I had a similar problem, the 12V battery died after the van had been parked for about a week. I pulled the battery out and put it on a commercial charger I have. After 3 hours, no voltage whatsoever. I gave up on the dealer, the same answer, bring it in, (towed) and they would check if it was under warranty. I gave up, didn't want to leave the van for who knows how long so I went and bought a new, different brand and better quality battery and installed it myself. No problems after that. Out $230, but after research found Chrysler is still using the same brand battery, so might have had the same problem with a dealer install.

 

So what brand and form factor have you bought? I am afraid i may be facing the same issue some time in the future and i'd rather be prepared.

 

Sorry this happened dude!

You handled the problem like a pro..

 

I'm also upset about the door. It opened and closed manually the first time, the rear latch got in the locked position on the second opening. I don't know what caused it. I read the owner manual (after the fact, of course ) and there is no manual bypass or unlock. It must have a good 12V power to operate. My charger is capable of 8Amp output- not enough to power the accessories, hence the need for another battery. I'm thinking of making an emergency starting kit based on that UPS battery. It should fit neatly in the charger compartment in the trunk.

 

Go modern and get a lithium jump pack. They are cheap, and really effective and some are about the size of a phone in a case.

Hybrids should be fine with the little ones, but this one is good enough to jump diesels all day.

https://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-1800...8000mAh-Portable-Charging-Flashlight/dp/B077HY7SFJ?ref_=fspcr_pl_dp_3_318336011

My towing friend swears by this thing.

 

This thing looks sweet! Just what i need before a cold Wisconsin winter.

 

Yes a jump pack is a good idea. If you have a dead 12 volt battery it can be quite difficult to tow because you can't get the shifter out of Park and into Neutral and the parking brake will have been automatically engaged. The manual talks about connecting the van to a level 1 or level 2 charger while you move it which is not possible if you are not within reach of a power outlet. The alternative is a 12 volt jump battery.

Curious that it ran down the 12 volt battery in the first place. Maybe the radio isn't shutting off properly? That is one of the possibilities mentioned in the UConnect update.

 

Hybrids should be fine with the little ones, but this one is good enough to jump diesels all day.

https://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-1800...8000mAh-Portable-Charging-Flashlight/dp/B077HY7SFJ?ref_=fspcr_pl_dp_3_318336011

My towing friend swears by this thing.[/QUOTE]
This is a good solution for a random jump start, but I have doubts about keeping it in the van. Li-Ion battery chemistry becomes funky when fully charged with as much energy as these batteries hold. The fire danger is real, especially considering how hot it can be inside a parked vehicle. The battery will suffer a permanent damage if it gets above 45 C.

Curious that it ran down the 12 volt battery in the first place. Maybe the radio isn't shutting off properly? That is one of the possibilities mentioned in the UConnect update.

I think my battery has a partially shorted cell or some other significant damage. It is not simply discharged. I kept it on an 8Amp charger for at least 20 hours over the course of two days, and it never fully recovered. When I finished this evening, the voltage with the charger connected was 13.2V- it would be 14.4 on a good battery. When I disconnected the charger it dropped to 11.8- should be at least 12.6. When I fighting with the sliding door the battery sank so much current, I had to disconnect it to bring the voltage up.

The van still shows "Service Charging System" and has two "Network" fault codes. After I turn it on the engine fans run for about 5 minutes. It can't be driven. Maybe there is something else going on there. I checked the service information, there are no special things to be done when powering up from a dead battery. I'll call for a tow in the morning.I'm glad it didn't happen while the van was parked in the garage. Getting in out thru the narrow door on my steep and curved driveway could be an youtube material.

 

speaking of the bad battery, how do we open the panel in the rear to have full access to the 12V AGM bettery on the pachy? That panel doesn't have any screw hole (that I can see), and I would hate to break the clips behind that trim piece.
Thank God that I haven't got the problem with it yet, but I foresee that is the component that I'll have to change out most frequently.

