$30 DIY Works, After Fiat Says "Bad PIM" ($6k)

[ElectricTireShredder]

After @jedwards1654 on the other forum replaced a dead 12V battery, it still wouldn't charge or drive, & the local dealership wanted $600+ just to do an OBD scan.

After leaving the humidity sensor unplugged, a 3-day 12V disconnect didn't work, & neither did HV disconnect, but I'd still recommend doing them first, since they might be required for the following to work:

Then a $30 Konnwei KW902 with the free AlfaOBD "demo" app showed several error codes, including these for the Power Inverter Module (click to enlarge):
PIM Faults.jpg
That shows both of the error codes which Fiat uses to convince users that the $6k PIM is "faulty":
Fiat PIM Requirement.jpg
However, the codes cleared, & it has been driving & charging fine for 10 days now with no PIM or BPCM codes.

[ElectricTireShredder]

Other owners say that dealerships use the code below as evidence that the HV pack needs to be replaced, but only after replacing the $6k PIM, which is not covered by the 8-year battery warranty:

Other owners say that dealerships use the P1E25 "Hybrid/EV Battery Failure" code below as evidence that the HV pack needs to be replaced, but only after paying them $6k to replace the PIM, which is not covered by the 8-year battery warranty:




However that pic is actually from my own perfectly-functioning car!


@jedwards1654 also had that code when the car was drivable, & it wouldn't clear until she noticed that AlfaOBD had tiny onscreen instructions about special ignition key position requirements. After following those very carefully, the code cleared & stayed clear for 10 days so far.

[ElectricTireShredder]

So here's what would have happened to a typical 2017 owner:

• Car won't start even after 12V replacement, even though nothing is wrong (besides a couple erroneous codes)
• Dealer shows "proof" it has a bad HV pack (8-yr warranty) & bad $6k PIM (4-yr warranty), even though they're both fine.
• Cost to owner: Over $6k

It makes me really wonder how many other cars have been mis-diagnosed like this, & owners either paid or scrapped the car.

Maybe we should be grateful for the dealer's $600 OBD fee. If it had been reasonable, @jedwards1654 might have just paid it & bought the PIM to get the HV warrantied, & we wouldn't have just learned:

• An HV "failure" code can be wrong, as well as the 2 PIM "failure" codes that Fiat looks for.
• Some codes need special key positioning to clear*.

* If one of those is what's stopping your car, it won't go again unless you do the right key action. THAT makes me wonder how many users have gone through the "How To Fix" list on this forum (link below) but it failed just because they missed the fine print!

http://www.fiat500usaforum.com/showthread.php?38944-HOW-TO-FIX-A-quot-DEAD-quot-500E-that-won-t-start-amp-or-charge&p=884220&viewfull=1#post884220

[Hermiabarth]

* If one of those is what's stopping your car, it won't go again unless you do the right key action. THAT makes me wonder how many users have gone through the "How To Fix" list on this forum (link below) but it failed just because they missed the fine print!

http://www.fiat500usaforum.com/showthread.php?38944-HOW-TO-FIX-A-quot-DEAD-quot-500E-that-won-t-start-amp-or-charge&p=884220&viewfull=1#post884220

bad link - too much http:

[Fiat500USA]

bad link - too much http:

I fixed the link:

http://www.fiat500usaforum.com/showthread.php?38944-HOW-TO-FIX-A-quot-DEAD-quot-500E-that-won-t-start-amp-or-charge&p=884220&viewfull=1#post884220