62 of the
458 complaints filed about the Ford C-Max
are about the other systems —
14% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2013.
My 2014 Ford Cmax Energi is unable to exceed 80 MPH. This is due to Ford MyKey systems not allowing other keys to be made for the vehicle without restrictions being applied. Because I had to get a new key made, my car now is unable to go over 80MPH. In Arizona, the flow of traffic is quick and intense. I am unable to reliably drive on the freeway because of how my car is restricted. Ford refuses to do anything about it.
NHTSA complaint #11729773 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear impact bar is completely disintegrated and is falling off of the subframe due to extreme rust. There is either no or very little amount of rust on the entirety of the rest of the vehicle. The impact bar is either manufactured with incorrect materials or is otherwise defective. The impact absorber is attached to the impact bar and due to the integrity of the impact bar being destroyed, the crumple zone in the rear of the vehicle will not work as intended and the safety systems would not perform as intended. The impact absorber is not sitting correctly as attached to the impact bar and major portions of the impact bar are missing due to extreme rust. This is currently available for inspection but is going to be repaired soon. A review of forums, like Reddit, online reveal that other owners of this generation of Cmax have had rusted out impact bars in the rear and have failed state safety inspection. This vehicle was never in an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11728197 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear view camera display is upside down. Display was normal when the vehicle was purchased and then one day it flipped upside down and all overlay information disappeared (lines and distance indicators).
NHTSA complaint #11723781 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On 1/16/2026, while operating my 2017 Ford C-Max Hybrid in the Bay Area, the vehicle displayed a low tire pressure warning. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle experienced a rapid mechanical or electrical failure that required me to safely pull over and exit the vehicle. Upon exiting, I observed smoke followed by open flames originating from the vehicle. Emergency services were contacted immediately, and the fire department responded and extinguished the fire. The vehicle sustained catastrophic damage and was declared a total loss. The vehicle was towed to a storage facility following the incident. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle had not undergone any recent mechanical repairs or modifications beyond routine maintenance, including an oil change approximately two weeks prior to the incident and a state smog inspection approximately one week prior. The vehicle had been operating normally prior to the warning and failure. All physical documentation stored within the vehicle, including the title, registration, and passport, was destroyed in the fire. Photographic and video documentation of the incident and damage, along with contemporaneous incident records, are available upon request.
NHTSA complaint #11712723 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While car shopping, I found a Ford hybrid listed with ~40,760 miles. Its public history shows a severe, unexplained odometer discrepancy. In September 2022, mileage was ~38,353. By May 2023, it spiked to 392,484. The current title shows 40,760 miles marked with a † (dagger), indicating "mileage discrepancy" or "not actual mileage." The seller is marketing it as a low-mileage vehicle. This misrepresentation poses a serious safety risk. A car with potentially 400,000+ miles of wear is being sold as having only ~40,000. Critical safety components like brakes, suspension, tires, and the hybrid battery system degrade with use. Concealing this extreme wear risks mechanical failure, endangering the buyer and others on the road. The problem is documented in the vehicle history report. I did not purchase the car. This appears to be odometer fraud and title washing, turning a high-mileage vehicle into a deceptively "low-mileage" sale, creating a significant safety hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11702942 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The backup camera always quits working while in the middle of reversing. It will work for a second, but then the display will flip upside down or go completely black and display a message saying "Camera unavailable. Please contact your dealership." It started doing this about a year ago, but was intermittent. It started happening more often over time, and now it always happens. It makes reversing dangerous, as the camera will quit working while the vehicle is still moving. This is especially dangerous in parking lots where there are pedestrians around. It is available for inspection upon request. It has not been inspected by anyone yet.
NHTSA complaint #11696461 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rearview camera is usually upside down. Occasionally, a blank, black screen is displayed. Infrequently, it appears normal. A few times, a message is displayed saying it needs to be replaced. In view of the fact many models have a recall notice for this very problem, I elected to report it.
