2013 Ford C-Max Owner Complaints

Summary of Safety Issue The vehicle repeatedly experiences sudden loss of propulsion while driving, accompanied by a “Stop Safely Now” warning message and various other dashboard warnings . During these events the accelerator pedal becomes completely unresponsive while the vehicle remains powered, indicating a failure of the hybrid propulsion system or high-voltage battery control system. The vehicle and video footage of the failure are available for inspection upon request. Timeline of Events January 13, 2026 – The vehicle displayed a “Stop Safely Now” warning message and lost the ability to accelerate. The vehicle had to be towed to Lehighton Ford. January 21, 2026 – Paid $866.85 for repairs including battery service, Rear Control Module replacement, and PCM harness repair. Lehighton Ford stated the vehicle was repaired and safe to drive. Within minutes of leaving the dealership, the vehicle stalled again in active traffic and had to be returned. The issue was escalated to the Ford Engineering hotline and a Field Service Engineer. February 17, 2026 – The dealership attempted to return the vehicle after performing a BECM reprogramming. Upon pickup, new issues were immediately observed including near-stall conditions and hybrid system malfunction, so the vehicle was left with the dealership again. February 18, 2026 - The owner brought forth concerns about Ford’s Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 17-0015 which identifies potential damage to the traction battery interlock harness as a root cause for intermittent stalling and "Stop Safely Now" warnings. Although the dealership recorded Diagnostic Trouble Code B11D8—a fault directly related to the stall condition—the dealership later stated that no diagnostic codes relevant to the TSB were present and this component was not inspected. February 20, 2026 - Dealership claims that the vehicle has been test-driven for over 100 miles and is “functioning perfectly” and that a ‘battery rebalance’ was causing the issues experie

NHTSA ID

11729640

Incident

Mar 6, 2026

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 ID

11728197

Incident

Mar 30, 2026

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 ID

11723781

Incident

Mar 1, 2020

I took it to the Ford dealership and they diagnosed it as having a parasitic draw from the 12 V battery when the car is shut down so when you go to get into the car if the battery is dead, they will fix it for $425 however, this problem was a recall in 2013 and my car did have a recall done to it. However, the issue is still going on therefore I feel as though the customer should not be charged. My car broke down going up the canyon and it told me to pull over safely, which I did going up the hill, but it was on an exit and it was a dangerous situation as I could not even turn on my flashers. This has been a known issue with the Ford C max since 2013 and since their software program then did not correct the problem and now they want to update the software why should the cost come from the Consumer?

NHTSA ID

11721095

Incident

Feb 25, 2026

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 ID

11696461

Incident

Oct 29, 2025

Engine light came on. Mechanic said 2 codes showed up. One for low coolant, another for engine misfiring. The misfiring code had come on several times in past and spark plugs were replaced. Upon inspection was told the engine block is cracked due to faulty design. I will need a new engine!

NHTSA ID

11690446

Incident

Sep 29, 2025

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 ID

11686280

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

Steering stopped working but after restarted it began to work again. It was fine for a few days and then DTC came up indicating "Service Power Steering" and the power steering has quit working.

NHTSA ID

11685718

Incident

Sep 8, 2025

While driving car, power steering will fail and deactivate leaving the steering extremely heavy and manual. Can happen at any speed, and has happened on the interstate at highway speeds. Information cluster states, "power steering fault - service power steering immediately" When this happens it is highly unsafe and happens instantly without warning. Makes getting the car off the road and stopped safely very difficult and dangerous. Stopping the car, turning it off fully and restarting seems to clear the fault and makes the car power steering operate as normal again. But this has happened many times since owning the car and I can find no reason when or why it gets triggered. Online searches find many other owners of this car describing the exact same issue and they share the same concerns about it being unsafe.

NHTSA ID

11662849

Incident

May 23, 2025

WHILE DRIVING the dashboard instrument panel beeps and flashes the word "Put in Park" and "Stop Safely Now", and the speedometer stops working, all kinds of warning lights start flashing on and off on the instrument panel, the heater goes on and off on it's own, then the instrument panel goes black, speedometer shows zero and car goes into shutdown mode. I was put in risk while driving without a speedometer and other vehicles near me were put into risk; when I pull over and stop the vehicle it strands me and I need a tow. This has happened randomly many times; I took it to FORD for repair, they didn't know how to fix the problem, my car was at FORD for 6 weeks! and I was without a car all that time, now 3 months later it's doing the same thing! I have videos of it happening along with the pictures I'm posting here, it is very scary when it's happening while driving and it's scary being stranded in unsafe places having to wait for a tow. This issue is Unresolved and DANGEROUS, I need FORD to get more involved.

