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Brand new Model 3 with broken charge port

22K views 33 replies 18 participants last post by  MXLRP 
#1 ·
I am the proud new owner of a Model 3! This is quite an amazing car and I'm very surprised at how well it handles.
Unfortunately the car only lasted 3 days before the charging port broke and required me to drop it off at the service center. :(
 
#2 ·
I am the proud new owner of a Model 3! This is quite an amazing car and I'm very surprised at how well it handles.
Unfortunately the car only lasted 3 days before the charging port broke and required me to drop it off at the service center. :(
First, congrats and welcome to the club!:D Second, bummer the charge port broke after only a few days.

Could you clarify exactly what broke, e.g. plastic cracked? mechanical failure? There have been some issues with the charge ports so I'm curious what this one was.
 
#8 · (Edited)
A couple of weeks back, Nikki reported a charging anomaly and that I should contact the SC to have it serviced. I use a UMC on a 14-50 outlet. This was the first time I had a service issue since receiving the M3. I have over 3500 miles on Nikki. The car was behaving correctly and even charging. I called the service line and the attendant looked up the car logs and scheduled me for an appointment at the PA SC. I took it in and the Service Advisor went over a list of items they wanted to examine ( window water entry protection, ball joint examination and possible replacement, charge port cover water entry protection, charge port anomaly fix ). He said they needed a week to cover everything; this was on a Thursday afternoon. I pointed out that I was traveling the next week so would be unable to pick up Nikki until Tuesday a week out. That was fine. The SC then gave me a ride home. I figured I’d get the car in about 10 days. The next day at 3 PM the service advisor called me and said the car was ready for pickup. They sent a car to pick me up. The Service Advisor went over each item. The ball joints were fine and showed no signs of wear, a small adjustment for water entry protection was made, the charge port cover was replaced, The charge port was replaced and they gave me a new UMC. The car’s software was updated. To top it off, they had washed and cleaned the car interior. They emailed me a report. I could not have received better service. Best service experience ever. Tesla may not get everything perfect, but they have one very happy customer. The car just keeps getting better.
 
#9 ·
I received my Model 3 6 days ago. Today two thing occurred that have me a bit perturbed. The first is that I have an error message that the charge port door needs to be serviced and I should call Tesla.

Doing a bit of research it appears that this is common problem and it occurs very often after the cars goes through its first car wash. It has rained since I have owned the car every day.

The second is that the FRUNK will not open. I can hear the motor release, but the FRUNK stays flush with the body of the car and it is not possible to open.

I called Tesla service and they promised to have a mobile service tech call me , but after waiting all day, no call.

I hope the Model 3 is reliable. To have two issues in the first week is terrible reliability issues. To top it off, the service people don't call you back on a timely basis.
 
#10 ·
Welcome Mark5271. I'm sorry that you've not had such a great response from the service tech. I hope that the service for you improves soon. It is disappointing to have an expensive item that we know can perform superbly, have such a collection of silly defects. Why is it that we never seem to have time to do it right but always have time to do it over? I suspect it is the growing pains of a new automobile design on top of a new form of automobile. The sad part is that it is likely to be the trials and tribulations of mass replication of a new design along with the inevitable slow reveal of engineering decisions that don't quite work in the environment where the replicants landed. I'm sorry to say that I expect that this will be continuing for some time. The good news to me is that you own a software controlled car that can be improved while you are using it. On my front, it appears that Tesla was concerned about the charge port door on Nikki (my M3) too because they replaced it. Nikki has been through the local brush-less car wash multiple times and a couple of hand washings. I didn't notice any problems until I got the charging anomaly message. Nikki has been on a couple of 800 mile excursions and has performed absolutely reliably. I expect that your M3 will perform well too. And, it is a heck of a lot of fun watching people's reaction to the car.
 
#11 ·
What you say may be true, but considering the S has a charge port door and a FRUNK you would think they would be over these problems.

What is unacceptable to me as a new owner and a shareholder, is the lack of the return phone today,call as they promised. If they don’t honor a simple commitment, such as returning a phone call, Tesla is doomed. In addition when you pay over $60,000 for a car, you should not have two quality issues in the first 6 days with less than 300 miles on the car.
 
#12 ·
Well it is has been over 48 hours and I still have not received a phone call or a response to my charge port door service issue or the inability to open the FRUNK. One of the major problems I have is that the mobile charging equipment is in the FRUNK where the Tesla delivery team put it.

This is not acceptable quality performance of a product or service by ANY company.

Resolving the problem is one issue and a completely different issue is returning a phone call requesting service.
 
#13 ·
I finally had to call TESLA yesterday as they never returned my original phone call. This time it took over 40 minutes on the phone. The first person I spoke to put me on hold for over 10 minutes and another person came on and asked how he could help. I was put on hold for over 15 minutes and then transferred to another lady. I explained my problem with the charge port door and the FRUNK not opening and she put me on hold again. Finally she came on line and said she ordered the parts (obviously this is a common problem with TESLA model 3 leaving the plant) and that the part would be on back order for at least 10 days.

They will schedule a mobile service Tech after the parts come in.