 

From the Facebook Pacifica Hybrid group (well worth joining):

To remove the full (outer) panel to access the battery compartment:
1) Remove all items from upper storage cabinet
2) Unscrew one black screw inside the storage cabinet facing you. It's near the upper left of the compartment. Its location is not as deep as the rest of the compartment. It's a T15 torx head. EDIT: Evidently not everyone has a screw here. If not, proceed to step 3.
3) Remove the bottom battery cover. It removes easily by pulling out on the bottom lip/handle. This provides some extra leverage for steps 4+5.
4) If you have some plastic trim removal tools, use them to pry from the bottom and unclip one of the bottom snaps. If you don't have tools that won't damage the trim edges, you could just use your finger tips to pull out near the bottom from within the small battery compartment opening.
5) After releasing a clip or two, use your fingers to slide under the trim to the adjacent snaps and pull near each of them. After unsnapping 3 or 4, enough of the trim will be unclipped to use two hands, and—using a good tug—pop off the entire panel.

 

The van got towed to the dealer. The tow truck driver probed behind that little cover under the dashboards with his dirty finger trying to find the transmission release. I told him that only the gas version has it, but he wouldn't listen. Eventually he used metal wedges to drag the van up his flatbed.
Unloading at the dealer was quite nerve wracking. He had to tilt down the flatbed, spray WD40 or similar under the wheels, and shake the van down with jerking motions of the flatbed. Of course the van wouldn't go down completely straight and I was worried it could scratch the rim or bumper. But somehow it worked.

 

Very interested to hear how this turns out

About a month ago we picked up our 2018 PacHyb from long term airport parking after an 8 day trip. They reported the battery was dean and they had jumped it. On the hour + drive home the voltage came up to 14. Have not had a problem since, but the van has not set parked for more than a day or two. Could be the parking lot folks did not properly shut the van down after parking, but wondering if we also have a bad 12V battery.

Please keep us posted.

 

Please keep us posted.

The dealer called yesterday, told me that there were an issue with the Battery Control Module that will need a further troubleshooting. Their only Hybrid tech is in training today, so the van will stay there for now.
My take on it is that the extend of their troubleshooting yesterday was that they read the codes, which indicated the network communication failure I mentioned before.
I remember that several members of this forum had problems with "Service Charging System" prominently displayed on the screen. I searched the older posts and didn't find anyone with the exact sequence of events and symptoms as mine:

• Fully discharged battery (3.5V)
• Battery can't be fully charged

Symptoms when charged to 12V (should be enough to function)


When ignition is set to "Run"

• The HV battery indicator quickly runs from 0 to 100% then changes to "--" (The HV battery was fully charged)
• The red battery symbol in the top right corner indicates a 12V battery problem
• The MIL light is on
• "Service Charging System" in the center
• When shifting to "D", both the gear light and MIL begin to blink, the van stays in Park.
• The radiator fans may turn on and run for 5 minutes even if the ignition is switched to off.

 

I just realized that I forgot one important troubleshooting step- disconnecting the battery and waiting a few minutes for residual voltages to bleed off. The van could've restarted normally after that. Slowly reducing the supply voltage from 12 to 3 Volts can put the electronics in some weird state.

 

Thanks to members like you that are expanding the knowledge base for hybrid Pacificas. I am keeping an eye on the hybrids because a hybrid would fit most of our driving very nicely. Best of luck to you.

 

I'm a big supporter of the "right to repair" movement. Problems with electronics in the modern cars is nearly impossible to fix outside of dealers- mostly because it can't be done without the proprietary equipment. Such equipment is either very expensive or outright impossible to acquire. If we will document our experience we should be able to guess at least some frequent problem points.
My van got looked at it today, but the dealer didn't call me. So they still don't know what is wrong with it.

 

Has anyone tried upgrading to an aftermarket battery? I bet putting in a deep cycle, dry cell battery wouldbe worth it for the piece of mind.

 

My dead battery was the the beginning of a series of unfortunate events. The van has been at the dealer for a week, and I haven't heard anything back from them. Last week I saw the "Charge Failure" notification from the uConnect app popping up on my phone every morning. I figured that the tech opened a STAR case and was going running tests based on their advice. I saw no notification today- I guess he gave up


I drove a rental Dodge GC to work today- the generational difference between it and Pachy is nothing short of amazing. The eFlite transmission with its instant torque delivery is the major part of it.

 

I told my wife to be gentle on the gas pedal when starting from a stop, wondering if those strong torque is part of what's causing some to report premature tire wear

 

Darlene, thanks for your offer. I don't have a problem with the dealer's handling the repair and see no need to escalate. This is first time in my life that my car had to be towed. Doesn't inspire a confidence.


