EV System Service Required

[stevorh]

Hi,

I did a quick charge tonight on my 2018 PHEV and let the battery charge from empty to 80%. The charger stopped on it’s own and I unplugged the charger according to the instructions on the machine. When I started my PHEV the EV System Service Required light came on and the car drove more sluggishly than usual especially at higher speeds. Any advice? Anyone had this issue?

 

[stevorh]

Okay,

Just in case anyone has this issue. I took my 2018 PHEV SEL to the dealer this morning and they hooked it up to diagnostics. They said as far as they could tell, the CHADEMO charger that I used had a faulty connector or cable which triggered a sensor in the car. Once this sensor was triggered, it stayed in "limp" (EV System Service Required) mode until he reset it. Now it's functioning fine and charges normally with the included charger. Be careful out there!

 

[Trades46]

I had a Chademo charger cut out on me every 2 minutes due to "isolation test failure". Which is kind of BS as before I got there a 2015 Leaf 30 kWh was charging happily and the owner was napping before he finished.

 

[jaapv]

There are multiple complaints in the forum about cars breaking down on fast charging. As it makes little financial or logistical sense, I wonder why people still do so.

 

[maby]

There are multiple complaints in the forum about cars breaking down on fast charging. As it makes little financial or logistical sense, I wonder why people still do so.

... and there are suspicions, at least, that it could shorten the life expectancy of your battery!

 

[ThudnBlundr]

... and there are suspicions, at least, that it could shorten the life expectancy of your battery!

Then again on the Zoe and Leaf forums, they say the exact opposite. I think it depends on the BMS and usage as much as the speed of charging

 

[anko]

TS does not own a Leaf or Zoe

 

[ThudnBlundr]

I never said they did. Both sets of assertions are made without proper scientific trials, so both are opinions, but both are believed to be true of the same underlying technology :roll:

 

[Hypermiler]

Yes ive also read somewhere that occasional chademo charging can help rebalance the battery...

 

[anko]

I never said they did. Both sets of assertions are made without proper scientific trials, so both are opinions, but both are believed to be true of the same underlying technology :roll:

I never said you did ;-)

But this is what Mitsubishi themselves say about it (on their UK website):

Q: WILL RAPID CHARGING DAMAGE THE BATTERY?
Repeatedly performing only rapid charging may reduce the battery capacity. In day to day use normal charging is recommended. To maintain the capacity of the drive battery the vehicle should be charged using normal charging every two weeks and repeat charging near the full charge level should not be repeated.

To me, this seems more relevant then what is said on a Leaf or Zoe forum.

 

[jonhache]

Well, this makes me a little nervous about trying one out now. I'll be putting about 2500km on my car in a couple of weeks, and was going to try out the L3 chargers at the gas / rest stops along the way, just for fun, and to support the installation by the province.

The prospect of being in limp mode until I'm back does not sound like fun.

Okay,

Just in case anyone has this issue. I took my 2018 PHEV SEL to the dealer this morning and they hooked it up to diagnostics. They said as far as they could tell, the CHADEMO charger that I used had a faulty connector or cable which triggered a sensor in the car. Once this sensor was triggered, it stayed in "limp" (EV System Service Required) mode until he reset it. Now it's functioning fine and charges normally with the included charger. Be careful out there!

 

[N6IO]

Question for stevorh - When you had the "EV System Service Required" warning did you stop/start the car a few times before taking it to the dealer? I have triggered that warning several times trying to use the iOBD2 reader. In my experience that message clears after several stops and starts of the ignition - especially when you start it in accessory mode by not applying the brake a few times.

I'm curious if this is just a transient warning, or one that needs the dealer to reset it.

Just in case anyone has this issue. I took my 2018 PHEV SEL to the dealer this morning and they hooked it up to diagnostics. They said as far as they could tell, the CHADEMO charger that I used had a faulty connector or cable which triggered a sensor in the car. Once this sensor was triggered, it stayed in "limp" (EV System Service Required) mode until he reset it. Now it's functioning fine and charges normally with the included charger. Be careful out there!

