P0DE1Hybrid/EV Battery Cell Balancing Circuit N Stuck On
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Turns on the check-engine light
- Matters for the ITP
- Can trigger limp mode
- Needs a drive cycle to confirm a fix
- How the car detects it
- P0DE1 is the last stuck-on code of the series: group N keeps bleeding when it should rest. Ford lists it in every hybrid OBD summary from 2014 to 2019; in the 2017 edition the BECM spends 100 ms after key-on, while the contactors are still open, checking whether any of the six cells of circuit N sits more than 75 mV from the average, with two consecutive power cycles needed. A balancing switch that cannot open drains the group constantly, even with the car parked, and turns that energy into heat on the board. A cell with an internal short can produce the same falling voltage, so a check of the switch on the bench is worthwhile before the cells are condemned. Ford's 2014 code list ties the code to the MIL. Inactive case: P0DE2.
- What you may notice
- Check engine light after switching on
- Group N drops while the car is parked
- Shorter electric range
- Likely causes
- LikelyBalancing switch of group N permanently conducting
- PossibleMonitoring electronics keeping the balancing command for N active
- RareCell of group N with an internal short causing the same voltage drop
- 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.