In my BMW i3 -14 the locking mechanism for the charging socket, sometimes started to get stuck and not releasing the charging cable. This all started to occur after about 60.000 km /37.000 miles but with time it got worse and worse. After about 70.000 km It got stuck at almost every public charging place, but charging at home worked almost every time.

This video shows how i replaced the part that caused this and thus completely fixing the problem.

Before doing any work with the high voltage system it is advised to DISCONNECT THE HIGH VOLTAGE battery, this is done in the front, under the left side cover (under the hood). Search for ”BMW i3 High Voltage Disconnect” for more info.

Of course I tried every tip and trick to prevent this, but also to get it to unlock the charging cable after it got "stuck".

The most common tricks for getting it to unlock is:
* Locking and unlocking the car.
* Starting and stopping the charging process.
* Wiggling the connector while doing one of the above.
* Or worst case pressing the emergency cut off at the charger.
* One time I just had to wait until I had 100% charge.

The part i used was 61136805425, but this was for my TYPE 2/CCS config. Depending on what charging connections and what region your car comes from yours might be different. Use your VIN at for ex www.koedbmw.com.


12 month update on this repair:    • BMW i3 - 12 month update on charging ...