VW e-up! not charging – charge LED blinking yellow

• Stefan Helander


• 18 Jan 2026

I had a problem where my VW e-up! wouldn’t charge from time to time. The LED by the charger inlet was blinking yellow indicating “Parking lock not engaged”. Of course I had checked that the parking break was applied and gear shifter in P position.

It turns out that also the steering wheel must be locked. So, after driving, before turning the ignition off I do:

1. Put the gear lever to P position
2. Apply the parking break
3. Turn off the ignition and remove the key
4. Turn the steering wheel slightly until it locks

Now apply charger cable and verify that the charger LED turns green after a while (or blinking green if a timed charge is active).