Charging Fault error.

[JejuSoul]

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This thread is old - but still contains lots of useful information.
Posts here no longer show up in Google searches unless you are really specific.
Hopefully by adding this comment the entire thread will get a bit more priority in Google's algorithm.

There are still plenty of OBC errors occurring and the warranty coverage is expiring so DIY information is more important than ever.

Some recent posts :-

2016 needs Onboard Charger

I had to replace mine this winter. I was outside of the 160,000km EV powertrain warranty coverage and paid ~$4,000.

Likely problems with the Kia Soul OBC?

I just bought a Kia Soul on-board charger for $950. I also downloaded the shop manual, which gives the pinouts and other details for this OBC.

Replacing the On board Charger (OBC)

So, in summary:
- The electric water pump stopped working which resulted in the OBC to overheat and fail. That in turn resulted in the 40A fuse to blow.

-

 

[evsoulnow]

US customer. 2016 Soul EV+, 28836 miles. OBC failed with the external charger error. Kia replacing it under the 10 year warranty.
Just posting as another data point. I am out of the country, so cannot check on the details but as it was registered in Feb 2016, I am sure it is the same generation of OBC which has failed in this thread.

OOI have Kia been replacing the water cooler in many/any? I ask as this failure immediately follows record cold here in CO, where it would have been subjected to the worst ambient cold, and windchill - so I am wondering whether the coolant froze (-30C/-22F ambient before w/c). As it would have been standing in that temp overnight, wondering whether this is the root-cause (not identified yet by Kia if it was).

 

[edzee3]

I have a 2015 Soul-EV (US) , new in Feb. '15 (now 24K miles) and all OK until now. Have always used the Reserved (Scheduled) Charging function (set for 12:30 AM start) with my L2 EVSE in my garage. Now, when I plug in the cable, the OBC does the normal click, the middle light on the dash lights up for 3-min., then goes out , and all seems normal.
But, the battery never gets the charge.

The battery does get charged with Immediate Charging set ON (Reserved Charging OFF).

Any suggestions/ideas welcome.

Ed Z

 

[BEC]

Well, until you said it charges if you bypass the timer (reserved charging) it sounded like the same onboard battery charger failure others, including myself, have had. For us it would kick off after a short time, regardless of what level 1 or level 2 EVSE was used, and regardless of it happening under a scheduled charge or not. The only way to charge was to use a level 3 charger, which bypasses the OBC.

In your case....some kind of software glitch in the reserve charging function? Or maybe the OBC is just about to quit altogether but somehow hasn't yet?

You are well within warranty limits but if there is an EV-capable Kia dealer in your area, a visit (I know, scheduling can be a pain) is in order.

 

[edzee3]

Thanks for the useful reply. I'll be on the lookout for a OBC failure. I do have a service appt. soon for a key-fob-aware problem with Kia-Cerritos (Calif) who should be savvy on these EVs.

 

[JejuSoul]

... I ask as this failure immediately follows record cold here in CO, ... wondering whether this is the root-cause (not identified yet by Kia if it was).

The bulk of failures at the start of this thread were in Quebec which led us to suspect that extreme cold was indeed the root-cause. But over the next year or two almost all OBCs failed both in cold and warmer climates. Since then this thread has been very quiet but occasional OBC errors do still occur. No single explanation has been found by us, and nothing at all has been explained by KIA.

... Now, when I plug in the cable, the OBC does the normal click, the middle light on the dash lights up for 3-min., then goes out , and all seems normal. But, the battery never gets the charge. The battery does get charged with Immediate Charging set ON (Reserved Charging OFF).
...

The Reserved Charging is set by the Navi Computer. I suspect the software glitch is here and not in the OBC hardware.
Firstly check all the settings on the Reserved Charging page to make sure all is as it should be. Make sure that the time and day is correct by clicking through to the second screen. Sometimes a software update will lose your previous settings.
Secondly if that doesn't help, try updating the Navi Computer software yourself. I had a similar software glitch that I fixed this way.

see Upgrading the Korean Map

 

[harrimansat]

I repaired my OBC.
The problem in capacitors 1mkf
http://images.vfl.ru/ii/1557133189/58895fab/26434825.jpg

Replaced by this

Changed both

Now charge

Hi¡ I have two chargers with the same problen, but the inductor seems to be toast too. Did the capacitor change work?

