Ford C-Max Complaints

510 consumer complaints on file.

#11556335November 21, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER, BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
The backup camera doesn't regularly function, ranging from 15% to 75% of the time. A tire man with prior experience in a Ford dealership recommended checking for an electronics update to the system. There may be a worsening functionality when the weather is wet, but that's not a clear correlation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11553864November 6, 2023
AIR BAGS
I recently rear ended a car and the front of the vechical was damaged. The air bag censor was destroyed, however the airbags did not come out. This was on a 2018 Ford c-max. Many people pointed out this malfunction and how my life was put at risk.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550673October 18, 2023
POWER TRAIN
I have owned this car for the last 9 years and have kept It well-maintained. For over a year, the car stalls in the midst of driving, even on a highway, leaving me the only option to find a shoulder or safe area to park. After I turn off the engine, wait for a few minutes, and turn it back on, the engine turns on just fine and I am able to drive. Lately (for about a month or so) this has been happening more frequently(every other day, sometimes twice in a short while compared to once every 3-4 weeks). A few months ago I took it to the local Ford dealership and they told me, that they would need to replace the hybrid system, with an estimated cost of $15000, which didn't make any sense as even car is not worth that much. I also called Ford customer service and even they didn't offer much and just told me something to the effect of "tough luck". I came across this post [XXX] which matches exactly with the issue I am experiencing. That particular car owner was able to get the transmission replaced by Ford, under a California law and the issue was resolved. This seems to suggest, that Ford bears the responsibility for this manufacturing fault and they should own up to it. It is not fair that after paying over $35000, for the car, the only options I am given is to either take the risk of a catastrophic accident with the car stalling in the midst of a highway (with no safe place to stop) or just junk the car. I am pleading that your department should make it a required safety recall and Ford should be required to either fix this issue, at no cost to the owners or compensate them fairly for the present value of the car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547715October 2, 2023
POWER TRAIN
Was driving it to a shop to do a transmission fluid exchange and got a big Stop Safely Now warning on the dash with an AdvanceTrac warning as well. Car stopped dead on a freeway off ramp - was very fortunate to get an immediate SoCal Freeway Service tow off the ramp in Los Angeles to a safe place, and after AAA told me I might wait 4 hours for a tow to my preferred Ford dealer, I got the car restarted and got it to a another dealer a couple miles away. Inspection showed a P0B37 error code with chafing of the high voltage battery harness. The dealer originally quoted me $1200 to fix it, but when I mentioned the California 10/150 hybrid powertrain warranty, they subsequently found TSB 17-0015 which deals with this exact issue on the 2013-16 Energi, and I've now read a report of the same issue on a 2017. The TSB quotes 1.8 hours labor with chafing and installation of heat shrink tubing, tie strap, and electrical tape... where the dealer came up with $1200 is beyond me. Obviously I'm pleased with the fact Ford is covering this one, but hope it doesn't happen to you... I had about 30 seconds to get the car to a safe place before it stopped entirely, and if I'd been in heavier traffic the vehicle would have stopped dead on a very busy expressway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547291September 29, 2023
WHEELS
Lug nuts are deforming. Costco techs require 3 sockets to obtain proper torque. Two piece construction is problematic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11545455September 19, 2023
AIR BAGS
I totalled my car. The steering wheel airbag failed to inflate
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11545522September 19, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I have a 2016 Ford C-Max. On Saturday, 9-16-2023 my wife and I were traveling on Highway 69 in Prescott AZ. We turned off the highway and about 50 yards from Hwy 69 a STOP SAFELY NOW flashed on the instrument pannel. The car IMMEDIATELY braked hard and stopped. I had no time to pull over. Had it been 50 yards sooner I would have abruptly stopped on Hwy 69. The Hwy was traveling at 55 MPH. You figure it out, we were going to have an accident 100%. The C-Max was towed to Sun Valley Tire, a AAA approved repair shop in Prescott Valley. They pulled up the Ford, Technical Service Bulletin - TSB 17-0015. That bulletin describes wiring that chafes and shorts out the car. Exactly what happened to us. The actual fix is simple, locate the shorted out wire and repair it. To get to it requires disassembling most of the car. Total cost $438.01. That is not the point, Ford knew that this problem existed, sent out a TSB and is allowing Ford owners like me to have a life threatening incident. WHY has Ford been allowed to continue allow these C-Max's to stay on the road without a fix! Are you doing your jobs? I want the NHTSA to do its job. I also want to be reimbursed. Who do I contact. You have my VIN # and therefore all my information.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11539404August 18, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2018 Ford C-MAX Hybrid. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop at a red light, the vehicle inadvertently stalled and lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality; however, the failure had since become a regular failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11538439August 14, 2023
POWER TRAIN
A low rumbling noise seemingly situated at the right front (passenger) tire started with no warning approximately two months prior; no warning lights came on, the car did not change its driving--only a low rumbling noise which increased in revolutions with acceleration and quietened with braking and when in neutral--emerged. I subsequently took the car to a local mechanic to evaluate if the brakes were failing but in his diagnosis, he thought the likely cause to be internal to the transmission--a finding now confirmed by two other mechanics, including the Ford dealership. However, in researching this issue, a Technical Service Bulletin (20-2219) outlining this known issue with the transmission of the 2013-2016 Ford C-max built before August 2015 (mine was built in April 2015) popped up, issued June 2020. My car is now marginally outside of warranty at 112,000 miles but this known issue is one that makes the car a danger to drive-both to myself and other drivers on the road-as no warning has come on, the sound is deceptively benign and yet if the transmission fails while on a highway or other fast-paced motorway, there could be a significant accident that ensues. Given that Ford is aware of this fault in their transmission builds with no prior warning to owners of these cars, this puts road safety of the C-max driver/passengers and others concurrently on the road at significant risk. I am baffled as to why this issue has not been recalled given its severity and the risk of it occurring just outside of warranty when costs to replace the transmission are exorbitant.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536821August 6, 2023
