Truck wont DCFC, but will AC

[yostmatt]

Ran out to OH last weekend, and stopped at a Tesla DCFC, got orange ring, and wrench on the screen. Tried the EVGO across the lot, and got a blinking orange light this time. Tried a couple other plugs but no change. Being 200 miles from home, I drove to the hotel and plugged in my 110 charger into an outlet on the hotel. AC charging works, but it was so cold out (-6), I only added two miles overnight.

Took it to the closest dealer, made it with 5% left. Rented a car and drove home (no loaners available). Monday they called and said they replaced "a sensor" and it was working. So I took a day off work and drove out. I had to stop at a charger on the way home to make it, and this time, I get a new error. I get a charger error and a white blinking ring. Again, stopped at a Blink Charger, same thing. Stopped at ChargePoint location, same thing. Luckily there was a Ford dealer on my way home. I stopped in, told them the back story and the service advisor, says 'oh, you can't DCFC those trucks, there is a TSB coming out soon' I said, that sounds like a load of crap, I have charged many times, and now it does not work. All in all I had to get it towed back to my local dealership

The local dealership is saying they think it is the DC contactors. Wondering if anyone has had this issue. The truck will charge fine at home on my Tesla AC charger fine on 48amps. I ended up bring the truck home while they ordered parts. It is to go back in tomorrow. Just wondering if anyone has had similar experience.

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[TaxmanHog]

HVB contactors have failed on some trucks in the past.

If they were the issues, you would not be able to AC charge either because the AC/DC inverter still needs to pass the converted current through the contactors.

I suspect something else is wrong, hopefully the current dealer technician figures it out.

 

[yostmatt]

Ahh interesting. I was thinking they were different from AC. Fingers crossed, thanks for the quick reply

 

[Charge_Rob]

The most likely culprit is the weather - specifically freezing of the locking pin (only used for DCFC) if moisture gets up there and freezes. Do you L1/L2 charge outdoors regularly?

 

[MountainAlive]

I recently saw this solution on a Facebook forum so maybe it’s worth a shot.

the pull plug they are talking about is yellow. The green pull plug is the high voltage disconnect.

 

[hpaustin]

Left Castlegar BC travelling to Victoria a few days after Christmas after AC charging to 100%. Arrived at Osoyoos and tried to charge at a Tesla/Flo location got the red rings and the wrench light on the dash after multiple attempts and at 6-7 chargers I then tried doing reset with disconnecting the 12v battery again to no avail. Nearest Ford Dealer was in Penticton so travelled there as it was a Sunday Dealership was closed but they had a AC charger in the back so tried that and it worked. Went to a nearby Tesla charger and it worked. So back on the road to Victoria. Stopped in Princeton at another Tesla Station and again red light no charge after trying multiple chargers. Got to Hope with 10% left went to a BC Hydro charger worked no problem. That got me to Victoria where I went to the Dealer I bought the truck from (2025) they updated some anodes? and sent me home. Truck now works both on AC and on multiple DC chargers. Later learned that the Tesla chargers in Osoyoos are not available to Fords, did not know some of there high volume sites are for Teslas only. Now use the Ford navigation for finding sites that are open to Fords. Hope this helps some other newbie.

 

[Dahveed]

Here’s a picture of what that Facebook post is talking about. Disconnect that green plug in the right. Then pop the yellow pull tab off the coolant reservoir and pull to release the pin.

 

[yostmatt]

The most likely culprit is the weather - specifically freezing of the locking pin (only used for DCFC) if moisture gets up there and freezes. Do you L1/L2 charge outdoors regularly?

I rarely ever charge with my L1, I just take it when I travel. But I do charge outside L2 at home.

 

[yostmatt]

I recently saw this solution on a Facebook forum so maybe it’s worth a shot.

the pull plug they are talking about is yellow. The green pull plug is the high voltage disconnect.

I'm going to screen shot this and try. At least a good option to have in my back pocket, thanks!

 

[yostmatt]

Here’s a picture of what that Facebook post is talking about. Disconnect that green plug in the right. Then pop the yellow pull tab off the coolant reservoir and pull to release the pin.

Awesome, thank you!!

 

[Charge_Rob]

I rarely ever charge with my L1, I just take it when I travel. But I do charge outside L2 at home.

With the recent ultra-cold weather, snow, freezing rain, etc. much of the US has seen, I'd bet freezing. I'd try to warm up the pin (at the top of the port), then try the manual release cable as suggested above (gently), and then head to a known good DC Fast Charger and try it again.

If that works, I'd consider the weather cover (there's an official Ford one) for outdoor L1/L2 charging in this winter weather.

 

[Dahveed]

Awesome, thank you!!

You bet. And then plug the green connector back in when you're done. Forgot to mention that lol.

Disconnecting that plug disables the high voltage system in a safe manner. The below page is from Ford's guide to the Lightning for emergency responders.

 

[chriserx]

Pull it and let us know if it works, seems like with all of the cold weather we've been having this issue has been popping up more and more. Correlation is not necessarily causation, but it seems more and more likely to be the common thread.

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