Faulty Charger Outlander PHEV

[Karabeads]

Hi guys,

I’m hoping you may be able to give me some advice. I own a 64 plate Outlander Phev and my charger has gone faulty. It started off as a loose connection, and if we balanced the unit in a certain way, we could get it to charge. Now it’s stopped working altogether. I’ve spoken with the dealership who have informed me although the cars under warranty, the EV components are only covered up to 62k miles. I’ve done 69k. I’ve spoken with Mitsubishi who are only prepared to even consider a goodwill gesture if every service has been carried out to the absolute letter, with a main dealer, which of course it hasn’t. And even with a gesture, the price directly from Mitsubishi will probably still be more than you can pick them up online! So now I’m stuck with a faulty charger, the dealership are quoting £760 for a replacement which I can’t afford nor am I willing to pay on a 3 year old car.

So I’m wondering if these things can be repaired? Or if anyone has any advice? Or if anyone who’s done less than 62k wants to swap for a charger that works and get the faulty one replaced under warranty and there’s a big drink in it for you haha. But seriously, any suggestions massively appreciated, I’m at my wits end and this is NOT an economical car on petrol only!

Thank you in advance,

Kara x

 

[Paul5015]

Hi Kara,

How about this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mitsubishi-Outlander-PHEV-EV-charging-cable-Mode-2-UK-to-Type-1-car-charger/322584906053?hash=item4b1b8f0945:g:X4UAAOSw4CFYrFIf

Regards,

Paul.

 

[Regulo]

That will do it, but there have been many cases reported of the main cable fracturing at the gland entry. You can open the box yourself, and re-connect the mains lead, or get an electrician to do it. If that's the cause of failure, of course.

This is what's inside:

 

[Karabeads]

Thanks for your replies

My partner is fairly handy and took all the screws out, however couldn’t get into the thing and didn’t want to damage it. Now hes seen the internals he’s gonna have another try. Failing that, the eBay charger may be the best of a bad lot!

Thanks for all your help.

P.s. once the screws are out, do you have any tips on how to get into the thing?

Thanks again,

Kara x

 

[Regulo]

It's stuck around the sides with thick sealant, but careful prying will free it. If you do open it, and fix it, do please re-seal it properly. Good luck!

 

[NightPHEVer]

I'm guessing you're referring to the Mitsubishi supplied three-pin charge cable that is supplied with the PHEV? £760! Really, how on earth (electrical joke!) can Mitsubishi justify that much. I'll have to keep mine in the safe.

If you have suitable space and vehicle access to install one, a 16amp wall charger such as a Chargemaster or Rolec could be fitted for a lot less money than that (presumably there's still a 'grant' available towards the cost of this), and it'll charge your PHEV in 3.5 hours instead of 5. Not an advantage for overnight charging but handy in the daytime sometimes.

 

[Tipper]

.....although the cars under warranty, the EV components are only covered up to 62k miles.

I thought EV parts were covered to the full warranty. On my '15' registration that's 5 years, but have also read 8 years somewhere, or is that just the traction battery? I must go and read the service book warranty wording again! :?

 

[Regulo]

The 64 plates only got a three year warranty.

 

[Karabeads]

Hi guys.

Thanks for all the replies!

Just wanted to post an update in case it helps somebody else (having finally repaired it myself, and found the cause, I have a feeling this is about to become a VERY common problem!).

So having got absolutely nowhere with Mitsubishi (shame on you), I thought sod it! It's already broken, how much worse can it get?

Anyway, without boring you with the intricate details, after having tested the internals with a multimeter, it turns out the actual cable had a break in it between the 3 pin plug and the charger unit, caused by the large plastic cable holder nuts at either end of the unit. They're on too tight, which compresses the cable and causes it to break. You can actually see where the cable has been crushed over time. This IMO is a design floor and as these PHEVs start to hit higher mileages, I can see this becoming a regular occurrence. It's a relatively simple fix, but that's not the point, it shouldn't just snap internally.

Anyway, rant over. I hope this helps anyone else in the same position. If you have any questions, just ask.

Joel

 

[jaapv]

Thanks for your replies

My partner is fairly handy and took all the screws out, however couldn’t get into the thing and didn’t want to damage it. Now hes seen the internals he’s gonna have another try. Failing that, the eBay charger may be the best of a bad lot!

Thanks for all your help.

P.s. once the screws are out, do you have any tips on how to get into the thing?

Thanks again,

Kara x

Brute force, to break the tar seal.
However be careful, there is a thin cable on the internal circuit board that can easily be torn out of its soldering point - and is virtually impossible to resolder.

 

[Regulo]

Glad you found the problem - and saved yourself a shed-load of dosh! The electronic gubbins seems to be quite robust, shame the cable management isn't up to scratch. Poor quality control.

 

[Karabeads]

Glad you found the problem - and saved yourself a shed-load of dosh! The electronic gubbins seems to be quite robust, shame the cable management isn't up to scratch. Poor quality control.

Cheers it's not so much quality control IMO, as poor design. There's so much stress placed on the cable by the over tightened nut, that over time as the unit gets moved around regularly (im assuming most people will charge at least once a day), the cable is eventually going to weaken and snap. I don't know if the design of the charger is different for later models, but I can see this (eventually) happening with almost all chargers of this design.

Fingers crossed this helps as Mitsubishi don't want to know!

 

[meanwhileinhell]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm having this exact issue with my 64 Outlander charge cable. A bit of jiggling it about where the cable joins the box will do it.

@Karabeads, if you're still a member, how did you fix this? Were you able to get a replacement 3-pin cable? I've tried to get the nut off, but that thing is on tight.

 

[Darkflow]

A bit of jiggling it about where the cable joins the box will do it.

That is very likely to result in a high resistance connection that will generate heat and very well may start a fire - so my strong recommendation is that you do not do that and fix the thing properly.

 

[meanwhileinhell]

@Darkflow This is exactly what I would like to do. I haven't been charging it much recently because of this. I would just like to know what type of replacement cable is required.

 

[meanwhileinhell]

Found this video on YouTube on how to replace it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRuC1NCQuvE