 

[jonhache]

I just got this error. Not connected to quick charge, in my case.

Here's what happened: yesterday, unplugged the car at home (L2). When I started, I got a check engine light, and no ranges showing. Stopped the car, tried on/off, and into accessory mode, and it cleared.

2 hour drive to friends in Montreal was fine, started/ stopped 2-3 times. Parked overnight, no charging.

This morning, I get the EV system service required warning. Went for a short drive (was going to charge up for a couple of hours). Charging station was broke, so headed back to my friends. When I started again, no error, but CIL and no ranges like yesterday.

The only thing I did different was using the pre-heat before we left yesterday. When we unplugged I heard a beep, but didn't think anything at the time.

Heading back home shortly. Hopefully it will sort itself out. A call to the dealership tomorrow...

J

Question for stevorh - When you had the "EV System Service Required" warning did you stop/start the car a few times before taking it to the dealer? I have triggered that warning several times trying to use the iOBD2 reader. In my experience that message clears after several stops and starts of the ignition - especially when you start it in accessory mode by not applying the brake a few times.

I'm curious if this is just a transient warning, or one that needs the dealer to reset it.

Just in case anyone has this issue. I took my 2018 PHEV SEL to the dealer this morning and they hooked it up to diagnostics. They said as far as they could tell, the CHADEMO charger that I used had a faulty connector or cable which triggered a sensor in the car. Once this sensor was triggered, it stayed in "limp" (EV System Service Required) mode until he reset it. Now it's functioning fine and charges normally with the included charger. Be careful out there!

 

[jonhache]

Update: that wasn't the funnest...

Headed out with a planned stop at my cousin's about 20km away. I got the error again when leaving, couldn't clear it. Had maybe 1/2 charge left, but no range #'s.

On the way, hit the charge button, but the engine didn't start. I watched the battery level drop, drop, drop, and when it was empty, the car started to slow, slow slow. Got off the highway when my max speed was about 70km/hr. Gas engine never started.

I pulled over, start/stop a few times, with brake pushed, and without. I don't really remember the sequence I did. On one start, I didn't get the 'System Service' error, just a CIL and no range indicated. I hit the charge button and the engine immediately came on. Made it to my cousins with no degraded performance.

At my cousin's, I plugged in using the portable unit that came with the car for about an hour. Called roadside, but all they could have done was tow.

When we were ready for the 2hr drive back home, I crossed my fingers and hit the start button:

No 'System Service' error. No CIL. Range is back on the display.

One stop on the way home, no issue. Everything is fine again.

So I guess next steps will be to call the dealership tomorrow. Hopefully there are some error codes in memory that can help sort it out.

J.

I just got this error. Not connected to quick charge, in my case.

Here's what happened: yesterday, unplugged the car at home (L2). When I started, I got a check engine light, and no ranges showing. Stopped the car, tried on/off, and into accessory mode, and it cleared.

2 hour drive to friends in Montreal was fine, started/ stopped 2-3 times. Parked overnight, no charging.

This morning, I get the EV system service required warning. Went for a short drive (was going to charge up for a couple of hours). Charging station was broke, so headed back to my friends. When I started again, no error, but CIL and no ranges like yesterday.

The only thing I did different was using the pre-heat before we left yesterday. When we unplugged I heard a beep, but didn't think anything at the time.

Heading back home shortly. Hopefully it will sort itself out. A call to the dealership tomorrow...

J

 

[jonhache]

Update #2:

Took the car to the dealer Monday after work (still no errors or CIL on the car). They ran it, had 37 pages of codes and associated material to go through. Talking with Mitsu Canada.

They were told that it needed a 'PHEV drive unit'. They weren't 100% sure what part it was, and we're doing their research.

Tech left a message last night, and I spoke with him this AM. Estimated part delivery is 30 days. He figured it must be coming from Japan. He thought it was a computer part and not mechanical, which I feel somewhat better about, I think.

