P0DC6Hybrid/EV Battery Cell Balancing Circuit G Stuck Off
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Turns on the check-engine light
- Matters for the ITP
- Needs a drive cycle to confirm a fix
- How the car detects it
- P0DC6 is set when circuit G stays idle although balancing is requested, so group G cannot give up charge. Ford names the code in its 2015 hybrid OBD summary and decides it from the start-up voltage comparison of the six cells per circuit. Ford's own patent application US20130030617A1 shows why this matters during charging: a resistor placed across a nearly full cell routes some of the charging current past it, or the higher cells are bled down at the end and the pack is topped up again. With circuit G dead, neither route works, and the cells of G define when charging must stop. The driver sees a slowly shrinking electric range, not a breakdown. Detecting it is a CARB requirement for hybrids. Opposite: P0DC5.
- What you may notice
- Electric range shrinks gradually over weeks
- Charging stops before the indicated target
- Check engine light without immediate drivability change
- Likely causes
- LikelyShunt resistor of group G open, no current can bypass the cells
- PossibleBalancing switch of group G does not close on command
- RarePin backed out of the cell harness connector
- 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: €300 – €4,500
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.