If you drive a STELLANTIS vehicle, may God help you! PART 1
It’s time for an honest review: With Stellantis OBC we have observed frequent technical issues with several EV models, which raises questions about their long-term reliability. The level of questionable engineering in their designs borders on the absurd, and it’s time to highlight the issues where owners ultimately pay the price. We’re all aware of the shortcomings in their diesel, gasoline, and hybrid vehicles, but what’s happening with their EVs is truly unacceptable. These problems could discourage buyers from EVs and lead them back to diesel – an unfortunate outcome that benefits no one
Our experience has exposed a range of problems, from restricting “right to repair” access for independent workshops (blocking schematics, software, updates, parts) to the absence of essential tools and documentation. Their support practices appear to violate the spirit of EU Regulation 2018/858, Article 61, by limiting independent repair access. Warranty conditions are extremely strict – for instance, skipping a minor service (like a wiper change) can void the battery warranty – which customers find unreasonable.
The situation is even worse for official service centers, whose technicians receive inadequate training, lack reliable hotline support, and often resort to blindly swapping parts at the owner’s expense. And even when they can identify the problem, replacement parts are frequently unavailable, leading to delays of 2-6 months, which is especially damaging for businesses left without a replacement vehicle under warranty. Worst of all are the warranty terms—these conditions border on extortion. They tie the vehicle’s overall warranty to specific components; for example, skipping a windshield wiper change could void the battery warranty, even during critical recalls where they refuse to replace faulty parts.
We’ve documented three cases of catastrophically flawed MAHLE OBC and DCDC units integrated into a single module, with eight circuit boards that overcomplicate the system to an extreme. The final IGBT board is epoxy-bonded to the cooling plate along with the DCDC inverter, with almost every board running its own microcontroller. In two cases, damage was undetectable, but Type 2 charging simply didn’t work. In one case, an inductor wire to the IGBT output burned out. We couldn’t repair any of these units after three attempts. For the second part, we’ve been waiting six months, and despite it being a factory defect, it’s neither covered by warranty nor recognized in a recall, leaving owners no option but to switch manufacturers or face potential financial ruin. This issue affects all Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Toyota, and DS vehicles—and it’s just the beginning.
It’s as if they’re making EVs so that you’ll hate them.
Part number: H-20679-01, 03196727, MAHLE
Processor: Sak-TC234L
Error: Type2 doesnt charge
OEM : 2200€ (6 months waiting time)
EVC: –
for now, the best doc I found come from Nissan and Tesla. I would add Opel (ampera) among that with incompressible documentation that do not help to repair.
I have the same problem. Do you have a video of the disassembly process or any tips on how to disconnect the boards?
Dont dissasemble it, PCB cracks and hard to detects it.
We have only cloning procedure.
Regards
If you charge only at 3.6 or 1.8KW can you save your OBC from going faulty?
Good wasn’t with us…
After buying a Peugeot e-Rifter first problems occurred with the on-board loader (changed by dealer on warranty), next problem 1/2 year later , main battery failed (changed by dealer on warranty but nothing documented in their systems), car in repair 3month) latest problem “engine” defect after 37000 km of mileage, car in repair almost 5month, bill ~10000€ with goodwill regulation on 75%.
Oh boy never ever a car out of these concern.
🙁 You are not only victim. Every owner of stellantis is a victim
Is there any affordable repair yet or is it still a Mahle for Mahle replacement at great expense?
What a Horror Design !
12 Diods would be enough for 3 phase rectifier .
It looks like the best Friend of this Designer, is a producer for Semiconductors .
Each Part and Contact is source for Heat and possible failures.
And the worst Design Fault, is that the OBC need a individual FIN Code, without any usefull reason . No Brand Garage is able to code it , there is no chance for second market , a behaviour which means aditional loss of Value for owners . the success of Opel was: the interchangeability of Parts, Manta-Rekord -Kadett- Ascona . Hey Stellantis , Timebelt in Oil is also Designfailure .
A consumer program (Radar) on Dutch TV addressed this, specifically the type2 charge fail. Several had more than one swap of the OBC.
