?

 

[Jhumroo]

while unlikely, maybe both of your stations are faulty. Can you borrow a third to try out?

What errors are showing up when you use OBDEleven?

I'm planning to try the charger at the dealership next. Haven't checked via ODB11

 

[Jhumroo]

Dealership replaced the "Charge Pin Actuator" to fix the issue and charged almost $1700, since the car is out of warranty.

 

[RecoverE]

Original 2015 EGolf owner with 70k miles. All of my charging issues, including one as described above, have been successfully resolved by spraying locking pin periodically with silicone spray. You may want to try some lubricant.

 

[DannyEgolf]

$1700.. damn. i saw that repair done on youtube and I don't think it shoudl cost that much.

I would call around to a few other dealers service dept and ask them how much they charge for that repair.. and if it's a lot less, call VW to complain. Keep us updated.

 

[jillianvanliew]

Dealership replaced the "Charge Pin Actuator" to fix the issue and charged almost $1700, since the car is out of warranty.

HOLY SH*T! I would have tried shopping around for different pricing for that repair. Knowing that it has to do with the high-voltage system, they probably hiked that price through the roof!

 

[amart865]

Using a silicone lube spray on the pin solved the issue for me. You may have to do it several times.

 

[Bily95]

Using a silicone lube spray on the pin solved the issue for me. You may have to do it several times.

hi, how did you put the silicone spray on the pin ? did you put the spray directly on the pin when it was out ? what brand of silicone spray did you use ?

 

[Robwb]

Has anyone had their “charge pin actuator” replaced under warranty? Mine has started to act up. My car is a 2019, bought in March of 2020, and has about 40k miles on it. The high voltage system appears to be under warranty still, so I’m assuming it would be fixed on VWs tab if it falls under that warranty.