 

[fifi86821hk]

I repaired my OBC.
The problem in capacitors 1mkf
http://images.vfl.ru/ii/1557133189/58895fab/26434825.jpg

Replaced by this

Changed both

Now charge

I have a few questions:
1. Did you remove the PCB to re-solder the new RIFA cap onto the board?
2. what's the white material that binds them together and onto the PCB? caulking?

 

[edzee3]

Well, apparently my 2015 OBC finally failed. Whenever I turn power ON, the screen shows

And the EV battery does take any charge. So, I cannot use my home Level-2 charger, which makes this car useless for our driving patterns.

I purchased the car from Kia/Cerritos (CA) new in 2015, so this has to be covered by warranty.
I just brought the car into Kia/Cerritos Service (with just 17% batt) and the advisor seemed to be unaware of this OBC-problem history (?). This seems odd considering the many documented cases described on this forum.

I have not tried to charge using a Level-3 Charger. I assume that will work (yes? ).

I would appreciate any info on other local (So-Cal) Kia Dealer-Service shops that know how to replace/fix this OBC.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[JejuSoul]

Ed - Hope your car gets fixed.
I am really surprised that this is the first time your OBC has failed.
From this thread you can see how common this fault was.
I have also just seen that a recall took place for the cars built in 2015.
SERVICE ACTION: OBC REPLACEMENT (SA307)
Maybe they didn't tell people about this recall they just did it at the annual service check.
See this post from December 2016 on this thread. :- Charging Fault error.

Also I'm surprised that the car won't charge AC or Chademo. This is not the reality for everyone else on this thread.
The OBC is only involved with AC charging. Chademo ( DC ) charging will continue to work without an OBC.
But as I noted above 'No single explanation has been found by us..' There always seems to be something else going on.
I just saw this thread. 2014 won't charge AC or Chademo. This isn't the first instance of this problem.

 

[JejuSoul]

Here's a repost from March 2017 on this thread. :- Charging Fault error.

Hope all of you with OBC problems get a repair done quickly.

The original error screen associated with this problem is 'Charger Error' (Originally written here as "Charging Fault error")
The error screen 'External Charger Error' is normally caused by problems with the stand outside the car.
Many reports however now associate the External Error as the one linked to the faulty OBC.

I have never seen this one on my car. The others below are frequent. (My OBC failed soon after this was written.)
It is this message that is most clearly linked to a faulty OBC on the car. Also common is the blue lights flashing.


Yesterday I tried these 3 stands. Two of the three were broken. My car is fine.


This is the error message after using the faulty L2 slow chargers. My car is fine.


This error is different for faulty fast Chademo chargers. (with a recent Navi software installed.) My car is fine.

 

[Alex81]

Well, apparently my 2015 OBC finally failed. Whenever I turn power ON, the screen shows
View attachment 97
And the EV battery does take any charge. So, I cannot use my home Level-2 charger, which makes this car useless for our driving patterns.

I purchased the car from Kia/Cerritos (CA) new in 2015, so this has to be covered by warranty.
I just brought the car into Kia/Cerritos Service (with just 17% batt) and the advisor seemed to be unaware of this OBC-problem history (?). This seems odd considering the many documented cases described on this forum.

I have not tried to charge using a Level-3 Charger. I assume that will work (yes? ).

I would appreciate any info on other local (So-Cal) Kia Dealer-Service shops that know how to replace/fix this OBC.

Thanks,
Ed

I had my 2016 OBC replaced under warranty at Cerritos in 2023. They know how to do it. I had my high voltage battery changed here last December, all the software updates… maybe you just had a service advisor that’s not the most knowledgeable.

 

[Locuturus]

Hmm mine just happened minutes ago while I was driving home (only charged last night and briefly after driving in the morning). OBD and using car scanner app came with this: P1CF5.

Car still charges though didn’t check how much it’s charging at the moment.

I guess I should make an appointment?

