A single charge fault.

[tominman1]

I have been looking through the postings and threads, but haven't seen this described yet. If you know of information here, then please direct me toward it.
I'm a recent purchaser of a 2023 which was still "new" at the dealer. The level one charger which comes with the vehicle was missing it's 120/240 cords. So, I bought an Energbison via Amazon. With each charge, I get a charge fault a few minutes after starting the charge. After unplugging, replugging, and restarting the charge, it will charge normally. The Energbison allows me to set different charge levels, so I tried different levels with no change.

I thought this was a problem with the inexpensive charger, but then I experienced the same thing at a Tesla Supercharger.

Has anyone else had this problem?
Is there a solution?

Energbison on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZSL9LB6?ref=clp_hp_h_pc

EDIT/ADDITION: I've had multiple fault free charges since I posted this. First, I verified the line voltage was not dipping suddenly for any reason. (The garage door opener might be on the same circuit.)

I thought about how in many (most) ways, the Lightning is no different than any other electronically/electrically dependant winged or wheeled vehicle on which I've worked. The charger was likely to have been sitting in a warehouse for quite some time, since a new model is available. The Lightning has been sitting on the lot for at least three years. When things sit, they corrode.

The charger starts with low amperage then ramps it up. Corrosion is most likely to interfere with operation at low amperage which is when I would get the fault. I always keep a bottle of liquid technician (contact cleaner) nearby. I used it and so far, no more faults.

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[JayF]

So let's talk about the best ways to troubleshoot this.

First of all, most folks on this forum would discourage you from buying a "no name" charger off of amazon -- these things pull a lot of current and getting something UL listed is wise. I don't think this is a useful answer for your real concern.

If I were you, I'd try to find a Level 2 J1772 charger using something like plugshare, and see if the truck will charge on that. I suspect it will. Something that DOES NOT NEED an adapter (like a Tesla supercharger does).

I suspect you'll find it works, and likely the root cause of all the issues is low-quality charging equipment: if you have a similarly "no name" NACS->CCS adapter (or were trying to use an NACS->CCS adapter at a Tesla destination/slow charger) it could be causing issues.

 

[RickLightning]

I have been looking through the postings and threads, but haven't seen this described yet. If you know of information here, then please direct me toward it.
I'm a recent purchaser of a 2023 which was still "new" at the dealer. The level one charger which comes with the vehicle was missing it's 120/240 cords. So, I bought an Energbison via Amazon. With each charge, I get a charge fault a few minutes after starting the charge. After unplugging, replugging, and restarting the charge, it will charge normally. The Energbison allows me to set different charge levels, so I tried different levels with no change.

I thought this was a problem with the inexpensive charger, but then I experienced the same thing at a Tesla Supercharger.

Has anyone else had this problem?
Is there a solution?

Energbison on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZSL9LB6?ref=clp_hp_h_pc

Charging on a level 1 (120) or level 2 (240) charger uses the vehicle's charger to convert to DC power.

Charging on a DC fast charger does not.

Therefore, failing on one type has nothing to do with the other type.

The #1 reason for a Tesla SuperCharger to fail to charge is the vehicle owner not understanding that not all Tesla SuperChargers are compatible, that they need to use the Ford app, or the Tesla app (with vehicle and adapter entered), or PlugShare (with Hide Tesla Only selected), or ABRP (with vehicle and adapter entered), or GoogleMaps with Android Auto (with vehicle and adapter entered) to find a charger.

The Energbison is a "HIGHLY RETURNED ITEM", displayed right on the Amazon page. The seller is in China. Couldn't pay me to use that.
You cannot look at a Tesla SuperCharger and determine compatibility...

 

[tominman1]

Thank you.
"Therefore, failing on one type has nothing to do with the other type " <- just what I needed.
The Supercharger worked great after unplugging and replugging. This could have been a one time glitch--perhaps I didn't have the plug secure.

The similarity to the Energbison behavior got me wondering perhaps it was something else.

On the second try, the Energbison always works great, and gives me some online control features.

 

[tominman1]

So let's talk about the best ways to troubleshoot this.

First of all, most folks on this forum would discourage you from buying a "no name" charger off of amazon -- these things pull a lot of current and getting something UL listed is wise. I don't think this is a useful answer for your real concern.

If I were you, I'd try to find a Level 2 J1772 charger using something like plugshare, and see if the truck will charge on that. I suspect it will. Something that DOES NOT NEED an adapter (like a Tesla supercharger does).

