P0DBCHybrid/EV Battery Cell Balancing Circuit E
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Turns on the check-engine light
- Matters for the ITP
- Can trigger limp mode
- How the car detects it
- P0DBC is set for an electrical fault in the fifth balancing channel, E: the controller cannot trust the path through which group E would be bled, because a lead, switch or resistor reads open, shorted or out of range. The floating-capacitor method in LG Chem's US20110285539A1 is one way to test that path without loading the cells: charge, discharge through the balancing circuit, then compare the residual voltage with a limit. CARB 13 CCR 1968.2 requires the balancing parts of a hybrid to be monitored. In bulletin 93 17 04 from Audi, covering the A3 e-tron of model year 2016, P0DBC00 appears with the circuit codes of A to H; late CAN start-up was the cause, removed by software for the battery controller at address 008C.
- What you may notice
- MIL and battery warning
- Electric drive possibly restricted
- Likely causes
- LikelyOpen or shorted balancing lead in group E
- PossibleMonitoring chip responsible for group E faulty
- RareModule connector of group E loose or corroded
- Inspection (ITP)
- Matters for the ITP. While the check-engine light is on, the car fails the emissions check.
- Repair
- Workshop only · Usually a job for a workshop.Typical cost: €200 – €4,000
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.