Hyundai Kona Charging Door Won't Open - Here's the fix!

Electric Vehicle owners’ biggest concern is range anxiety. This is increased even further if you can’t open the charge hatch. I’ve been a mechanic for 25 years. Don’t panic. We’ll have it open shortly.

The most common reasons your Kona charge hatch won’t open are:

Pressing the wrong area on the hatch
The Weather is Below Zero
Car is Locked
The Hinge is Full of Grime

In this article, we’ll examine why the Kona charge hatch won’t open, how to diagnose this, and how to get it working again.

Infographic - Hyundai Kona Charge door won't open

Pressing the wrong area on the Hatch

The Kona charging hatch area is at the front of the car. Where the traditional grill would be. Looking at the car, the charge hatch is on the right-hand side. The hatch mechanism works by a press-release hinge. If you are pressing in the wrong area, the mechanism won’t work.

On the front grill, there is a separate square. On this square, there is an EV icon. This is where you must press for the hatch to open. If you press anywhere else, the hatch won’t open.

As the hatch ages, the hinge might loosen and give some scope for a larger press area. But from the factory, the EV icon is the place to press to release the hatch.

The Weather is Below Zero

Cold climates and EVs don’t really mix. They are, of course, available in colder climates, but charging and managing an EV in these circumstances can be a little more challenging than an ICE vehicle.

Below zero makes charging challenging for several reasons, including the fact that your charge hatch won’t open. The hatch on your Kona is more prone to freezing for several reasons:

No rubber seal
Location of hatch on the car
It’s made from plastic

No Rubber Seal

The hatch on your Kona has a pressure hinge, but when the temperature is below zero, this hatch can become frozen shut; there’s no rubber seal inside. This oversight may be fixed in the future, but it means that freezing rain, snow, and hail can get in behind the hatch.

Although the electric ports have an additional cover (much like in an ICE car), the snow and ice can become compacted behind the hatch door, making it nearly impossible to open the hatch.

Location of Hatch on the Car

The charge hatch on the Kona is on the front of the car. Due to its position, the hatch door is more prone to freezing. Many other EVs and nearly all ICE vehicles have their charge/ fuel hatch to the rear side of the vehicle. Positioned at the front, it’s getting the full force of below-zero weather from the atmosphere and the blowoff from cars traveling in front of your Kona.

Again this will get compacted behind the hatch as you move through a weather system.

It’s Made from Plastic

We all have plastic in our lives. It’s a fantastic and versatile product that can be used in many situations. But the use of it for the manufacture of the Kona charge hatch is not a great idea. Plastic is not as good a choice as metal. It becomes brittle over time, even when additives to protect it from hot and cold weather are used.

In average day-to-day winter temperatures, the plastic hatch will cool much quicker than a metal hatch, and due to the previous items we’ve mentioned, it will freeze shut.

Again this may be something that Hyundai will re-engineer in the future, but we have to deal with a frozen hatch for now.

So what is the solution? We don’t want to crack the cover or damage the machine, but we must take action if it’s frozen solid and you need to charge your Kona.

The first solution is to give the ‘Icon’ on the charge hatch a hard rap with the side or butt of your hand. If the hatch is frozen with ice, this should do the trick. You should hear the ice crack. You may need to give it a second go to loosen it completely.

If it’s full of snow, it’s a good idea to spray with De-Icer around the edge of the hatch. I don’t advise pouring warm water on your hatch cover as it may damage your EV charge port.

The other alternative (but only possible if you have access to a socket) is to apply heat from a hairdryer. This will raise the temperature and release the hatch.

Car is Locked

For security reasons, the charging hatch is considered to be a door and, as such, won’t open if the car is locked. Even though there is no key for the hatch, the car needs to be unlocked for the hatch to release. The car also needs to be in P (park).

If you are away from your car, Hyundai doesn’t want anyone tampering with your charge port. You must unlock the car to open the hatch and insert the charging cable. The cable will then lock in the port until you release it. This is another security control, so you don’t return to your car to find the cable unplugged.

Hinge is Full of Grime

The hinge on the charging hatch is a plastic roll-away hinge used in most modern car fuel hatches. The problem with the Kona hinge relates to an issue we have already mentioned. The lack of a rubber seal around the hatch door leads to grime and dirt collecting inside the hatch along the hinge.

Over time this grime increases and prevents the hinge from opening freely. The hatch gets stuck shut or will only partially open. If the push mechanism still works, gently pull the hatch towards you. You can hear if the hinge is rubbing against the grime build-up.

You must keep this area as clean as possible. You can remove excess grime with a soft cloth. Don’t use any cleaning products in the area, which can damage the charging port.

Remove as much grime as possible, moving the hinge backward and forward to loosen any excess. When you have cleaned as much as possible, you can spray the hinge with a light covering of WD40.

This will temporarily prevent further sticking of the hinge, but as before, dirt and grime will ultimately work their way back in because there is no rubber seal.

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:

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

Hyundai Kona Charging Door Won’t Open – Here’s the fix!