It's every electric car owner's worst nightmare. You go out to get in the car at the boost station and you realize that he didn't charge as he should. Depending on how much charge left you have, this could put you in a seriously tight spot.
So what do you do if your Tesla won't charge? Here are some steps you can take to check the problem and get it working:
- Determine if the charging problem is with the charging station, personal home charger, or car battery system
- Restart your Tesla
- Contact Tesla Technical Support if the battery system is faulty.
Finding out that a Tesla isn't charging properly can be unnerving, but fortunately in many cases, this problem is easily fixed. Read on to learn more about Tesla charging problems and what you can do if your Tesla won't charge.
- Check the Tesla charger
- Restarting your Tesla
- Call Tesla Technical Support
- Tesla repair and installation facilities
- Tesla's charging problems aren't the end of the world
Check the Tesla charger
Many times when a Tesla is charged on a supercharger and the owner discovers after returning to their vehicle that the Tesla is not charging properly, the first instinct is to blame the car. With fuel-powered vehicles, that would be the only suspect to blame, so this instinct is pretty natural.
However, it's common for Tesla boost stations to malfunction or malfunction, so it's worth checking the charger first to make sure it's the car and not the charging station that's at fault. There's no reason to panic if your Tesla's charging system is actually fine.
To test a Tesla's ability to charge if it malfunctions, check the following things:
- Move the Tesla to another charging station. Sometimes individual stations can go out or malfunction and fail to connect with the car, so moving your Tesla to another charging station can help you figure out if it's the Tesla charger or electric battery that's ultimately guilty.
- Check out the High Power Wall Connector (HPWC). If your HPWC doesn't seem to be charging the Tesla, check it with a different charger. It could just be that the HPWC itself has gone bad and not the car battery.
- Check your car screen and the production date of your Tesla. Unfortunately, some older models of Tesla ran into a flash memory issue that prevents the car from charging when once the screen burns out. If you think this might be the case with your Tesla, you will need to contact Tesla Technical Support and see what can be done to get your vehicle back up and running.
- Check your Tesla app. Normally if your Tesla's charging process is interrupted midway, your app will send you a notification. These outages can occur for a variety of reasons, such as minor blackouts and other electrical fluctuations. In this case, opening the tesla app and clearing the message should restart charging functionality.
Restarting your Tesla
Another option to try to fix a Tesla that isn't charging properly is to do a full vehicle restart. If there are problems in the Tesla where the MCU (a digital processing component in the vehicle) is malfunctioning, this can sometimes be corrected via a restart.
How to restart your Tesla
- Park your Tesla
- Put your foot on the brake and hold it there
- Now press and hold both scroll wheel buttons on the steering wheel
- Press and hold for up to 10 seconds and the center screen will restart
- Wait, keeping your foot on the brake. Eventually the screen will restart.
Typically this will fix the problem however if restarting doesn't fix the Tesla's ability to charge then this could be a sign that something beyond a quick fix may be causing the problem.
It is important to remember that Teslas are very digital vehicles and minor digital malfunctions and problems are commonplace in all modern technology, especially cutting edge modern technology such as a Tesla. In many cases, minor problems with these cars can be corrected by performing a digital restart to reset the system, but if not, Tesla is there to help.
Call Tesla Technical Support
If you have exhausted your options for troubleshooting your Tesla and have not yet determined the source of the problem, your next step is to contact Tesla Technical Support. This support team can be reached by calling 1-888-518-3752.
You can also contact Tesla Support via your Tesla mobile app. They can usually schedule you an appointment with a mobile technician at the location of your choice (home, work, etc).
Here are some other services Tesla Technical Support can provide in response to a vehicle not charging properly:
- Mobile service support. Depending on the vehicle's location, Tesla may send Mobile Service Support to come to your home and inspect the vehicle on site. Charging issues are a problem that can usually be diagnosed or repaired by mobile service technicians.
- Remote data control. Tesla Technical Support can do a remote data check on your vehicle while they have you on the phone. If you have a problem with your onboard charging system, once connected to the Tesla the online technicians can usually see this problem and diagnose it without further problems.
- Online repair. In some cases, Tesla Technical Support is able to resolve issues with the car's digital systems (including the charging system) through a forced remote update, and if contacted, Tesla Technical Support may attempt to resolve the issue .
Tesla repair and installation facilities
If it turns out that you do not live in an area with Tesla mobile service or the problem cannot be fixed by a mobile technician, Tesla may end up needing service at a certified Tesla service center.
In response to your request on the phone or mobile app, Tesla will determine whether your vehicle needs to be taken to a service center or not. If it does indeed need to be introduced, it's not the end of the world.
You can simply make an appointment and bring the car. Service appointments are typically made the same day the vehicle is brought in.
Tesla's charging problems aren't the end of the world
It might seem like a lot of stress when you run into a charging problem on your Tesla, but fortunately many of these problems can be easily fixed, and even in the worst case scenario if you have to put your Tesla in the shop, Tesla has gone above and beyond to make this process as simple and efficient as possible for their customers.
It's only a matter of time before your Tesla is back to normal. However, once your car recharges again, keep these 9 expert tips in mind to make your Tesla's battery last longer.
