2013 Ford C-MAX: complaints, problems and recalls

DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE FREEWAY AT NIGHT. A LIGHT WARNING OF POWER STEERING PROBLEM CAME ON. EXITED AND WENT TO A TRUCK STOP. RESTARTED CAR BUT THE POWER STEERING DIDN'T WORK. VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED. THERE WAS NO APPARENT CAUSE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 5,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 10587639 at NHTSA ↗

CAR WILL NOT START, NOTHING LEFT ON, CAR JUMPED WITH JUMPER, TOOK PLACE AGAIN YESTERDAY 5/27/2014. UNABLE TO JUMP START THIS TIME, FORD ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE APPLIED A JUMPER ABLE TO GET ELECTRICAL SYSTEM UP, BUT CAR WILL NOT RUN. FORD DEALER RECEIVED CAR, STATED THAT THEIR ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO JUMP CAR. ALSO STATED BATTERY WAS DEAD, BUT TESTED FINE. ASKED WHY THIS WOULD HAPPEN, COULD NOT TELL ME. THEY STATED THAT ALL POWER SYSTEMS LIKE LIGHTS OR PHONES ARE AUTOMATICALLY TURNED OFF AFTER 45 MINUTES. HAVE CALLED FORD CUSTOMER …

Owner-reported narrative. 32,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10594601 at NHTSA ↗

VEHICLE PARKED IN GARAGE OVER NIGHT. DEAD BATTERY. TOWED TO DEALER. COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. JUNE 1 VEHICLE PARKED IN GARAGE OVER NIGHT, DEAD BATTERY IN THE MORNING. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 2,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10595419 at NHTSA ↗

UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS, MY HUSBAND BUMPED THE IGNITION KEY WITH HIS KNEE AND THE CAR TURNED OFF. HE QUICKLY FIGURED OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED IT AND WE CONTINUED ON. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 16,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10596907 at NHTSA ↗

THE LOSS OF POWER INCIDENT OCCURRED ON MAY 27, 2014, WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH IN THE FAST LANE OF THE 405 FREEWAY AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE 405 AND 5 FREEWAYS IN LOS ANGELES, CA. THE FORD C MAX 2013 SUDDENLY DROPPED FROM 70 MPH TO LESS THAN 5 MPH. THE CAR WARNING MESSAGE ON THE DASH READ: "STOP SAFELY". DUE TO THE COURTESY OF THE MANY DRIVERS ON THE FREEWAY AT 7 IN THE MORNING, THE CAR CROSSED 4 TO 5 LANES OF FAST MOVING TRAFFIC, IN A LIMITED OPERATING MODE AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AN HOUR, ENDING AT THE ON-RAMP FOR CARS ENTERING THE FREEWAY. TH…

Owner-reported narrative. 2,645 miles reported. Look up ODI 10597744 at NHTSA ↗

THE LOW PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON AS I WAS TAKING A TRIP OF ABOUT 65 MILES TO MY MOTHERS HOME. I STOPPED AND CHECKED THE TIRES AND HAD TO PUT AIR IN THE TWO TIRES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. THE LIGHT DID NOT GO OUT; BUT I THOUGHT THAT MIGHT BE BECAUSE I DID NOT TURN THE CAR OFF SO I CONTINUED THE LAST 3 MILES OF MY TRIP. I PARKED THE CAR AT MY MOTHERS AND VISITED FOR ABOUT 4 HOURS. WHEN I GOT READY TO LEAVE, I WALKED AROUND THE CAR AND CHECKED THE TIRES AGAIN. I DID NOT NOTE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES OR THEM BEING LOW; BUT THE LIGHT C…