In it Stellantis admits there were problems with these chargers and offers extended warranty (4years).
If more owners see problems this might end up to Stellantis having to take back the cars (less some depraciation for use).
Might be useful to refer to in case you made these costs and want reimbursement or get confronted with a failed Mahle OBC.
https://youtu.be/XQ_AJYzojmg?si=t4hsej1_TWuFTfaF
I have a Combo e-Life 2022 of which the OBC has become defective. Could only go to fast chargers. Took 3 months to replace it, fortunately under warranty. The current OBC is the latest version. Unfortunately, I can no longer use the auto-charge function because the OBC no longer has a unique identification number. Very annoying.
Hello!
I have a Citroën ë-C4.
Do you have any information, if DC charging is still working, when the OBC is defect?
We had examples where DC didnt work and Vehicle could not drive.
> Dear EV Clinic Team,
I own an Opel Grandland X 1.6 PHEV (model year 2020), and I’m currently facing an issue with charging. The onboard system displays “Charging completed”, even though the high-voltage battery is empty.
A diagnostic at the Opel service showed the error code P11BE, which appears to point to a failure of the On-Board Charger (OBC) unit. The car is no longer under warranty.
What should l do?
Maybe try to see if this is one of the suspect OBC’s and if so claim replacement.
You might refer to the extended warranty in such cases (see my post a few posts back.
Mahle had 3 obc versions attempts to fix the problem but not working, now there is a new obc from a new Chinese maker Vmax .
These are the final fix.
You raise a valid concern—it’s critical that we hold manufacturers accountable for the quality and reliability of their EVs. Stellantis’ issues with their OBC and other technical problems in several EV models are troubling and shouldn’t be overlooked. As the industry pushes for more sustainable solutions, it’s disappointing to see these recurring issues that could ultimately harm the reputation of electric vehicles as a whole.
Consumers deserve better, especially when making such a significant investment. If the problems with their EV designs aren’t addressed, it could undermine the entire shift to greener vehicles and push people back to older, less eco-friendly options. It’s time for manufacturers to prioritize reliability and engineering quality, especially as the future of transportation is at stake.
Assurdo il comportamento di Stellantis. Anche a me si è verificato il guasto (Opel Mokka-e) non carica in modalità AC. Ovviamente la macchina è fuori garanzia e la concessionaria mi ha risposto picche per la sostituzione in garanzia (costo della sostituzione OBC 2500 euro + iva). Ho trovato tramite un rottamaio la parte di ricambio però la scheda va riassegnata tramite il VIN del telaio e nessuna officina ha il software MAHLE TechPro che leggono e decodificano il VIN per configurare correttamente il software dell’OBC in base alle specifiche del veicolo. Bisognerebbe aprire una class-action con l’unione consumatori e far partire azioni legali. Oggi ho contattato il servizio clienti il quale mi conferma che la garanzia per l’OBC è di 5 anni…vediamo come si evolve la riparazione.
Hi, anyone know if the extended support is still going? The OBC in my partners 2021 e-2008 has started with the usual only charging on DC, implying the OBC has begun failing.
Is it too late to the party? Anyone know how I can fond out?
Another driver of stellantis with an on board charger faillure.
It´s the second on board charger broken, the first at 109.000km now with 198.000km. A three phase broken during charging.
Do you know if the Vmax on board chargers are compattible with old models from 2021.
Regards from Spain.
Hola, si se puede montar los vmax a los antiguos. En mi corsa me pusieron un vmax de 11kw al mío de 7kw, tras 4 meses sigue perfecto.
Hola raul eres al que subieron un video de 80% eléctrico, cambiando el cargador monofase por uno trifasico verdad?
Yo ahora tengo el furgon e-expert en el taller, The doctor, en sevilla. Están esperando a que stellantis le acepten la peticion de codificar el cargador, que hay lista de espera y no se puede hacer el mismo día…
How did you get on I’m in same position now may 2026 have engaged a lawyer as original garage never serviced car so warranty was null and void facing a bill of 4700euris even though I’ve found car reg first in 09/22 so warranty for OBC should be still in place until September of this year so stressed but not giving up