NHTSA complaint #11686280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2 issues 1) back-up camera has started to intermittently fail. Sometimes it displays when you start to back up then goes blank. 2) the driver side rear door is stuck shut. The inside panel binds against the door jam and prevents it from opening.
NHTSA complaint #11576201 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11534478 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11522535 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicle fails to properly turn off after it has been put into park. As a result, I believe the regular battery is being drained at an alarming rate. If my vehicle sits overnight 8-10 hours, it is very likely that the battery will be dead and the car doors will not open. At first I thought it was just a manufacturer error with the batteries, but once I had purchased three batteries in less than 6 months. At this point, It seems to be an electrical draw issue that I am uncertain how to resolve as these cars are barely 10 years old.
NHTSA complaint #11495302 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I wanted to file a complaint about a recall notice. I received a notice that there was a safety recall on my car, the notice is dated July 2022. It states parts should be available by the fourth quarter of 2022 which is now. I just checked on the NHTSA website and it states there are parts available. I have yet to receive a notice to contact someone to get my car repaired. This recall involves the shifter. October 29th we were out running errands. I got back into my car, turned it on, and put it into drive and nothing happened when I put my foot on the gas. I tried reverse and the other drive positions and nothing. I had to turn my car off and then back on again and it finally went into drive. Since this recall involves the shifter, I am worried that my car might not shift into gear when I need it to. Am I able to just contact a ford dealership to get this repair done, or do I have to wait for the letter? Thank you for your help.
NHTSA complaint #11492205 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I have a 2013 Ford C-Max SE that is having terrible white noise and static from the speakers. I see that this is common with the SYNC system and not limited to C-Max models How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I have not had a diagnostic run but I have seen so many listservs with the speaker issue. The car will be quiet and then blast static to the point of having to pull over to get the car over to get it to stop. It's so loud sometimes that it is hard to drive. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I am taking the car in on November 10th for an inspection. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? I am taking the car in on November 10th for an inspection. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, this has gradually be increasing in severity over the last few months.
NHTSA complaint #11491352 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear-view camera sporadically freezes, turns upside down - will see people walking behind, and then suddenly the image will freeze. This is a major major safety issue and I suspect people may even be killed due to this camera failure. I had numerous situations where the camera would (mid backup) FREEZE the image, resulting in the driver (myself) thinking that nobody was walking behind my vehicle! This needs to be investigated and perhaps the rear-view camera systems recalled on ALL Ford C-maxes as I am seeing many other reports of this happening as well
NHTSA complaint #11482288 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is clearly an open recall on my car since June of 2022, I have yet to receive any information from Ford about checking my car to see if it’s affected by this recall. I drive with my 3 year old in this car everyday and I would feel a lot safer if someone was able to look at my vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11479486 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This Vehicle has given us numerous numerous issues and left us stranded it has been a safety issue for my family we recently had to have law enforcement involved to try to save us from where we got stranded due to the unreliability of this vehicle and after already having a transmission replacement and having the car right now in the shop for approaching one month and they still cannot find the issue There has been one problem after another forward keeps giving me the run around when I contact them directly and the dealership Is just giving me extremely generic responses and telling me that their staff is not available this week and that they have many other customers to have to worry about and that I basically can go rent a car if I have a problem with not having a vehicle, I do not want to continue to have to risk my life or the life of my wife or children because of the lack of ownership from the dealership and the manufacturer in this situation I keep losing out and being told to just wait and wait, please help! There is a current safety recall also, butbi feel like this entire vehicle is a safety concern at this point for my family and myself.
NHTSA complaint #11477476 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The backup camera image is intermittently reversed, or it sends an error message telling me to contact the dealership, or it simply displays a black screen and is it available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others is put at risk, because it is nauseating and disorientating if I glance at the screen while trying to back up and it is easy to hit anyone or anything behind me as I back up as my brain tries to process the upsidedown image. The problem has been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer and an independent service center. The vehicle, or camera image has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The car was parked for 2.5 weeks while I was on vacation and it first appeared on my first drive upon returning.
NHTSA complaint #11470003 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.