The diagnostic has been a slow exchange between the dealer and FCA. They think the problem is with BPCM (battery pack control module). The codes I read with a scanner also hinted to it, as well as the "--" for the state of charge on the dashboard. This module is located inside the battery, and thus the whole battery will need to be replaced. A FCA Engineering rep came to check and authorize the replacement. The list price for the battery is in $20k range.

The replacement will happen next week (I hope).

I'm concerned that the battery they will install will be refurbished and may not be as good as mine. I doubt I can do anything about it.


The name I gave to this thread turned out to have a deeper meaning that I intended.

 

"The list price for the battery is in $20k range." :surprise::surprise::surprise: That has got to be almost half the value of your van...

 

Thinking about replacement battery

Thing about what you said here “I'm concerned that the battery they will install will be refurbished and may not be as good as mine. I doubt I can do anything about it.“

You might check your state consumer protection laws, that might provide some leverage if they want to use a refurbish part. In the case of a battery, it might have less useful life than your original battery. Just a thought.

Sorry that you have had this trouble with your van.

 

This is mostly funny money. The battery has a 10 years warranty. BPCM is an internal component, so it is covered. The battery itself isn't difficult to repair. I'm sure that by the time the warranties will expire, it will be no shortage of used batteries from crashed vans and a cottage industry refurbishing the batteries will develop. Just like no one buys a replacement engine from a dealer.

 

This is mostly funny money.

Couldnt be more correct. Warranty price and retail price is all based on funny money.

When a manufacturer makes a part, sells it to a dealer - who in turn sells it back to the manufacturer as a warranty item. The price is no reflection of the cost.

The price of the part is made up, or funny money.

If I make a part for $20 a unit, sell it to my network of dealers for $2000 each. They will mark it up 30% and sell it back to me at $2600 in a warranty claim, it costs me $620.

If its an insurance claim, then I make $1980 on the same part.

IMO, The game is deciding how often a part might be warranteed vrs repalced due to accident damage.

You can see this is true once a part becomes a common defect. The manufacturers don't want to give as much markup profit to the dealerships and they make a new part number and drop the price to near nothing for warranty billing. But the parts in the boxes are the same revision numbers.

Unfortunately retail prices remains the high typically - They are out for a profit after all.

 

I did not use my Pacifica Hybrid for three days. I had stopped charging the battery to use up the remaining gas. When I tried to start the car the battery was almost completely dead - a few light were working, and I got some alerts. I called AAA and they said these cars can use all the battery if you don’t start them every day, or keep the charger attached. I was able to use my plug in battery charger to start the car, and insure that all the systems were okay. It is charging normally now, and I have received no more warnings. I would say it is important not to let the car go unused for several days unless you are able to keep it plugged in.

 

@johnnyb231 Van should be able to stay unused for weeks. You either have a defective battery or a parasitic drain. Take it to a dealer.

 

My van is still at the dealer, probably waiting for the HV battery. I'm worried about getting a highly used battery- for example from one of the Waymo autonomous PacHys that could have been on the road 24/7 for the past year.

m0ebius604 has an access to the factory scan tool and he generously agreed to check the battery data. I would imagine that the BMS stores a variety of data.

m0ebius604, can you check if it is possible to see things like:
State of Health (residual capacity)
Date of manufacture
Number of the charge/discharge cycles
Max/Min temperatures
Cell balancing state
Anything else of interest.
I want to ask the dealer to scan the replacement battery and see that it is up to specs. A couple of Witech screenshots will help me to act like I know what I'm talking about

 

Sure, I'll push to get this done on the weekend

 

Thank you. It occurred to me that some- if not all- of these values may be reset when the battery is refurbished. New BMS module- and all the history is gone.

 

Following this thread. Expanding the knowledge base for hybrid owners...or perspective owners :wink2:

 

Owning and servicing a plug in car is a learning experience. Unfortunately, it is also a learning experience for the dealers. The long warranties for the hybrid components and anything emission related add some confidence.

 

Hello All,

I am new here(this is my first message). I hope everyone is doing well. My 2018 Pacifica Hybrid is experiencing a similar issue. I have taken it to the dealer after it was dead. Check engine light was on. Dealer kept it for 3-4 days and drove it after resetting the light. They said it may be due to the voltage drop when the battery died but I shouldn't experience any issues.
After that Check Engine light intermittently comes and goes. Recently I had the light on for 3 days so I decided to take it to the dealer again and they said the same/similar codes came back.
Here is the list:
B197500
B129411
B129511
B129611
B129711
B129811
B129911
U112400
B15AE00
B15AD00
B15AB00
B15AA00

Attached is the print out of codes. Any advice is appreciated.