I suspect you'll find it works, and likely the root cause of all the issues is low-quality charging equipment: if you have a similarly "no name" NACS->CCS adapter (or were trying to use an NACS->CCS adapter at a Tesla destination/slow charger) it could be causing issues.

Thanks for the quick response. Come to think of it, I have used J1772 plugs and CCS plugs at public charging stations and did not have any problems. I'm thinking the problem at the Tesla charger was a one-off glitch caused by physical tension on the cord. The similarity to the Engergbison problem was a red herring.

 

[Shmoe]

I had AI draw us an energy bison..you're welcome.

 

[GoldenEye4ever]

When I got my 2025 lightning last November I was charging with a DeWalt level 1 charger and it would have random charging faults.

I eventually figured out that by lowering the AC charge rate in the Ford app to 12A the faults stopped happening.
By default mine was set to 48A, and I guess the truck would ask for 48A which would cause the charger to fault.

I have since installed a level 2 Tesla wall charger at my home and have not had any issues charging on level 2 at 48A using an adapter.
I only went with a Tesla charger since one of my neighbors sold his Tesla and sold me his wall charger for very cheap.

When we went camping this summer, I did have to set my truck back to 12A as I was using a level 1 charger there.

 

[tominman1]

When I got my 2025 lightning last November I was charging with a DeWalt level 1 charger and it would have random charging faults.

I eventually figured out that by lowering the AC charge rate in the Ford app to 12A the faults stopped happening.
By default mine was set to 48A, and I guess the truck would ask for 48A which would cause the charger to fault.

I have since installed a level 2 Tesla wall charger at my home and have not had any issues charging on level 2 at 48A using an adapter.
I only went with a Tesla charger since one of my neighbors sold his Tesla and sold me his wall charger for very cheap.

When we went camping this summer, I did have to set my truck back to 12A as I was using a level 1 charger there.

Thanks for the response. Given the outlet I am using is on a 15 A breaker, I never tried anything more than 12A. I'm still waiting for the Ford chargers. The level one which came with the truck was missing a cord. Ford is sending another. I'm pretty sure the faults were caused by a small amount of corrosion. I cleaned both the plug and the jack. At this point, I'm considering the problem solved. I edited the original post.

 

[tominman1]

Things have progressed, but not for the better, and I'm learning.
The first thing I learned is DC and AC chargers do have something in common--data.
The errors were rare at first, but became more frequent over the last few weeks, and they occured almost everywhere.
Ionna
Electrify America
Tesla Supercharger
Ford Level one (Instant fault)
Energbison from Amazon

The problem has progressed to the point I can no longer charge. I get the error within eight minutes of connecting a charger, or instantly with the Ford level 1. It's actually pretty consistent. Perhaps I can get an hours worth of charge if I go out and restart the process 10 times an hour.

I deleted the charge targets and drove around the block as recommended elsewhere.

No change.

I would rather not disconnect the battery for exactly 10 minutes as recommended elsewhere, because the truck is just two weeks old. I'll let the dealer deal with it.

 

[Shmoe]

I would rather not disconnect the battery for exactly 10 minutes as recommended elsewhere, because the truck is just two weeks old. I'll let the dealer deal with it.

Unfortunately that's the only way to hard reboot the car, I'd give ya 50/50 on it actually resolving your issues though.

 

[TaxmanHog]

TRUCK

 

[tominman1]

Unfortunately that's the only way to hard reboot the car, I'd give ya 50/50 on it actually resolving your issues though.

I knew what you really meant

 

[tominman1]

Another update!
I cleared out my favorite charge locations, drove around the block, and reconnected. I would get eight minutes of charging followed by a fault. I repeated this three times. Thinking back, I remembered getting another good charge after spraying some contact cleaner. So, I got more contact cleaner and fashioned a tiny brush out of some copper braid I had on hand. I don't have a tool to get into those socket and plug contacts, so the copper was a field engineered McGiver.

I'll be darned if that didn't work! (at least for now.) I had one fault after two hours. I replugged and restarted the charge. It charged for 12 hours, and this evening, it's been charging for (so far) another two without interruption.

I have some NoOx from Verizon. I'll dip a small wire into the NoOX and get it into the contacts. I'll do the same with the larger DC contacts, but I think whichever of those contacts carries data is the important one.

I had trouble believing I would be cleaning contacts when everything was new. I should have realized in this case, new is 2023 sitting outside for three years.

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