P0E6B: Battery Charging System Precharge Contactor Circuit Stuck Closed

P0E6B means the precharge contactor of the charging system appears to stay closed although it has been told to open, usually because its contacts have welded. The battery management notices this when the charger side carries voltage before any precharge was requested, or when it does not drop after switch-off. That is a safety matter: the charging path may remain live. No manufacturer documents P0E6B publicly. Mitsubishi's i-MiEV manual, published as a 2019 bulletin, handles the comparable weld of its charging contactor under P0AE2 and checks it as the high-voltage system is activated; besides wiring and the contactor itself it lists the combined charger and DC-DC unit and other high-voltage loads as possible causes. CARB requires faults that disable charging to be detected. The opposite fault is P0E6C.

High severity. Can I keep driving?If the car still runs, drive as little as possible and go to a specialized repair shop. Do not touch the orange cables: they carry high voltage.

Symptoms

Charging blocked and high-voltage warning displayed
Vehicle may refuse to switch to ready mode

Most likely causes

Precharge contactor contacts welded together
Coil kept energised by a control line fault
Residual voltage from another high-voltage unit misread as a closed contactor

What to check, in order

Start with the simplest. You can tick off each step.

Read the codes with a hybrid-compatible scanner and write down the freeze frame data
Use the scanner to command the movement and compare the actual position with the requested one.
Make sure the battery cooling air intake is clean
Check the 12 V auxiliary battery, which can also trigger warnings
Leave any high-voltage measurements to a specialized repair shop

Good to know

It can trigger limp mode.

What each character of P0E6B means

P: Powertrain: engine and transmission
0: Generic code: same on every make
E: Subsystem depends on the code range
6B: Specific fault in that system

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep driving with code P0E6B?

If the car still runs, drive as little as possible and go to a specialized repair shop. Do not touch the orange cables: they carry high voltage.

What causes code P0E6B?

The most common causes are: precharge contactor contacts welded together; coil kept energised by a control line fault; residual voltage from another high-voltage unit misread as a closed contactor.

Related codes

Sources

Values and procedures vary by manufacturer. If it affects brakes, steering, fuel or high voltage, see a professional. Updated: 2026-11-04. How we build these pages.