 

My 2018 Pacifica Hybrid is experiencing a similar issue. I have taken it to the dealer after it was dead. Check engine light was on. Dealer kept it for 3-4 days and drove it after resetting the light. They said it may be due to the voltage drop when the battery died but I shouldn't experience any issues.
After that Check Engine light intermittently comes and goes. Recently I had the light on for 3 days so I decided to take it to the dealer again and they said the same/similar codes came back.
Here is the list:
B197500
B129411
B129511
B129611
B129711
B129811
B129911
U112400
B15AE00
B15AD00
B15AB00
B15AA00

Not really the right thread for that question, but here goes anyway. U1124 is commonly associated with an intermittent contact on the battery coolant heater connector. There is a bulletin out for it that applies to vans built on or before 10/30/17. Don't know about the others, but the B15xxxx ones sound like the UConnect radio lost power, perhaps because you pulled the fuse to fix a problem?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yk4vrd8uo2k8gfb/08-034-18 electric coolant heater recall.pdf?dl=0

 

Let's go page by page, according to the m0ebius604'es screenshots

P1- nothing of interest
P2
Charge and Discharge KWH- Does it represent the last cycle? The values are too low for the full 0-100% charge. More data points are needed.
P3
Number of Opens/ Closes. Every time the ignition is turned on or off or the charge is started the contactors go on or off. These values can help to guess how long or intensive the battery had been in use.

P4
Max/Min Cell Voltage- A healthy battery should have a minimal difference between the voltages.

Max/Ave/Min SOC- do these numbers refer to the current SOC? The same lines are visible on the next page, and the numbers are higher. Screenshots done while charging?
P5- 9 Nothing
P10
Charge time- Are you on a L1 charger? Otherwise this indicator doesn't make sense.

Number of Cells balancing- the fewer is the better, I guess.
P11-17 Nothing
P18
The three mysterious SOH items... A couple of more readings at different SOCs and temperatures should probably clarify their meaning. 89.8 seems too low to be true.
Full capacity- Battery rated voltage is 355V, 355x47=16.69KWH- makes sense.
Remaining Capacity- That one would be interesting to see at both 100% and 0% SOC.

P19-20
P21-22
BUH indicators. They show how the battery temperature changed while driving. The smaller changes indicate smooth driving style and/or healthier battery.
HV Battery Miles- one of the Fault Data screenshots show the mileage as 8123, so I don't know what to make out of that HEX number.



I'm neither automotive no chemical engineer or tech. Consider everything above wild guesses and treat it as an invitation to a discussion.

 

Charge and Discharge KWH- Does it represent the last cycle? The values are too low for the full 0-100% charge. More data points are needed.

I believe this is the global kWh. Ie: The kWh put into the vehicle and also used by the vehicle. The difference between the charge and discharge would be the kWh generated by the vehicle.

3801kWh / 8123mi [screenshot(4).jpg] = 46.7kWh/100mi which is 6.7kWh more than EPA's 40kWh/100mi specification.

However I have 8587mi currently, so it must be since last cleared.

I live in a mountainous region and have summer/winter efficiency to average together in this reading.

 

@AZBean Thank you! I didn't know where it would fit. They called and said that they need to replace a part and they would let me know which part it is tomorrow.

 

In the TechAuthority screenshot posted by @m0ebius604 there is a bit I did not know:

In addition, the BPCM will periodically wake up to check the temperature of the HV battery pack. If the temperature is found to be too low then the BPCM will signal on a hard-wired line to the OBCM. The OBCM will then relay that information through another hard-wired signal to the HCP which will wake up the rest of ePT and warm the HV battery.

Further up it says this is a "key off" function, so it takes place while the car is not turned on. It doesn't say if it only does this battery warming function anytime or only when plugged in. If it does it when not plugged in then that could discharge the HV battery when the car is just sitting there in cold weather.

Most of what I know about lithium batteries comes from flying R/C airplanes. I know that heat can damage a lithium battery when it is not in use, but I wasn't aware that cold was a problem too. I thought cold was only a problem when it is being discharged.