A red light on a Tesla wall charger is a specific fault code. The pattern (solid, or 1 to 7 blinks) names the fault. The same count means different things on a Gen 3, a Gen 2 and a Mobile Connector, so identify the unit first.
Which unit is showing the red light?
Most bad advice about the red light comes from reading the wrong code table. Look at the hardware before you count anything.
| What you see | Unit | Where the light is |
|---|---|---|
| Glass front, one vertical light bar, joins Wi-Fi | Gen 3 Wall Connector (or Universal Wall Connector) | Vertical bar on the faceplate |
| Plastic face, often silver, a notch on the side to dock the handle, no Wi-Fi | Gen 2 Wall Connector | A top light, streaming green lights, a yellow light and a red light |
| Black control box partway along a portable cable, TESLA letters lit on it | Gen 2 Mobile Connector | The letters; the T is the one that turns red |
| Light around the socket on the car | Your car, not the charger | Charge port |
If you are not sure whether your Wall Connector is the older model, our page on how to tell which generation you have has photos of each.
Gen 3 Wall Connector red light codes
Since 2020 the Gen 3 has been the unit Tesla sells, so this is the table most owners need. The codes below are from Tesla's installation manual fault-code page.
| Red pattern | Fault | Charging | Who usually fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid red | Internal fault | Disabled | You (breaker reset), then Tesla |
| 1 blink | Ground fault: current found an unsafe path | Disabled | You (inspect), then electrician |
| 2 blinks | Ground assurance: ground resistance too high | Disabled | Electrician |
| 3 blinks | High temperature | Limited or disabled | Electrician |
| 4 blinks | Internet connection lost | Still works | You |
| 5 blinks | Power-sharing communication problem | Reduced | You or installer |
| 6 blinks | Overvoltage or poor grid quality | Disabled | Electrician or utility |
| 7 blinks | Vehicle overcurrent | Varies | You (car settings), then Tesla |
Blue and green are not faults. Solid green is ready, solid blue means the car is connected but not asking for power (usually a charging schedule), and two blue blinks mean access control or a schedule is holding charging back.
Solid red: internal fault
The unit has found a problem inside itself and stopped. Turn its breaker off, wait about 5 seconds, and turn it back on. That breaker cycle is the only reset Tesla documents for a Gen 3; there is no Wall Connector reset button on this model. If solid red returns, write down the part number and serial number from the label and contact Tesla.
1 blink: ground fault
The built-in ground-fault protection (Tesla lists it as CCID20) saw current leaking somewhere it should not. Look for water in the handle, a cut or crushed cable, a cracked faceplate or debris in the car's charge port. Once you have checked, press the button on the charge handle or pull the handle out and plug it back in to clear the lockout. If one blink comes back on a dry day with an undamaged cable, have an electrician check the wiring.
2 blinks: ground assurance fault
The charger tests that its ground conductor really goes back to the panel. Two blinks means the resistance is too high: a loose ground screw, a missing ground wire, or a problem with the neutral-to-ground bond at the main panel. This is not a homeowner fix.
3 red blinks: high temperature
When a Tesla charger is blinking red 3 times, the Gen 3 is protecting itself from heat. It will slow down or stop charging. The two things Tesla tells installers to check are wire size and terminal torque, because an undersized conductor or a loose screw heats up under a long 48 A load. Tesla's manual calls for at least 6 AWG 90 C copper on a 75 C breaker at full power (4 AWG with a 60 C breaker), which our guide to breaker size and wire gauge explains. Keep the unit on Wi-Fi so it gets firmware fixes, and have an electrician check torque and wire size. A scorched smell or discolored cover means stop using it until it is inspected.
4 blinks: internet connection lost
The only red code that does not affect charging. The unit lost its Wi-Fi link, so the app and firmware updates are paused. Restart the router, and if you changed your Wi-Fi password or router, you will need to rejoin the network; the steps are in our guide for when the Wall Connector is not connecting to Wi-Fi.