So far I'm happy with the service from my dealership and Mitsubishi. They said we can still drive around town, but wouldn't recommend anywhere outside of EV range, just to be safe. We have a long tripped planned next weekend and they're going to give us a replacement Outlander (non-PHEV) for the trip.

I'm going to pick up the PHEV this afternoon, drive it around for the weekend and see how it goes.

Will update when as I find out more if people are still interested...

J

 

[N6IO]

When the engine wouldn't start - could it be the drive battery was too low? The engine starts off the 300V drive battery, not the 12V accessory battery, so maybe? A week ago when I ran out of gas the car continued driving a few miles after the battery showed as totally empty on both displays - so I'm sure it was well below the normal 20% it considers "empty". It did start right up when I put in more gas, so it seems to be able to start on a pretty low drive battery.

Also - anyone have any recommendation as to unplugging the charger? Is it better to pull the AC outlet plug first, or pull the charging plug from the car first? I'm wondering if doing this out of order triggers some of those errors after charging.

 

[anko]

When the engine wouldn't start - could it be the drive battery was too low? The engine starts off the 300V drive battery, not the 12V accessory battery, so maybe? A week ago when I ran out of gas the car continued driving a few miles after the battery showed as totally empty on both displays - so I'm sure it was well below the normal 20% it considers "empty". It did start right up when I put in more gas, so it seems to be able to start on a pretty low drive battery.

Normal low is 31% (at higher speeds) or 25% at lower speeds. Under circumstances you can go as low as 14% (don't think anybody has ever seen that), but even then it should still be able to start the engine. Cannot imagine the car allows you to run it down below the point where you can stiill start it.

Also - anyone have any recommendation as to unplugging the charger? Is it better to pull the AC outlet plug first, or pull the charging plug from the car first? I'm wondering if doing this out of order triggers some of those errors after charging.

Car side plug first! Especially when the charge process has not completed yet. Pushing the button on the car side plug will stop the charging process before you can pull it out and this will prevent arching.

 

[jonhache]

No. I had a half full battery when I left for the short trip. I tried to engage 'charge' mode, but the gas engine would not come on. Once the battery was empty (on the display), I gradually lost top speed. Was going about 95-105km/hr, and this dropped to about 70 over 4-5 minutes as I found somewhere to pull over.

I think the signal to start the gas engine just wasn't being sent while I had the 'EV Service Required' error. Once I was able to clear it (off/on a couple of times), then I could hit the 'charge' button, and the gas engine would start up.

J

When the engine wouldn't start - could it be the drive battery was too low? The engine starts off the 300V drive battery, not the 12V accessory battery, so maybe? A week ago when I ran out of gas the car continued driving a few miles after the battery showed as totally empty on both displays - so I'm sure it was well below the normal 20% it considers "empty". It did start right up when I put in more gas, so it seems to be able to start on a pretty low drive battery.

Also - anyone have any recommendation as to unplugging the charger? Is it better to pull the AC outlet plug first, or pull the charging plug from the car first? I'm wondering if doing this out of order triggers some of those errors after charging.

 

[jonhache]

Seeing someone else's post about the 'Service Required' error made me realize I never posted a follow-up.

Back in March, I dropped off the Outlander, picked up a rental for a week as we were headed out of town. I didn't trust the Outlander with the trouble it was having, and neither did the dealership. Mitsubishi paid for the rental.

We returned the rental when back in town, picked up the Outlander which worked fine. Not too worried about around town driving, as we could always charge up at home in case the same issue occurred. If my memory is right, we might have had the error once or maybe twice while we waited for the part.

It was about 2 more weeks before the part arrived. Dropped the car off in the AM and picked it up that night.

In the 4 months and ~ 10000km since we haven't had any other issues. I was quite happy with my dealerships service people, and Mitsubishi did offer up a $500 accessories credit for the trouble which I will be using towards winter tires and rims.

The total bill back to Mitsubishi was listed at $8500. I was happy not to be paying that.

Jon