Owner-reported narrative. 17,950 miles reported. Look up ODI 10604351 at NHTSA ↗

THE DASHBOARD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS MISALIGNED, BENT UPWARD AND OUT, NOT MEETING THE DOOR PANEL/TOP OF DASH PROPERLY AS DOES THE DRIVERS SIDE. THIS MISALIGNMENT CREATES A GAP BETWEEN THE DASH AND DOOR PANEL, NORMALLY LESS THAN A PENCIL WIDTH, OF NEARLY A HANDS WIDTH. ALSO, THE GAP BETWEEN TOP OF THE DASH, NORMALLY FLUSH WITH THE OTHER DASH MOLDINGS, IS POPPED UP 1/2 INCH OR MORE. THIS INCONSISTENT ALIGNMENT IS VERIFIED BY VIEWING OTHER C-MAX VEHICLES. MY CONCERN BESIDES THE QUALITY OF FITMENT IS THE AIRBAG ALIGNMENT DURING A CRASH. IS TH…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10614693 at NHTSA ↗

I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE AFTER SEEING ADS FOR IT ON TV. I WENT TO THE DEALER IN DEC 2013 AND SAW THE WINDOW STICKER REPORTING THAT THE VEHICLE RECEIVED A 47/47 MPG RATING. AFTER RESEARCHING OTHER VEHICLES THAT MET MY TASTES AND REQUIREMENTS I DECIDED TO TRY THE C-MAX AND ESCAPE, MAZDA CX-5, AND A VW DIESELS, AND PRIUS V. MPGS WERE ONE OF LEADING FACTOR IN MY PURCHASING DECISION. THE C-MAX WAS 17 MPG BETTER THAN THE ESCAPE, 16 MPG BETTER THAN THE CX-5, 6-7 MPG BETTER THAN THE VWS, AND 5 BETTER THAN THE PRIUS ON HW. FORD HAS NOW CHANGED THE MPG ON …

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10614714 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2013-10-17 (October 17, 2013)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Focus Electric vehicles and 2013 C-Max vehicles equipped with the Intelligent Access Push Button Start System. In the affected vehicles, there is no audible chime when the vehicle is operational and the driver's door is opened. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence: Without an audible door chime, a vehicle owner may open the door and exit the vehicle without being reminded that the vehicle is still operational, leaving the vehicle susceptible to theft.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the door chime, free of charge. The recall began on October 30, 2013. Owners may contact the Ford customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13C07.

Reported: 2014-04-02 (April 2, 2014)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured August 15, 2012, through September 10, 2013, 2013-2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured June 5, 2012, through August 12, 2013, and 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured from July 23, 2012, through May 28, 2013. The driver and passenger seatback assemblies may have been produced with sub-standard weld joints used to attach the seat back recliner mechanism to the seat frame. The affected seat backs may have insufficient strength to meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."

Consequence: The back of the subject seats may become loose or lean while driving and potentially increase the risk of injury in certain crashes.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seatback, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C03.

Reported: 2014-05-07 (May 7, 2014)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 C-MAX, and Escape vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the restraint control module (RCM) may have errors in the programming software which may result in a delayed deployment of the side-curtain rollover air bag.

Consequence: If the side-curtain rollover air bag is delayed in deploying in certain rollover circumstances, the risk of injury to the passengers is increased.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the RCM, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S04.

Reported: 2014-09-26 (September 26, 2014)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to November 1, 2013; and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to September 30, 2013. The coating on portions of the Restraint Control Module (RCM) may crack, and when exposed to humidity, circuits on the printed circuit board may short.

Consequence: The short circuits could cause the frontal air bags, side curtain air bags and the seat belt pretensioners to not function as intended when needed, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21.

Reported: 2016-09-06 (September 6, 2016)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.

Consequence: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.

Reported: 2018-09-10 (September 10, 2018)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 120V Convenience charge cords that were supplied with and sold for use with 2013-2015 Ford C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi vehicles and 2012-2015 Ford Focus Electric vehicles. Cords with part numbers FM58-10B706-AA, FM58-10B706-AB, FM58-10B706-AC, FM58-10B706-AD, FM58-10B706-AE and FM58-10B706-AF were manufactured without thermistors, and during vehicle charging, increased resistance in the house's outlet or wiring can cause the cord to overheat and melt.

Consequence: An overheated cord can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current cord with a new 120V convenience cord with a thermistor, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S24.

Reported: 2020-06-08 (June 8, 2020)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.

Consequence: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.

Reported: 2022-06-10 (June 10, 2022)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.