Code P0AA6 - Probably the Death Knoll for my car

[Neil]

I called the dealership this morning to schedule an appointment to have a 'scraping' noise looked at for my 13' Fusion Energi.  While driving to pick up my lunch the check engine light came on.  I pulled the code and it's P0AA6.  Potential problems related to this code include:

• The Battery Pack needs to be replaced
• The Transaxle needs to be replaced
• The Inverter needs to be replaced
• The AC Condensor needs to be replaced.  (Weird) 

 

I'm betting on either 1 or 2.  They are the most expensive.  I love the car but I don't plan on sinking $5k into a car with 118k miles.  

[muzicman61]

I hear the classic funeral dirge in my head. Hopefully that is not the case.

[howardbc]

Neil, I wish you all the best but it sounds like you need to get a new car. I hope you will seriously look at something that is 100% electric. I traded my 2013 for a new EV (not sure if I’m allowed to say what brand) and it has honestly been an incredibly wonderful experience. No more oil changes or belts and hoses, etc. I haven’t bought any gasoline since early 2016. I charge the car in my garage. I have driven from Arizona to Florida and back in it. Never a serious problem. 
 

Just do a lot of research, but the best information will come from EV owners themselves. If you don’t know where to start, contact Plugin America, a non-profit who can help. Maybe find a Facebook page for EVs and ask a lot of questions. Over 10 years ago, I joined a local group of people who were interested in converting their gas cars to EVs. I learned so much - mainly that I would have to wait and buy a car that was already an EV. Good luck to you.

[16vjohn]

From the shop manual (below). There are 12 different tests to pinpoint the issue. Most of them allude to the HV cables needing to be replaced, or a bad connection between them somewhere. To me, this does not sound like an expensive repair and at the least is worth paying for a proper diagnostic test.

 

Good luck.

 

With the ignition in the ON position and the engine running or OFF (the engine must have run at least once after the ignition was cycled to ON), the BECM (battery energy control module) monitors the electrical isolation (leakage resistance) between the high-voltage system and the vehicle chassis. A resistance value of less than 195,000 ohms is a mild failure. There are 2 types of failures. A mild or severe fault will illuminate the stop safely hazard (red triangle) warning indicator. The vehicle will not start at the next ignition cycle for a severe fault with a resistance value of less than 39,000 ohms. The normal resistance value is between 950,000-1,330,000+ ohms.





Possible Sources

 -  Moisture/water penetration of high-voltage connectors

 -  High Voltage Battery cables

 -  Direct Current/Direct Current (DC/DC) converter control module

 -  ACCM (air conditioning control module)

 -  High Voltage Battery

 -  Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (eCVT)

 -  SOBDMC (hybrid powertrain control module)

 -  Cabin Coolant Heater

 -  SOBDM (secondary on-board diagnostic control module A)

[Neil]

The dealership called yesterday.  My expectation of at least $5k repair bill was a little off. The Transmission needs to be replaced and the cost is $9,400.  I'm thinking about a few options.  

 

1) Trade it in on a new car.  I love my EV, but the repair cost are just too much.  I'd probably get a Honda Civic or something like that. 

2) Sell it to Carmax 

3) Drive it until it completely fails, take the plates off and run away. (J/K) 

[howardbc]

So you are not considering getting into a true EV? The Ford Fusion Energi is a plugin hybrid. It has a gas engine and uses oil too. The Honda Civic would be less complicated but a car that runs on electricity only is the simplest. An electric motor has only between 1 and 4 moving parts. Compare that to a gas engine. I loved my Fusion Energi and got great mileage with it but I will never go back to a gas car again. I wish you all the best. 

[EnergiBlows]

Neil, did you ever fix the issue?  I'm getting the P0AA6 code.