Hyundai Ioniq Won’t Unplug – Fixed!

Your Hyundai Ioniq charge plug is stuck. Don’t panic! I’m a mechanic. This is what you need to do to release it.

To release an Ioniq charge plug after charging:

1. Unlock the car
2. Check Scheduled Charging Settings
3. Release the Cable Manually

In this article, you’ll learn why the Ioniq won’t release and how you can fix it.

Unlock the Car

If you have been charging your car, you’re either at home or at a charging station. Either way, when you’re finished, you want to be able to leave. If you can’t unplug the cable, this can be a real problem.

At Home

If you are charging at home, and most EV owners do most of their charging at home, you go to the charge port, and the cable won’t release. The release of the cable is both mechanical (by pressing the button on the handle) and electrical (the onboard computer completes this).

The first thing to check is the charging indicator lights

If the lights indicate that the car is still charging, then this is one of the reasons why the cable won’t release. You will need to ‘Stop’ charging for the cable to release. The easiest way to do this is by unlocking your car with the Key Fob. Selecting ‘Unlock Doors’ will stop the current and release the charging cable. You only have 15 seconds to remove it. If this time passes, you’ll have to press the fob again.

At a Charging Station

When you’re charging at a charging station, your car must be locked, especially if you are away from it. You don’t want anyone rifling through your stuff while you’re at the mall.

Again your car needs to be unlocked for the cable to release. When you return to your car, unlock and gently pull on the charge cable handle. If you jerk it, it may get stuck. Gently push it away from you and then unplug it towards you.

If you find that the plug is refusing to release, then it might be an issue with the charging station. If you check on the screen, it will give you more information, such as it hasn’t finished charging or that you must disconnect through the app.

If you have tried all of the above and still can’t unplug, you must call the charging company’s customer service. Every station has a phone number you can call, and every charger at the station has a dedicated reference number. Customer Service will be able to release the cable for you from their end.

Release Options

You can select options in your Settings that will decide when you can release the cable. If the Auto-lock is enabled, we have three options available to us:

1. Always Locked – This option means that until you arrive back at your car and unlock all doors and the charge port, the cable will remain locked in position
2. While Charging – This option means that if you have plugged in a cable and your car has finished charging while you’re still away from your car, the cable will unlock from the port. This is a handy option if you know you are at a busy charging station and know you will be away from your car for the whole day. It allows other EV users access to the charging cable. It can be very frustrating as an EV owner to arrive at a charging station and realize all cars are fully charged, but no one is occupying them, and all the cables are locked in place. The cable will be unlocked, but your car will remain locked. This option, to me, is the best choice.
3. Always Unlocked – To be honest, I’m not really sure I see any benefit to this option. It allows people to unplug their car before it has finished charging or just for the sake of it. It may be practical at home, but will you remember to change this option if you head to a charging station?

Check Scheduled Charging

The option to have Scheduled Charging is fantastic. Once it is set up, you don’t have to think about it again. You can even opt for a second schedule for the weekends.

If you arrive at your car and Scheduled Charging is in progress, you won’t be able to remove your cable. If you press the key fob once, it will unlock the car, and b pressing it again will release your cable.

You can also stop scheduled charging by pressing the Deactivation Button inside the car. It’s located on the left-hand side, just below the steering wheel. It has an icon with a clock on it and ‘Off.’ Pressing this button will stop any current charging and allow you to release the cable.

Manually Releasing the Cable

For your car to unlock, it has to have power from your 12V battery. The 12V runs auxiliary items such as windows, locking, and unlocking your car. If your 12v is flat, then you won’t be able to unlock the car using the fob and subsequently won’t be able to release your charge cable. You can still unlock the car using the mechanical key and, in doing so, gain access to the Manual Release in the trunk.

The release cable is under the trunk floor in the center. It is rectangular, and to the Right Hand Side, there is a small square that is the Manual Release for the charging cable.

In the new Ioniq 5, the release is on the Right-Hand side wall of the trunk. There is a circular cover with a twist release. Turn this to unlock and lift off. Behind the cover, you will find an orange hose. DO NOT TOUCH THIS. This is for your Lithium-Ion Battery connection. Disconnecting this will create all kinds of different, more significant problems.

Besides the orange hose, there is a smaller, darker, colored pull handle. This is the cable release. Pull this gently, and the charging cable will release from the port.

Don’t forget to return the cover when you’re finished.

I’ve covered a few of the other common Hyundai issues which you hopefully won’t experience, but if you do, we have you covered with these posts:

• Hyundai Ioniq won’t unplug
• Hyundai Ioniq won’t charge
• Hyundai Kona won’t start
• Hyundai Kona won’t charge
• Hyundai Kona won’t lock
• Hyundai Kona charge door won’t open
• Can I jump-start a Hyundai Kona electric?

If you are curious about other EV models, check out the EV FAQ category.