Charging cable removal issue

[LocoBill]

I came to use my i3 this evening and having unlocked the car tried to remove the charging cable which was not showing a green light, It was still locked. (last charging session finished at 05:30 this morning). I last used it yesterday and plugged in the charging cable for its overnight charge as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary noticed. I manually released the cable using the recommended method in the door frame ahead of the rear wheel arch. However, when I came to drive the car there was a warning on the dashboard, (not one that is covered or illustrated in the handbook,) which said “Unable to charge” The battery indicator is at 100% but the car won’t enter drive ready mode. Clearly the car thinks it is still connected to the charging cable, a fact possibly confirmed, as on removing the cable, I shut the flap and now it won’t open, even using the pull cord in the door frame.

Anyone any ideas, please?

 

[alohart]

Unfortunately, these emergency pull cables are fragile plastic and can break if pulled too hard. Hopefully, the charge door emergency pull cable didn't break. The charge door has an electric latch, so this could be malfunctioning.

The lock pin in the charge port can malfunction. I think that it usually won't extend, so the charge plug can't be locked to the port. Maybe it could also quit retracting which would keep the plug locked to the port. This lock pin is driven by a little motor than can corrode and stop working.

I believe when entering drive ready state is attempted while a charging plug is inserted, a message is displayed on the instrument panel explaining that the car can't be driven while a charging plug is inserted. If such a message isn't displayed, then the car might not be entering drive ready state for a different reason.

If you have an OBD scanner that understands BMW diagnostic trouble codes (e.g., BimmerLink), scan for DTC's. That might give you some clues.