Brand new 2016 S with issues

[LeafingDallas]

It's be more than a decade since I've joined a car forum. Here's to hoping I don't get trolled! Kidding.

I got a '16 Leaf S a week and a half ago. While I was filling out paperwork on it, the dealership had it cleaned and put it on their charger for me. After 7 hours of negotiating & paperwork, I didn't think too much about the fact that I drove away with it showing that I only had 27 miles.

I live in a complex that doesn't have a place for me to charge overnight. I have a plug-in at work though, so, I knew that would be great between charges @ Walgreens.

I used the EVgo at Walgreens and got to 80% in less than 20 minutes which gave me peace of mind. The next day I was figuring out a setup for work and noticed that the charging unit that came with the car seemed to be glitchy. It locked in, light would blink showing that it was getting the charge and then would just disconnect after 2-3 minutes. It did this all day long.

I went straight to the dealership after work to see if they would help me troubleshoot. I used their "level 2" charger (don't troll me for terminology, still learning!) and the same thing would happen. This lead me to believe that the issue was not my kit or their station, but that the port wasn't holding a charge.

They had my car for 6 days, as there is only 1 technician that's certified to work on it. This raised more concerns for me. I finally got it back today and they told me that they replaced the ports.

This this a typical issue? Should I be concerned? I did a lot of research before trading in my car for this one, but you always learn more from experience. I'd just like to understand my car better and I know all of you have had your own experiences to help guide my newbie struggles.

Thanks for the help!

 

[LeftieBiker]

There have been a few cases of charging issues with similar symptoms, although I don't remember seeing any in which replacing the charging port solved them. As for terminology: the charging cable that came with the car, and all 208-240 volt charging stations are called either what I just called them, or "EVSEs" a particularly unpalatable acronym. The Quick Chargers, though, are just that: external chargers that bypass the car's onboard charger to charge the pack directly at 400+ volts and high amperages.

 

[jjeff]

...After 7 hours of negotiating & paperwork, I didn't think too much about the fact that I drove away with it showing that I only had 27 miles.

7 hrs :shock: I thought the 3-4hrs. it took me to purchase my '13S Leaf was over the top, all that paperwork! From what I remember my prior new car purchase, a '04 Scion Xb, was said and done in 2-3 hrs. Yes with 7hrs of charging on a dealer's L2 your car should have been 100%+ charged, even if it was basically dead and your Leaf S didn't have the upgraded 6.6Kwh charger.
Did they at least give you a complimentary loaner car? IMO it would be the least they could do. I also had some new car glitches with my Leaf, things I didn't have with my Toyota built Scion, luckily things have settled down now that I'm nearing the end of my warranty but it really had me worried for a while. The most recent problem was no A/C this early spring, only it's second cooling season and no A/C :x my Scion went almost 10 years without A/C issues and the '94 Geo Metro I had before that never had A/C issues in the 10 years I had it, before the frame rusted though and it had to be scrapped
Good luck and I hope they got it fixed for you.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

So, now it charges as it should on L1 and L2? Issue is resolved? Original port was defective? Maybe a poorly connected pilot? A PITA, but at least you figured it out and dealt with it. Good job. Thanks for reporting it.

If people correct your nomenclature they don't mean to troll you, it's just easier to understand problems when we're all on the same page. That said, people calling EVSEs and charge stations "chargers" isn't likely to end.

 

[aarond12]

To answer OP's question: "[Is] this a typical issue? Should I be concerned?"

No, this is not typical. No, you should not be concerned. If everything is working now, it will likely continue to work for many, many years.