Ford Mobile Charger, Intermittent Amber Warning Light

[PPT Ranger]

So I noticed something odd, maybe a little concerning, today. I plugged in my MME for a charge. Everything seemed normal. I was out in the garage doing something else and noticed the MME sounded "louder" than normal. Almost like the fans were blowing (temp regulating the batteries?). So I looked at my mobile charger and the amber/yellow light was lit along with the blue light. I watch it for a few seconds and it goes away and goes back to just the normal blue light.

So I naturally stop the charge and unplug everything. I unplug the mobile charger from the 14-50 wall outlet. I pull out the plug pig tail make sure there's no obstructions and push it back in and make sure it is fully seated. Replug everything back up and plug in my MME again. Then I sit there and wait.... (because I'm OCD). 10 minutes or so go by, I look at the app and it said 8:40pm til full charge (seemed about right for my charge level). Then the amber light kicked on. I was able to catch an update in the app and it now says 9:36pm til full charge. 20 or so seconds go by, the amber light goes off on its own. App now is back down to 8:40pm.

I have no idea what to make of all of this. Is it potentially an issue with my mobile charger? Is it possibly just the hot humid temps causing some sort of over temperature foldback? Should I be concerned with my plug wiring (it was installed by an electrician, but I had to move the plug outlet to a better location and rotate it 90 degrees and I did that myself with an electrical engineer friend)? Or am I just being paranoid?

I can't say I've ever noticed this before. But I usually just plug it in and walk away. I just happened to see it this time. I took some pictures, but of course the phones never show LED lights in the right colors.

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[macchiaz-o]

It means the EVSE is getting hot and slowing down the charge rate until it cools down a little.

Other discussions on this:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/search/412199/?q=amber+blue&o=date

 

[RockwallRick]

Noticed this tonight for the first time while charging in my garage. I have been using the Ford Mobile Charger for over 9 months now. It doesn’t feel hot but I set up a fan to cool it down and it seems to be happy now! Car is still charging with no faults detected. Maybe its time to start shopping for a new EVSE?

 

[ChuckA]

Noticed this tonight for the first time while charging in my garage. I have been using the Ford Mobile Charger for over 9 months now. It doesn’t feel hot but I set up a fan to cool it down and it seems to be happy now! Car is still charging with no faults detected. Maybe its time to start shopping for a new EVSE?

Make sure the plug is tight in the unit. Sometimes it separates so slightly it’s not noticeable.

 

[Dylancch]

Hey I had the same issue. It's over heating and cutting power. It's rated for 7kw when the yellow lights on it goes down to 5kw. And if hot enough goes down to 3kw. I complained and they sent me a new one

 

[RockwallRick]

Hey I had the same issue. It's over heating and cutting power. It's rated for 7kw when the yellow lights on it goes down to 5kw. And if hot enough goes down to 3kw. I complained and they sent me a new one

I just checked it again and it is just pulsing blue as normal with the fan blowing on it! I will try calling our Ford dealer tomorrow for a replacement.

 

[RockwallRick]

Charge completed to 90% as programmed with Fan blowing directly on the mobile wall unit all night. Just called Ford and they are trying to tell me that I need a software update. CSP 21P22 was installed 5 weeks ago.

 

[CarsIMBwife]

Make sure the plug is tight in the unit. Sometimes it separates so slightly it’s not noticeable.

This. I noticed mine had an amber light. I asked @Carsinmyblood ”what does a yellow light mean.” ? I just unplugged it and plugged it back in. All is well, back to blue.

 

[RockwallRick]

There have been a few times where I saw the amber light on and I just reset the breaker to clear it. This is the first time I have seen it come on ( intermittently ) while the car was charging.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

So I noticed something odd, maybe a little concerning, today. I plugged in my MME for a charge. Everything seemed normal. I was out in the garage doing something else and noticed the MME sounded "louder" than normal. Almost like the fans were blowing (temp regulating the batteries?). So I looked at my mobile charger and the amber/yellow light was lit along with the blue light. I watch it for a few seconds and it goes away and goes back to just the normal blue light.

So I naturally stop the charge and unplug everything. I unplug the mobile charger from the 14-50 wall outlet. I pull out the plug pig tail make sure there's no obstructions and push it back in and make sure it is fully seated. Replug everything back up and plug in my MME again. Then I sit there and wait.... (because I'm OCD). 10 minutes or so go by, I look at the app and it said 8:40pm til full charge (seemed about right for my charge level). Then the amber light kicked on. I was able to catch an update in the app and it now says 9:36pm til full charge. 20 or so seconds go by, the amber light goes off on its own. App now is back down to 8:40pm.

I have no idea what to make of all of this. Is it potentially an issue with my mobile charger? Is it possibly just the hot humid temps causing some sort of over temperature foldback? Should I be concerned with my plug wiring (it was installed by an electrician, but I had to move the plug outlet to a better location and rotate it 90 degrees and I did that myself with an electrical engineer friend)? Or am I just being paranoid?

I can't say I've ever noticed this before. But I usually just plug it in and walk away. I just happened to see it this time. I took some pictures, but of course the phones never show LED lights in the right colors.

Hi there! Can you send us a message with your VIN and Ford dealership name? I’ll look into this on my end. Thanks!

 

[Carsinmyblood]

This. I noticed mine had an amber light. I asked @Carsinmyblood ”what does a yellow light mean.” ? I just unplugged it and plugged it back in. All is well, back to blue.

S L O W ... D O W N

 

[kkriskal]

I had the same problem when I initially bought the car and was using the 120V charging. Then I installed (through a certified electrician) the 240 V outlet and from that time no Amber light at all so I am Not sure if it is really the heat or if there was something wrong with my 120V outlet that I used earlier.

 

[RockwallRick]

I made an appointment with our local Ford dealer to get this checked out but I am about 90% sure that my Ford Mobile charger is causing this problem. If necessary I will set up the fan again since I expect to be charging at least one more time before it goes in.

 

[S.B.]

I have also been dealing with this issue for about 4 months now. I have brought it to the attention of the service agent at the Ford dealership as well as Ford Motor Company here and have gotten nowhere. The last thing that was discussed was that the mobile charger wasn’t secured to the wall. I did do that and it still didn’t work. Mine still gets hot and turns amber after a few minutes. It takes longer to charge now and this is causing me to rethink the practicality of this vehicle for my driving needs. (Never thought I would say that.) A few weeks ago I emailed the Ford agent again. I don’t even get return emails or phone calls anymore. I am starting to get a little annoyed. Hence my rare annoyed face. ? I am considering a wall unit but my son likes to use his mobile Tesla charger when he visits. Having the outlet for us both to use our own chargers was ideal—when mine worked.

 

[Maquis]

I have also been dealing with this issue for about 4 months now. I have brought it to the attention of the service agent at the Ford dealership as well as Ford Motor Company here and have gotten nowhere. The last thing that was discussed was that the mobile charger wasn’t secured to the wall. I did do that and it still didn’t work. Mine still gets hot and turns amber after a few minutes. It takes longer to charge now and this is causing me to rethink the practicality of this vehicle for my driving needs. (Never thought I would say that.) A few weeks ago I emailed the Ford agent again. I don’t even get return emails or phone calls anymore. I am starting to get a little annoyed. Hence my rare annoyed face. ? I am considering a wall unit but my son likes to use his mobile Tesla charger when he visits. Having the outlet for us both to use our own chargers was ideal—when mine worked.

You can get a “wall unit” that plugs in.

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