Charging lid won't lock after charging

[onohayato]

Hello, I'm a newbie owner of a 2020 Nissan LEAF SL Plus.

One thing that I haven't been able to figure out is -- how to properly close and lock the charging lid/cover after charging.

It's hard to describe this in words, but please allow me per below:

1) After I'm done charging, I remove the charging cable from the connector, which isn't a problem.

2) Thereafter, I close the charging port, then when I try to close the charging lid to close & lock it, it will NOT lock!

3) The only way I can make the car recognize that the lid needs to be locked, is for me to:
a) Start the car
b) Put in R or D/B and move the car for a few feet

4) If I follow the above steps 3a and 3b, then park the car, somehow the car "realizes" that the lid needs to be locked.
At this time, when I close the lid, it locks automatically -- like magic!

So what I don't understand is:

a) Why won't the charging lid lock automatically, after I'm done charging and I close the lid?
b) Is this a common issue and/or part of a recall for a 2020 Nissan LEAF?

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

If you need me to upload a video to demonstrate the issue outlined above, please let me know.

Thank you!

 

[LeftieBiker]

Welcome to the forum. As far as I know, the mechanism involved is a simple latch, with a solenoid-operated cable type release. The latch should accept the bar? tab? hook? from the latch, and lock it in place with a firm push downwards on the lower side of the door. If that doesn't happen, then I suspect that either the release mechanism has too little slack in the cable, causing it to remain released. or - and this seems more likely given the odd way it has to be coaxed - the solenoid that pulls on the cable that releases the latch is malfunctioning. I suppose that it could also be the release button malfunctioning...

 

[onohayato]

Hi LeftieBiker, thanks for your reply! So actually, for some reason, the charging lid DID lock automatically when I closed the lid after charging!

But honestly, this was the first time it ever did this -- I'll be monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis, and if it continues to act up, I'll probably take it back to the Nissan dealer I bought the car from and ask them to look at it more closely :?

I'll mention the potential issue with the solenoid mechanism, thanks for the tip!

 

[ACDCPhilip]

Might be that the locking mechanism lacks some lubrication & is sticking.

Try spraying some liquid grease in to the mechanism then working it closed/ open a few times.
The mechanism is very open to all the weather being located where it is.

I had a similar thing with my sons bonnet release mechanism which had seized up through lack of lubricant.