RESOLVED Grill aero shutters stuck

[AJMN]

Beginning two days ago the lower grill shutters on my ‘21 AGT have been stuck in the closed position, though I can hear the solenoid trying to move them. There is an intermittent click as the solenoid clutch(?) gives out/resets. I initially assumed this was due to snow/ice buildup, but any should be melted at this point. Perhaps damage was done earlier. Anyone else experience this? I have a tech appt on Monday and will have it evaluated. Assuming at this point it may need a trip to the shop to fix.

 

[hydbob]

Beginning two days ago the lower grill shutters on my ‘21 AGT have been stuck in the closed position, though I can hear the solenoid trying to move them. There is an intermittent click as the solenoid clutch(?) gives out/resets. I initially assumed this was due to snow/ice buildup, but any should be melted at this point. Perhaps damage was done earlier. Anyone else experience this? I have a tech appt on Monday and will have it evaluated. Assuming at this point it may need a trip to the shop to fix.

Only person I know had a shutter issue was @AirDoll

 

[TakeDuo]

TIL that my car has active aero grill shutters

 

[AirDoll]

Beginning two days ago the lower grill shutters on my ‘21 AGT have been stuck in the closed position, though I can hear the solenoid trying to move them. There is an intermittent click as the solenoid clutch(?) gives out/resets. I initially assumed this was due to snow/ice buildup, but any should be melted at this point. Perhaps damage was done earlier. Anyone else experience this? I have a tech appt on Monday and will have it evaluated. Assuming at this point it may need a trip to the shop to fix.

Yes I had that same thing happen after we had a front end “collision” with a coyote. It’s the actuator for cooling the batteries.

 

[AirDoll]

Sorry, hit reply too soon. We ended up having to have it towed to the service center because of it. They didn’t recommend driving it with that issue.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

I’m surprised that the vehicle doesn’t present an error for that issue as the aero vents are integral to the cooling system.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Wow, ok learned something new and that explains a noise I heard coming from that area last week when it was very cold here.
Sounded like a loud clunk and as described had a reset and clunk again like something was stuck/un-stuck. Never heard it before or since. Now I'll have to check it out. This is not a car for snow ? If there is some kind of moving grill in that area it won't last the winter on the East coast.

 

[RichMalden]

Wow, ok learned something new and that explains a noise I heard coming from that area last week when it was very cold here.
Sounded like a loud clunk and as described had a reset and clunk again like something was stuck/un-stuck. Never heard it before or since. Now I'll have to check it out. This is not a car for snow ? If there is some kind of moving grill in that area it won't last the winter on the East coast.

This exact same thing happened to me during that cold snap near Christmas. I didn't know what it was either and have a video with the sound repeating over and over again any time the car was awake.

It stopped when the temperature warmed up and I haven't had a chance to call about it yet either.

 

[borski]

Wow, ok learned something new and that explains a noise I heard coming from that area last week when it was very cold here.
Sounded like a loud clunk and as described had a reset and clunk again like something was stuck/un-stuck. Never heard it before or since. Now I'll have to check it out. This is not a car for snow ? If there is some kind of moving grill in that area it won't last the winter on the East coast.

It works fine in the snow. They may freeze, but they will generally unfreeze without issue. @AirDoll’s issue was due to hitting a wily coyote, not snow.

 

[AJMN]

@Tim-in-CA, I did recently get the "turtle warning"; Driving Power Reduced, but don't know if it's related to the shutters being stuck. The car drove as normal despite that warning, and I did a reset just in case. The warning has not reoccurred though the shutters remain stuck. I do have a Lucid mobile tech working on the car as I type this (replacing a creaky steering wheel). We briefly discussed the shutters and he'll evaluate further. I'm not counting on there being an easily apparent fix, so mentally preparing for the car to be visiting Chicago soon.

 

[AJMN]

This exact same thing happened to me during that cold snap near Christmas. I didn't know what it was either and have a video with the sound repeating over and over again any time the car was awake.

It stopped when the temperature warmed up and I haven't had a chance to call about it yet either.

I initially assumed some snow/ice buildup was the root cause. However after a night in the garage (@45 degrees) everything else had melted off. I don't see how cold alone would cause the issue. Either way, they remain stuck. Perhaps it's more apparent with the apparatus in hand to understand how it works. Some quick searching online yields that these are becoming common on many vehicles (EV and ICE) and other mfrs are not immune from issues.

 

[AJMN]

Update: shutters are operational. The technician didn't need to repair anything, however he did show me how to test. Just put the A/C on full blast and within a few seconds the shutters will actuate. Perhaps there was some residual ice/dirt in there from the last time I noticed them making the clicking noise. I'm relieved.

 

[Air_GT]

I just realized I have this issue intermittently… so so how do we know if grille is stuck in the open/closed position? What does it look like?

 

[borski]

Update: shutters are operational. The technician didn't need to repair anything, however he did show me how to test. Just put the A/C on full blast and within a few seconds the shutters will actuate. Perhaps there was some residual ice/dirt in there from the last time I noticed them making the clicking noise. I'm relieved.

Fascinating, and good to know! Thanks for sharing, and glad it is resolved!

 

[AJMN]

I just realized I have this issue intermittently… so so how do we know if grille is stuck in the open/closed position? What does it look like?

The shutters are visible as you look at the lower portion of the front of the car. There are four total shutters, arranged in stacked pairs. Rough estimate is each is 2” tall by 20” wide. They are set back a few inches from the outermost surface of the bumper, but you can get your fingers on them (as I did when trying to get them to move). When open you can see the heat exchangers located behind.

 

[Air_GT]

The shutters are visible as you look at the lower portion of the front of the car. There are four total shutters, arranged in stacked pairs. Rough estimate is each is 2” tall by 20” wide. They are set back a few inches from the outermost surface of the bumper, but you can get your fingers on them (as I did when trying to get them to move). When open you can see the heat exchangers located behind.

Ok so just like OP noted; after my car has been out in the cold for a long time when I drive home and park in the garage, I noticed the shutters do appear to be stuck in the closed position and I hear a solenoid or motor trying to open them. It’s like a rhythmic clacking sound and it lasts for maybe 15 minutes after I park the car. Should I take it in? I haven’t tried the A/C trick to see if they open.

 

[AJMN]

Same symptoms I had. Mine were acting up for 3 days before I had a technician visit for unrelated repairs. I had him investigate the shutters and they were working again at that point. I don’t know if initiating full A/C served to get them working again, or they were magically healed and then full A/C simply revealed their proper function. I will attempt full A/C at the first sign of malfunction in the future, should it happen.

 

[Air_GT]

So after the noise stopped I went in the garage and turned driver and passenger A/C to 10 but the vents didn’t open.

I then went on a 15 minute drive and parked in the garage again and they are still blocked shut with the noisy motor trying to activate them .

I guess I’ll contact CC tomorrow

 

[AJMN]

That’s unfortunate. Hopefully they start moving again soon! I recall when I spoke to my technician this particular issue wasn’t on the list of things they already knew how to fix (other than digging in).

 

[Air_GT]

Yeah I just made the appointment and am going in on Wednesday they said they had to order new shutters for the job. They said it’s a quick job though I can have the car back a few hours later.