5 blinks: power-sharing problem
Only matters if you have two or more Gen 3 units sharing one supply (Tesla allows up to 6). The units talk over Wi-Fi, and one has lost contact with the others, so charging drops to a safe level. Move anything that interferes with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, then re-link the units through commissioning.
6 blinks: overvoltage or poor grid quality
A Tesla charger blinking red 6 times is reading supply voltage outside its window. The Gen 3 expects 200 to 240 V. This can follow storms, a loose neutral at the service, or problems on the utility side. An electrician can measure at the panel. If the readings are high at the meter, call the utility.
7 blinks: vehicle overcurrent
The car drew more current than the charger allowed. Lower the charge current on the car's charging screen a few amps below the maximum and try again. If it repeats, contact Tesla with your VIN and the time it happened.
Red and green lights together
Owners searching for a Tesla wall charger red and green light are usually looking at a Gen 2 Wall Connector or a Gen 2 Mobile Connector, not a Gen 3. Tesla's Gen 3 manual does not list a combined red and green code.
On a Gen 2 Wall Connector, the top green light stays on while red flashes:
| Top green on + red flashes | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Over-temperature, unit has latched off |
| 2 | Non-Tesla vehicle on an incompatible input |
| 3 | Rotary switch set wrong |
| 4 | More than one unit set as leader |
| 5 | More than 3 followers |
| 6 | Linked units have different max ratings |
On a Gen 2 Mobile Connector, green lights streaming while red flashes means it is still charging but at reduced current: 1 flash is a hot vehicle connector, 2 a hot input plug at the control box, 3 a hot control box, 4 a hot wall plug and 5 an adapter fault. All green with 5 red flashes means an adapter fault that limits charging to 8 A.
The red T on the Mobile Connector
The Gen 2 Mobile Connector shows status through the TESLA letters on its control box, and the T is the letter that lights red. Owners on Tesla Motors Club traced one common case, where the T blinks red while the other letters stay green and charging slows, to the plug adapter slowly working loose from the weight of the cable. Pushing it fully home fixed it. Another owner traced the same symptom to a hot lead not gripping inside a 14-50 outlet.
Both are heat problems at a plug connection, and they get worse with time. Support the adapter so it cannot sag, and if the outlet itself feels warm, stop using it and have it checked. That is one reason many people move from charging from a 14-50 outlet to a hardwired unit. If you are comparing the two, our page on mobile charger vs Wall Connector covers the trade-offs.
With the green letters off, red flashes on the Mobile Connector mean charging has stopped: 1 is a ground fault, 2 ground loss, 3 a relay fault, 4 over or under voltage, 5 an adapter fault, 6 a pilot (communication) fault and 7 a software mismatch. Unplug both ends and plug back in to reset it.
The current Gen 3 Mobile Connector, with a single vertical green light, has no published red code list as of October 2026. Unplug both ends to restart it, and contact Tesla if the red light persists.
Gen 2 Wall Connector: red flashes alone
With the green and yellow lights off, a Gen 2 shows these red flash codes. Some of them retry by themselves, so a Gen 2 can look like it fixed itself.
| Red flashes | Fault | Auto-retry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ground fault | Every 15 min, up to 4 times |
| 2 | No ground | Every 1 min, up to 4 times |
| 3 | Miswired | No |
| 4 | Over or under voltage | Every 1 min, up to 4 times |
| 5 | Over-current | Every 1 min, no limit |
| 6 | Vehicle communication error | Every 1 min, no limit |
| Solid red | Hardware failure | No |
A Gen 2 also has yellow flash codes for heat (1 at the vehicle connector, 2 at the input terminals, 3 inside the unit). Unlike the Gen 3, it has a physical reset button that clears faults; the reset guide covers the timings.
