Trek FX+2 charging issues & charger reset

[TimDean]

TLDR:
Trek FX+2 won't charge, no LED on charger, bike charge lights initially come on for 5 seconds then go out. Was told charger needs resetting, but no idea how you do that. Video of issue below.

I have a new Trek FX+2 commuter bike and since day one I've had some charging problems.

Sometimes I plug the charger into the wall, no LED on charger brick, then plug the cable into the battery on the bike, still no LED on charger. The bike has 5 green LEDs to show the charge. These will initially light up, say if battery at 20% charge I will get the lowest LED on solid with a second LED above it blinking. So looks good. Unfortunately after about 5 seconds all green lights on the bike go out.
Please see video below:

I can hear a buzzing sound coming from the charger so it's getting power OK, plus have plugged in some power tools to same socket and they work fine. Therefore outlet OK. Have also placed a power meter on the socked and the charger is drawing approx. 270mw, i.e. next to nothing. During a normal charge cycle it will pull 80-90w initially, then back off to around 12w when near 100% charge.

The bike shop I bought it from, Evans of Wimbledon, initially swapped charger for another one and this worked for a day, then same issue returned. Took it back again and they gave me the original charger which they said they had 'reset'. I asked how you reset it and they could not tell me, the person who did the work was not there.
I have emailed the store asking what this reset procedure is, in case it happens again, but so far no answer.

Anyone else had this issue?

 

[Bikky]

Hi
I have the same bike and same issues
The bike packed up even though there was still enough power.
I unplugged everything and it finally powered up.
I exchanged the charger for a replacement which worked for a while.
I think the chargers and electrics are poor quality on these machines and am disappointed.
Am taking bike back to dealer

 

[TimDean]

The 'Reset' Procedure Evans/Trek told me to use on the charger was a joke. It was simply unplug the charger and plug it back in till it worked, which could take 20-40 attempts. I did get a replacement charger after a month, however shortly after that my bike also died.

I left for work with 100% charge and after around 7 minutes the electric assist turned off and never turned on again. The battery would have been somewhere between 90-95% charge at that point.
Took the bike back to Evans in Wimbledon and the manager, Taylor, did not even want to look at the fault and said he would not help with the issue and I had to take it back to Trek myself. Asked for my money back and he said he could not because Trek were investigating. Called Trek who said they were not investigating. In the end I had to contact Barclaycard to investigate and then got my money back.

Have heard a few other people now with same charging issues for this bike. It's a shame because the bike itself was a good price for the components and weight IMHO. However reliability is a big factor and in the first month I had the bike I had to take it back to the Evans several times because of the issues. So will not look at a Hyena electrical system ever again. Bosch all the way for me now.

 

[Bikky]

My old bike is a KTM
I wanted something a bit lighter to put in the car.
The KTM charger was no problem
This is a problem bike
Taking it back to BALFES Reigate tomorrow
Am regretting buying it now as system seems a cheap Chinese one

 

[Petal54]

I’m having the same issues with the same bike! How did you get on Bikky in returning it?

 

[Bikky]

Took it back to BALFES
Told it needed a new controller in the hub
Am waiting for it’s return
It’s a Bluetooth controller in the motor hub
Keep you updated
Am
Using my KTM at moment
The trek is a dog.
Not recommended!!

 

[Bikky]

Add
I know most of electric bikes are made in china but it’s the quality control that matters

 

[Petal54]

Oh no! What a pain. I had a fault with the motor (don’t know what) in the first Trek e-bike I had in Jan. The bike shop replaced it but now problems with charging. I’m disappointed too. Thanks for the update will keep you posted.

 

[Bikky]

I should have known it’s no good as it’s a hub drive
Sod to repair puncture on rear wheel

 

[Bikky]

Hi
Got bike back from BALFES today
They fitted new motor/controller
Haven’t tried it yet !

 

[scrambler]

Likely not the issue, but normal procedure is to FIRST connect the battery to the charger (charger being OFF), and then power on the charger.
NOT plug the charger then connect the battery.

 

[fabiossigeno]

I guessed that the buzzing sound coming from the charger meant that some residual charge was still present (e.g., due to a some capacitors).
Given this, I tried to fully discharge the charger to actually reset it. It worked like a charm.
The procedure I use is:

1. unplug the charger from the power supply;
2. connect the charger to the battery (keeping it unplugged from power supply);
3. wait for a a few seconds (green lights on the bike may light up and than go out);
4. disconnect the charger from the battery;
5. repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 until no buzzing sound can be heard (eventually do it a couple of times more).

After this procedure, connect the charger to the battery and then to the power supply: the LED on charger brick should light up and the battery should start charging.
Let me know it it works for you too.