I got a $60,000 plus piece of junk sitting in my garage. I wonder if TESLA will survive?
 
#14 ·
The second is that the FRUNK will not open. I can hear the motor release, but the FRUNK stays flush with the body of the car and it is not possible to open.
I bet it would open if you push down near the emblem with both palms when actuating the latch. When you hear the latch actuate, release pressure right away and it will probably pop open. Then you could get your Mobile Connector out. If so, the latch is too tight and could probably be adjusted by loosening the two small bolts that hold the latch mechanism in place, raising the latch mechanism slightly and retightening the two small bolts. If you adjust the latch too high it might leak water at highway speeds in a good rain.

The latch cover can be removed by lifting straight up from the lower edge.

note: I haven't actually tried adjusting the latch so if you're not comfortable with it you could just let Tesla take care of it. It's probably a super easy fix.
 
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#15 ·
Thank you. I gave this a try and I could not get the FRUNK to open. Tesla will have to take care of the problem.

It was a bit funny when I called them and described the problem on both the charge part door and FRUNK. The Tesla employee stated that these were common problems, the parts would be ordered, but it would take 10 or more business days to get the parts. They are currently on back order.

The techs that have to fix the problem will also be on “backorder” once the parts arrive. We will see how long this takes to fix.
 
#16 ·
Well it has been three weeks and my FRUNK and Charging part door have not been repaired. I called Tesla yesterday (they never called me to give an update} and they told me that they were still waiting on parts for both the charge port door and FRUNK.. (My portable charger has been locked in the FRUNK since I got the car one month ago.) and they have no idea when the parts will arrive or when the car will be repaired.

I purchased a $61,000 piece of junk. Tesla is not ready to supply cars to the market and I seriously would recommend that no one purchase Tesla products.

They are not prepared to service and correct their defects.
 
#17 ·
Tesla is not ready to supply cars to the market and I seriously would recommend that no one purchase Tesla products.
Tesla is a startup, and the Model 3 is a brand new car being built on a brand new production line. I definitely recommend that anybody who isn't prepared to deal with the issues inherent in such a situation avoid buying a Model 3 for now.
 
#20 ·
Garsh:

I completely agree with you.

They should put your warning on the Tesla website, preferably on the ordering page.

In fact, I like you warning so much I think I will put some 1/2 page adds in some newspapers using similar comments/warning that you have used.

Tesla is not ready for prime time and they should not be selling products to the general public.

By the way, I have asked for a loaner charger. The response. "We don't have any currently available." I wonder how many people have problems with the FRUNK and cannot get to the mobile charger?
 
#23 ·
I had a similar problem with the broken charge port, except it happened rightaway upon parking at my garage after picking up the car at the nearby delivery center. Luckily the first thing I did upon arriving home was to try and test the mobile charger setup used with my existing Model S. The charge port would not open. I promptly drove to the delivery center, who looked at the problem and fixed it within 15 minutes. The fix apparently consisted of replacing the charge port mechanical components and performing a firmware update. I haven't had the problem since then.
 
#24 ·
Well it has been three weeks and my FRUNK and Charging part door have not been repaired. I called Tesla yesterday (they never called me to give an update} and they told me that they were still waiting on parts for both the charge port door and FRUNK.. (My portable charger has been locked in the FRUNK since I got the car one month ago.) and they have no idea when the parts will arrive or when the car will be repaired.

I purchased a $61,000 piece of junk. Tesla is not ready to supply cars to the market and I seriously would recommend that no one purchase Tesla products.

They are not prepared to service and correct their defects.
 
#25 ·
Sorry. Did not post appropriately. There seem to be a lot of teething issues and I'd agree...for $61k ( or even $35k). But you almost have to expect that with a new model (I wouldn't even buy a Honda or Toyota in its first model year). And let's face it Tesla has had a history of new model startup problems.

But I'll bet they will get to you. I hope they do. It's why I am still waiting to order the car. My guess is a year from now most of these kinks will be worked out. Just like the S and the X.

Let us know how Tesla handles your problem. It is only through these owner posts that Tesla hears these complaints and gets on the ball.
 
#26 ·
I have had my car for 3 weeks and haven't went through a car wash yet. Based on all the sites, I'm actually nervous to. Is there anyway to test before a wash to see if my car is prone to the chargeport door issue? When in the car wash I am to keep it in neutral and not in park right?
 
#27 ·
This just happened with my car. No problems for the first week, then I went through a car wash and after a brief charge at a public station the next day (coincidence?) it gave me the "Charge Port Needs Service" message. The car was still able to charge overnight on the Mobile Connector.

The message cleared the next day by itself, but when I went into the Service Center they opted to replace the charge port anyway. It took about an hour. Picked up a couple of spare key cards at the same time for $5 each.
 
#30 ·
It only took 5 weeks but my FRUNK is finally fixed. Hopefully the solenoids will not freeze again.

This has been a forgettable experience. In all my life, I never had the hassle of having a problem fixed on a car. From the standpoint of the number of phone calls I had to make, the number of trips for service and the timeframe has been unacceptable.

Caveat Emptor.
 
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