P0DCE: Hybrid/EV Battery Cell Balancing Circuit I Stuck Off

What does P0DCE mean?

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.

The code tells you which monitor failed, not which part is broken. Test before replacing parts.

Symptoms

• 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

Common causes

• High Open bleed resistor in circuit I
• Medium Balancing switch of group I that no longer closes
• Low Cell tap of group I loose at the busbar

Likelihood is a general estimate across vehicles; your make and model may differ.