FYI the only deficiency I've found on my PHV Prius is the charge connector plug was hard to insert and remove. This was a few months back. By inspecting it I could clearly see that the rubber gasket/seal inside the charge cable plug connector was twisted. Well I must not have been the only one because Toyota has released a TSB on the issue. In my case this happened prior to their being a TSB, so the dealer just gave me a whole new charging cord (they said they do not attempt to repair anything hybrid related to the wiring). Anyway, long story short, the TSB simply tells the tech to remove that rubber seal using a pick or long flat blade screwdriver. Well it's good to know that if it happens again, I just need to pull that seal out and don't worry about it. Here's a quote: Let's see, here's the link to the TSB in PDF format, hope it works: http://www.revbase.com/BBBMotor/TSb/DownloadPdf?id=183534 As an aside, I'd be curious to know if new 2014 Plug-Ins being produced now do not have that seal.
I guess everything old is new again.... We commented on this- and came to the same conclusion (remove the rubber "o-ring") back in Feb 2014 to solve the same problem. 2012 PIP Charge Plug Tight | PriusChat I even had to remove the "o-ring" from the public ChargePoint station I use weekdays at work because of this problem.
Yup, just take out the seal and done. Either Toyota doesn't trust techs to replace the seal or they can't, or it's too expensive to replace the whole cable when this happens, or the seal really doesn't do that much. Whatever the reason, I'm surprised the fix is to just throw the seal in the trash. Oh well at least if it happens again to me I know what to do.
This just happened to me on one of my two factory cables. I just pushed the seal back in with a screwdriver and it works fine. It charges outdoors so I'd prefer to keep the seal if possible. Good to know the approved fix is so simple though.
I just took a look at my current charge cable/handle (Leviton A2055-PEV) that was purchased about four months ago.... it doesn't have an o-ring or even a cutout for one inside the handle. I guess that's how Leviton solves the o-ring problem!
on the other hand, my oem, which is used almost everyday in the elements still has the o ring in place. i wonder why it pulls out on some?
I think it may be connected to how the plug is stored. Is it kept outside in the weather or in a dry garage or in a heated garage. Mine has deteriorated but for the first two years of ownership it was stored outside. Now I'm in a dry (non-heated) garage.
mine is used once a day outside, thru all seasons. stored inside the car. so about 7-800 outdoor charges around an hour each, on average.
