The Used Car Index

2013 Ford C-MAX problems

NHTSA lists 187 complaints for the 2013 Ford C-MAX, 4 of them mention a crash and 5 mention a fire. 1 complaints mention an injury, with 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as FORD C-MAX.

At a glance

Complaints
187
With crash
4
With fire
5
With injury (complaints)
1
Injuries
2
Deaths
0
Recalls
8
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
2,925,968
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
88

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5127.3%
STEERING3920.9%
POWER TRAIN3719.8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2613.9%
ENGINE168.6%
STRUCTURE137.0%
SERVICE BRAKES84.3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL84.3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM52.7%
AIR BAGS42.1%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12V/24V/48V BATTERY2
BACK OVER PREVENTIONSENSING SYSTEM1
BACK OVER PREVENTIONWARNINGS1
EQUIPMENTMECHANICAL1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESDOORS1
TIRESPRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
electrical electronic5730.5%0.91
loss of control5629.9%0.83
mechanical failure3418.2%0.86
structural or corrosion105.3%0.72
fire or overheating94.8%0.96
unclear63.2%0.98
visibility or lighting52.7%0.85
restraint or airbag42.1%0.89
fluid or fuel leak31.6%0.81
noise or comfort31.6%0.81
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate11058.8%0.82
low5931.6%0.76
high158.0%0.78
none31.6%0.81

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 187 tagged complaints of 187 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

8 recalls.

22V413000

Date: 2022-06-10. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: 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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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 1-866-436-73 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V331000

Date: 2020-06-08. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Defect: 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 la (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. Ow (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V592000

Date: 2018-09-10. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

Defect: 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 vehic (excerpt)

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

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V643000

Date: 2016-09-06. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Defect: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

14V597000

Date: 2014-09-26. Systems: AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS.

Defect: 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 Restra (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

14V237000

Date: 2014-05-07. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

14V164000

Date: 2014-04-02. Systems: SEATS.

Defect: 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 produ (excerpt)

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

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

13V475000

Date: 2013-10-17. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT.

Defect: 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 (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

2 investigations; 0 open.

RQ19005

Opened: 2019-12-19. Closed: 2022-02-07.

Door Latch Failures

In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Some VOQs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall whi

Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES, STRUCTURE.

Linked campaign numbers: 20V177000, 20V331000.

PE16001

Opened: 2016-01-16. Closed: 2016-10-29.

Door Latch Failure

In January, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on consumers' allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2012-2013 Ford Focus vehicles (subject vehicles).ODI has received 464 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with over 200 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in mo

Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Linked campaign numbers: 16V643000.

Manufacturer communications

88 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM29
EQUIPMENT29
POWER TRAIN19
SEATS6
ENGINE5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING4
STRUCTURE4
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY3

11029052

Date: 2026-02-24. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the

11008948

Date: 2024-10-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.

10254138

Date: 2024-04-24. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. Unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,

10225458

Date: 2022-10-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Some 2013-2020 Fusion, MKZ and 2013-2018 C-Max vehicles equipped with an HF35 transmission may exhibit a thumping/rubbing or grinding noise coming from the transmission. The noise may be present in all gear ranges including neutral when the vehicle is moving but will not be present when the vehicle

10218617

Date: 2022-08-03. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

Some 2013-2017 C-MAX Energi, 2013-2018 Focus battery electric vehicle (BEV), 2013-2020 Fusion plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), 2015-2017 MKZ/MKZ Hybrid/MKC, 2016-2017 MKX and 2017 Continental vehicles equipped with 8 inch or larger center display screen may be unable to complete modem authori

10214758

Date: 2022-06-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

Some 2013-2017 C-MAX Energi, 2013-2018 Focus battery electric vehicle (BEV), 2013-2020 Fusion plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), 2015-2017 MKZ/MKZ Hybrid/MKC, 2016-2017 MKX and 2017 Continental vehicles equipped with SYNC screens 8 inch or larger may be unable to complete modem authorization af

10212957

Date: 2022-05-24. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Some 2013-2023 Ford or Lincoln vehicles with modems activated through FordPass or LincolnWay may experience 12 volt battery drain symptoms when the customer uses non-Ford/Lincoln phone applications as an alternate channel to access vehicle commands such as door lock/unlock, remote start, vehicle loc

10211728

Date: 2022-05-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Some 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2020 Fusion/MKZ, 2020-2022 Escape, 2021-2022 Corsair, 2022 Maverick vehicles equipped with HF35/HF45 hybrid transmissions can now be disassembled to repair and clean any contamination that may have been the result of a differential or transfer shaft bearing failure and the

10210730

Date: 2022-04-26. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Some 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2018 C-MAX, 2014-2019 Escape, 2014-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles may indicate an incorrect shifter lever position. This may be due to the bushing at the transmission end of the shifter lever cable resulting in a mismatch of cluster and selected gear po

10209209

Date: 2022-03-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT, SEATS.

This article supersedes TSB 21-2236 to update the models and year affected. Some 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2020 Fusion/MKZ, 2013-2022 Escape, 2015-2018 Focus, 2015-2019 MKC, 2015-2022 Edge/F150/Mustang, 2016-2018 MKX, 2016-2019 Explorer, 2017-2022 F-Super Duty, 2018-2022 EcoSport/Expedition, 2019-2022 R

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
C-MAX187

Same model, other years

All model years | All Ford models

Other Ford models, 2013

Sources

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