AIR BAGS
While driving my 2014 Ford CMAX Hybrid, I struck a deer at approximately 55 mph. There is moderate damage to my front end, but during the crash, my airbags did not deploy.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11534766July 27, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
The contact owns a 2015 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that upon shifting to park, the vehicle accelerated forward unintendedly. The vehicle ran over the curb and crashed into the handicap sign. The fuel tank detached during the crash. There were no warning lights illuminated. The fire department was on the scene. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire, air bag deployment, or injury. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11534525July 26, 2023
EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:CARRIER/RACK
On March 21, after communicating several times with Yakima regarding difficulties I was having in installing the roof rack onto our car, I was able to install the racks, though the tower and clip system for the front rack were uncomfortably at the limit of extension of the drive bolt (the part of the system that applies the tension that keeps the rack on the car). With the multiple installation attempts and communication with Yakima Consumer Service I am very confident that I installed the rack consistent with Yakima instructions. Following installation the roof racks were not used to transport our kayaks until mid June. On June 16 my wife was driving on the very busy Interstate 5 close to our home in Lynnwood WA when the front rack separated from the car, impacting and damaging the roof on the way off. It was extremely lucky that no vehicle was behind her, and no accident was caused. We found remnants of the front rack on the side of the highway, and there was clear evidence that the rack had been hit by one or more vehicles. I don't know the extent of the damage to those vehicles. I called the Washington State Police to report and ask whether any incident had been reported; none had. The next day I submitted a report to Yakima about the incident. To this date I have not received any response to my report, somewhat surprising since the Consumer Service dept had been very prompt in responding to my previous communications when I was having difficulty installing the racks. Email correspondence with Yakima and photos are attached.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11534478July 25, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The rear drivers side door opened unexpectedly going around a turn and did not re-latch after it was closed. The door opened and slammed closed going around a turn and injured my son sitting in the back seat. The child locks on the door were still engaged during the incident and after. This is the second time it has happened. Both days were close to 100 degrees in temperature. The door intermittently does not latch.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11530449July 5, 2023
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while reversing, the back over prevention camera displayed the image upside down. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11523744May 24, 2023
WHEELS
In the course of routine maintenance, it has been brought to my attention that Stock Ford lug nuts have "Swelled" and can not be removed using normal methods, making on the road tire replacement impossible. Ford states this is a known issue with defective Ford lug nuts.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522535May 17, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The component that failed is the lug nuts. They are swollen. Had them replaced when I got new tires in December, 2022 because mechanic could not use the ones that came with the previous tires. He said I would be driving on broken lug nuts because of how he had to take off the lug nuts that came with my Ford. On May 17/2023, took my car to A ford dealership for an oil change and inspection. They could not rotate the tire because of the swollen lug nuts.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11521038May 8, 2023
SUSPENSION
Description from Ford Dealer is in quotes, plus I added more details: "Rear sub-frame" (F1FZ5035D Cross Member) "broke in half" (due to rusting). "Unsafe to drive at this time." Good thing my wife questioned the new clunking sound that was emanating from the rear of the vehicle when going over bumps. We were able to proactively catch this before it resulted in an accident. I believe these parts should last much longer than 10 years.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11518212April 21, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle was idling rough. The check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed a transmission failure to the contact. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11516459April 11, 2023
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
2014 FORD C-MAX. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO SEVERAL DEFECTS ON VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS SEVERAL DEFECTS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1.-)UPDATING THE PCM SOFTWARE AND THE REPLACE THE CANISTER PURGE VALVE. 2.-)TRANSMISSION FAILURES WHEN CHANGING GEARS. 3.-) INFORMATION FAILURES FROM THE COMPUTER ABOUT THE ENGINE OIL CHANGE INDICATING THE OIL CHANGE WASN'T MADE. 4.- )REAR DOOR LOCK FAILURES.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515556April 5, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY, HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
The contact owned a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while starting the vehicle in the parking lot of her residence, there was a strong burning odor and several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel and the brakes were inoperable, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery system had burned and needed to be replaced; however, the dealer informed the contact that there was no guarantee that the vehicle would become operable after the repair. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an unknown Federal mandate for an Extended Warranty that stated that the Ford manufacturer would cover the battery system repair for 8 years/100,000 miles; however, the dealer declined to honor the Extended Warranty. The insurance company considered the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was totaled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 77,250.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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