NHTSA ID

11648591

Incident

Mar 16, 2025

Got a “Power steering assist fault” message on the screen. It was very hard to steer the wheel. The case on the wheel was turning around it. Managed to drive 3 more miles to the dealership. A lot of other ford models have same issues, even under 50.000 miles. And many of the are in recall program, but not 2013 ford c-max. Can’t afford 3.400$ price for fixing it at the dealership. I’m a second owner, bought it for 5.000 , 3 years ago. At least it didn’t stuck completely, and I didn’t Die

NHTSA ID

11628031

Incident

Nov 30, 2024

My Stereo/Navigation console went out, just went black and stopped working. I bought it to my local garage and they said it was a costly repair and that there is a recall/service bulletin on it and that i should take it to a Ford Dealer. I did and they acknowledged the issue but said my VIN wasn't covered, but it was a known issue with C-Max of this year. So I didnt have the car services. A few months later, (2 weeks ago) my battery died and could not be jumped, so I had it towed to my Ford Dealer. He informed me that the potential cause of the battery damage was a short in the Console/Radio/Nav/Screen system. I agreed to go forward with the costly repair... They have so far not been able to resolve the issues. This morning I called Ford and explained the issue. They said since there is not a Recall associated with my VIN, there was nothing they could do. I asked them to look up the "issue" not the VIN and they acknowledged that there are issues with 2013 C-Max Energi models associated with the console. I asked for a bulletin number and was given 202363. I believe the recall is associated with the Ford Parts and so my VIN number may not be registered or something to that effect. I'm not sure how to look up the number they provided. While I dont think that not having a Radio or Nav system is a safety issue. The fact that it has caused the car to completely shut down and standing us is an issue. Again, Ford is aware that this type of issue exists, for this model, for this manufacturing year. They say they will only cover the repair if your agency tells them to, UGH Thank you, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11616983

Incident

Sep 7, 2024

The wrench 🔧 light came on in my car. and when I put it in drive the car took off without me putting my foot on the gas. and it was like I had no control over the gas pedal. I tried hitting the brakes and it was still wanting to accelerate.

NHTSA ID

11603572

Incident

Jul 20, 2024

225/57/17 driving down the interstate and the tire blew

NHTSA ID

11575199

Incident

Mar 3, 2024

On the morning of 12/13/23 I got in my car to go to work. Upon starting my car the warning light for service power steering came on. I noticed the car was very hard to steer when existing my drive way. I drove the car back into my neighborhood to see if it was safe to drive in traffic. The steering was so tight and steering wheel would fight me wanting to return to center. With the fault code still present I went home and inspected the steering system and hooked up my scan tool to the OBD port. I had a fault code of 3000-53 and 3000-49. The 3000-53 would not clear. I have found online other Fford vehicles with recalls for the same steering system setup, but not on the Ford C Max. If this had happened when I was driving on the road at a high rate of speed it would have caused a serious accident, as the steering was very unresponsive and actually fighting my input of direction.

NHTSA ID

11559895

Incident

Dec 13, 2023

I pulled over to take a phone call. The car was in park but idling. When I finished the call, I put the car in drive and released my foot from the brake. The car began to accelerate as if I was pressing the accelerator, but I was not. I checked the make sure there was no obstruction near the pedals. There was nothing there, no random object, no floor mat, nothing. I tried to release my foot a few more times and it continued to accelerate without any pressure on the accelerator. I put the car in park, noticed there was a wrench image lit up on the dash and then turned off the car. When I started it again, the wrench was gone and the car drove normally. I called the service center to make an appointment to have the car looked at. The earliest appointment is in 19 days.

NHTSA ID

11559226

Incident

Dec 8, 2023

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)

NHTSA ID

11550673

Incident

Oct 18, 2023

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.

NHTSA ID

11534525

Incident

Jun 16, 2023

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 ID

11522535

Incident

May 17, 2023

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.

NHTSA ID

11521038

Incident

May 5, 2023

I went to change lanes and all of a sudden the steering became difficult. I thought the car had lost power, but it was only the steering. The sudden loss came as a surprise and did cause me to loose control momentarily during the lane change. Shortly thereafter a warning light came on indicating the power steering needed to be serviced. I was able to arrive at my destination safely, but power steering was completely out. Upon restarting the car the problem went away. Returning home later that evening the problem returned about 5 miles into my trip. I returned home and shortly after brought the car to the auto parts store to see if there was a code on their scan tool. No codes, but this time when the car was started the warning light came on immediately and power steering has quit working 100% of the time.

NHTSA ID

11513341

Incident

Mar 17, 2023

Several times over the past 3 years, the 12 volt battery has been deeply drained while the car has been off/unused for ~3 days. (The problem has been described on your website: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/SB-10093862-2532.pdf.) This is a safety issue because there is a reasonable expectation of serviceability of a car, for emergencies or for returning to a safe place. Just as one depends on the reasonable reliability of devices like fire extinguishers, elevators, heart monitors, etc., so does one expect cars to be reasonably reliable. There is no advance warning that the battery will be drained.

NHTSA ID

11505555

Incident

Feb 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH in the rain, the windshield wipers became inoperable, and the headlights inadvertently turned off. The contact stated that the horn would beep independently but failed to operate while depressed. Additionally, the heater and A/C unit became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle also failed to start. The contact had to jump start the vehicle on several occasions. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ID

11497421

Incident

Nov 1, 2019

Mileage

110,000 mi

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 ID

11495302

Incident

Nov 29, 2022

I started the car and could not move the steering wheel without great great effort. “Power steering failure” notice appeared on dashboard.

NHTSA ID

11493138

Incident

Nov 6, 2022