A red light on the car's charge port
A Tesla charge port red light comes from the car, not the charger. Red at the port means the car has detected a charging fault, and the touchscreen will say what it is. Solid amber means the plug is not fully seated; blinking amber means the car is pulling reduced current.
If the port is red and the Wall Connector is green, the car is the place to start: read the message, then reseat the plug. If both are red, use the Wall Connector's code.
A fault-finding order that saves a service call
Work through these in order. Stop at the step that clears the light.
- Count three full cycles of blinks. Write the number down with the date and time.
- Confirm the unit. Gen 3, Gen 2, Mobile Connector or the car's port.
- Check the car's screen. It often names the problem in plain words.
- Clear a lockout. Press the handle button or pull and reinsert the handle.
- Power cycle. Breaker off, wait 5 seconds, breaker on. On a Gen 3, all lights come on for up to 5 seconds, then green lights show the breaker setting for 10 seconds.
- Run Tesla's Diagnose flow on the Wall Connector troubleshooting page. Some fixes are pushed remotely and can take up to 24 hours.
- Call the right person. Codes 1, 2, 3 and 6 on a Gen 3 are wiring or supply problems for a licensed electrician; solid red and 7 go to Tesla.
If an electrician did your original Wall Connector wiring, call them first for 2 or 3 blinks on a new install, since ground connections and terminal torque are the things those codes point at.
Questions owners ask about the red light
Why is my Tesla charger blinking red?
A blinking red light is a fault code, and the number of blinks names the fault. On a Gen 3 Wall Connector, 1 or 2 blinks are grounding problems, 3 is heat, 4 is lost internet, 5 is power sharing, 6 is supply voltage and 7 is vehicle overcurrent. Count several cycles, check which charger you have, then match the count to that charger's table.
Can I keep charging while the Wall Connector shows red?
Sometimes. Four blinks on a Gen 3 only means the internet connection dropped, so charging carries on. Three blinks may still charge, but at reduced power. Solid red and 1, 2 or 6 blinks disable charging. Never bypass a ground-fault or voltage code; those exist to stop current flowing where it should not.
What does a solid red light on a Tesla wall charger mean?
On a Gen 3 Wall Connector it means an internal fault and charging is disabled. Turn the breaker off for about 5 seconds and back on. If solid red comes back, note the part number and serial number from the label and contact Tesla. On a Gen 2 unit, solid red is a hardware failure, and on a Gen 2 Mobile Connector it means the self-check failed.
Does a red light mean the charger needs replacing?
Not usually. Most red codes trace to things outside the unit: Wi-Fi, grounding, a loose terminal, supply voltage or the car. A solid red that survives a breaker reset is the code most likely to end in a replacement. The Wall Connector carries a 48-month residential warranty from the invoice date, so check your purchase date before paying for repairs.
Why did my Wall Connector go red after a power outage?
Voltage swings when the grid comes back can trip a supply-voltage fault (6 blinks on a Gen 3), and a router that is still rebooting can cause 4 blinks. Wait for power to settle, give the router a few minutes, then cycle the charger's breaker once. Tesla advises against troubleshooting during an outage or extreme weather.
Is the red light on my car's charge port the same as the Wall Connector's?
No. The charge port light is the car's own status light. Red there means the car has detected a charging fault, and the touchscreen will show a message explaining it. Blinking amber at the port means the car is drawing reduced current, and solid amber means the plug is not fully seated.
Sources
- Tesla Gen 3 Wall Connector installation manual: troubleshooting and fault codes, energylibrary.tesla.com
- Tesla support: Troubleshooting a Wall Connector, tesla.com
- Tesla Gen 2 Wall Connector installation manual (PDF), digitalassets.tesla.com
- Tesla service: Gen 2 Mobile Connector status lights, service.tesla.com
- Tesla Model Y owner's manual: Charging instructions and charge port light, tesla.com
- Tesla Motors Club: Blinking red T on the Mobile Connector, teslamotorsclub.com
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