Charge Door - Bad Design or Defective?

[mamejunkie]

Anyone else has this issue...? The mechanism is such that you push in to open. And to close, you have to push in for the locking spring to catch. Seems to always require multiple tries to open/close it. You have to apply the pressure on the correct location on the door or else it won't work. And feels like you push too hard, it will break it. This is the one day to day usage on the Mach-E that I really hate. Feels so cheap. If everyone else has the same experience, I'll check it off as bad design else will take it back to the dealership and have them look at it.

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[Snowbolster]

All of them are like that.

 

[DanCoon]

Me too. I almost posted this same issue a few weeks ago. I had to make several attempts one day to close the charge port door.

 

[jlauro]

This is related...
https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...nt-prevention-–-3d-printed-diy-solution.5812/

 

[SnBGC]

Ford should have stuck with the little round recessed area in the door to communicate where to press to open and close. That worked great on the Focus Electric. Not sure why they left that off this time?

When closing, if you press at the plunger spot then it usually latches correctly the first time. At least my car works that way. Everyone's car is a little different though....

 

[macchiaz-o]

Ford should have stuck with the little round recessed area in the door to communicate where to press to open and close. That worked great on the Focus Electric. Not sure why they left that off this time?

Agreed. That was a clever and very user friendly approach.

When closing, if you press at the plunger spot then it usually latches correctly the first time. At least my car works that way. Everyone's car is a little different though....

It's certainly not a "reassuring" fuel door on this car. I expect improvements in future models to where it will become just as easy as the capless gas doors from Ford's other vehicles.

 

[Peugfan]

The charge door is to flimsy. Also since the charge door hinge is on the front you have to drag the EA fast charger cord far enough so that it does not pull on the charge port door and possibly damage the hinge when plugging in. The EA charge cords are short...the first time I used one I did not pull far enough into the parking area. Of course hinged on the front is good for the case where you forget to close the charge port and the wind will help close the door....not so good if you back out and catch something.

 

[Carsinmyblood]

The paint in that spot is going to change over time, like the paint at old-style door handles. They should have sprung for the $3 to put an inside release on it. Nobody but the driver has any business getting in there.

Good place for a scrap of PPF.

 

[macchiaz-o]

The charge door is to flimsy. Also since the charge door hinge is on the front you have to drag the EA fast charger cord far enough so that it does not pull on the charge port door and possibly damage the hinge when plugging in. The EA charge cords are short...the first time I used one I did not pull far enough into the parking area.

I've only used five public charge locations so far. Initially I had the same concern you're describing. In practice though, I've found that the charge coupler is so large that the cable coming out of it is going to be clear of the door location no matter what. Especially because the cable also angles downward about 45 degrees off the backside of the coupler.

At home, the direction that the charge door swings out is ideal for where I park in my garage, where my EVSE is hung, and how I approach the car when walking up to it. But I can totally see how this will be different with others' circumstances.

I could see a clever future design where the charge door is double hung so that it can be opened from the left or the right. Or one that slides downwards may also work well (as already implemented on some models).

Of course hinged on the front is good for the case where you forget to close the charge port and the wind will help close the door....not so good if you back out and catch something.

The car does indicate this as a warning in large wording on the dash.

 

[theo1000]

So I popped over and checked my kids 2011 volt, has the exact same design, which I have had for 12 years and popped that door in thousands and thousands of times. Nothing really visible in terms of a wear spot.

A ton of EV's are designed this way, though the overextension problem is a Mach-E issue, extrusion clip on the way. Oddly enough the same pressure will over extend the volt and the BMW I3 door and yet it has never caused a dimple on mine. Of course BMW is CFP.

I think the Etron door is the best, powered and raises. Closes automatically. But probably more cost than Ford wants to put in.

 

[breeves002]

Ford should have stuck with the little round recessed area in the door to communicate where to press to open and close. That worked great on the Focus Electric. Not sure why they left that off this time?

When closing, if you press at the plunger spot then it usually latches correctly the first time. At least my car works that way. Everyone's car is a little different though....

It worked great until it didn't. In the winter it sucks. It gets stuck closed all the time. I've had a Focus Electric and Fusion Energi. They need a totally new design in my opinion that isn't either of these.

 

[cmtaylor963]

It opens fine for me, but closing usually takes a few attempts. Pressing slightly above the plunger seems best, which seems counterintuitive?

 

[kdryden99]

One thing though and this was pointed out by a friend of mine, why is it so big?

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