Car Scanner ELM OBD2
Version: 1.105.1/1.105.1/iOS
DTC report
Connection profile: Kia Soul EV 27 kWh (OBDII + EV)Date: 4/7/2024 1:31:45 AM
============================
OBD-II
No DTC found.
============================
Vehicle Motor control unit
No DTC found.
============================
Battery management system
No DTC found.
============================
Smart junction
No DTC found.
============================
OBCOBC
DTCs: 1
----------------------------
P1CF5 [0x1CF5]
Status: Pending fault present, Validated and stored in non volatile memory
============================
BCM/TPMS #2
No DTC found.
============================
Smart key
No DTC found.
============================
HVAC
No DTC found.
============================
ABS control unit
No DTC found.
============================
SRS/Airbag
No DTC found.
============================
EPS (Electric power steering) #1
No DTC found.
============================
Electric parking brake
No DTC found.
============================
TPMS #1
No DTC found.
============================
LDC
No DTC found.
============================
Dashboard
No DTC found.

 

[JejuSoul]

 

[Locuturus]

Yeah I found that pdf document too from the nhtsa.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2017/MC-10123328-9999.pdf

There's this one too:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2017/MC-10119118-9999.pdf

Basically Service notices 137 and 138 both relating to MY2016 Soul EVs and both about the OBC.

I've booked an appointment for Wednesday for them to inspect the OBC specifically relating to this error code - the problem is that the Check EV system light doesn't persist. @JejuSoul do you know how long the error code stays in "non-volatile memory"? Sometimes the service advisors like to say the tech didn't see the code so nothing is wrong with the car...

 

[JejuSoul]

Locuturus:
I had my OBC changed in December 2017 (MY2015, 42,000km), a few days after having the OBC firmware Update. I too had the Error Code - P1CF5.
My case is unique on this thread. The only car to have a 'failing' OBC.
But now you too seem to have this.
I could still charge but a 4hour L2 would take 20 hours.

The error code was part of the OBC firmware update. I did not get this update until the OBC began failing.
It showed up at the dealer when they did the update.
I don't know how long these codes will stay in memory.

Obviously your car has already had OBC firmware update, probably 6 or 7 years ago.
Can you confirm whether you have an original OBC.
You can see this by looking at the version numbers on the stickers.
The EPCU on top will be original and list the original OBC version. The sticker is on top.
The OBC underneath has a sticker at the rear side

 

[Locuturus]

Locuturus:
I had my OBC changed in December 2017 (MY2015, 42,000km), a few days after having the OBC firmware Update. I too had the Error Code - P1CF5.
My case is unique on this thread. The only car to have a 'failing' OBC.
But now you too seem to have this.
I could still charge but a 4hour L2 would take 20 hours.

The error code was part of the OBC firmware update. I did not get this update until the OBC began failing.
It showed up at the dealer when they did the update.
I don't know how long these codes will stay in memory.

Obviously your car has already had OBC firmware update, probably 6 or 7 years ago.
Can you confirm whether you have an original OBC.
You can see this by looking at the version numbers on the stickers.
The EPCU on top will be original and list the original OBC version. The sticker is on top.
The OBC underneath has a sticker at the rear side

One point in the very beginning (2017-18ish) I would drive and the CHECK EV SYSTEM light would turn on (I had one time I was on the highway going 100+km/hr and then I ended up with Turtle Mode and went to about 40km/hr - that time it took Kia about a year on and off with me going to complain that the light would turn on randomly, but the techs would never find anything. They then took my car for a month and figured out that "the coolant valve was stuck in the open position" - from then on it only happened maybe once a year.

Now that I think about it it might have been the same code but they never figured it out? As far as my memory goes I've never had an OBC change. I would assume like you said they did the OBC Firmware update 6-7 years ago.

Anyway, here’s a pic of the OBC sticker. It’s peeling off funny enough. Looks like 2016 mfg date?

 

[Locuturus]

Additional info: I drove it around a bit, and the car's EV screen said on 220V it would take 33 min, but the car's charging estimate says 1hr15min to charge 90->100%

Still seems to be charging normally and the DTC hasn't shown up again. I'll see what the folks at Kia Vancouver say Wednesday.

 

[Locuturus]

Update!

I showed the service advisor and the tech (who happened to be the same one who worked on my battery warranty replacement), and they found the DTC code in the memory, so they’re starting the warranty process now for a replacement OBC. They have to ship it from Korea so I imagine it’ll take a while but in the meantime I have the car back while they sort out the paperwork.

 

[JejuSoul]

..
My case is unique on this thread. The only car to have a 'failing' OBC.

Unique no longer.
Locuturus - glad this was an easy fix.