P0DCEHybrid/EV Battery Cell Balancing Circuit I 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
- P0DCE means the bleed path of group I does not respond to a balancing request. Ford lists it in the 2019 OBD summary for its full and plug-in hybrids, where the BECM discharges only the highest cells to match the rest and runs this check for 100 ms at power-up before the contactors close. Because the code concerns a switch that never conducts, nothing happens suddenly while driving. The penalty grows from charge to charge: the Intersil application note AN141 explains that in a series string the unbalanced cells hit full charge before the others and the weakest cell then limits what the pack can deliver. For a plug-in that means less electric range. The fault has to be found under CARB's hybrid rules. The stuck-on opposite is P0DCD.
- What you may notice
- Electric range decreases over many charging cycles
- Cells of group I highest at the end of charging
- Check engine light without noticeable effect while driving
- Likely causes
- LikelyOpen bleed resistor in circuit I
- PossibleBalancing switch of group I that no longer closes
- RareCell tap of group I loose at the busbar
- 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.