The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated that while charging the hybrid battery, the battery stopped charging after 15-16 minutes. The contact stated that the battery could only be charged for 15-16 minutes at a time. The contact stated that there was a red triangle warning light illuminated on the charger but there was no warning light illuminated on the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the mileage range of the vehicle per charge was decreasing continuously. The vehicle was taken to dealer several times to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Gator Ford (11780 Tampa Gateway Blvd, Seffner, FL 33584), where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
2016 Ford C-Max Energi electrical problems
13 complaints (41% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 50,000.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 41%
- typical mileage
- 50,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Propulsion system: charging: cable/cord: accessory1
- Horn1
- 12v/24v/48v battery1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford C-Max Energi electrical problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2016 Ford C-Max Energi electrical
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
the federal safety agency received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.
DP22005
What 2016 Ford C-Max Energi owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact attempted to honk at another vehicle, but the horn failed to respond while depressed. The contact stated that the horn occasionally responded while depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was repaired temporarily with electrical gel on a fuse. The contact attempted to check the fuse, but the fuse box cover was difficult to remove. The failure reoccurred after several months but the electrical gel failed to repair the vehicle. In addition, the horn failed to respond while depressed. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while in reverse (R) and backing up at 3 MPH the back-over prevention camera failed and displayed a black screen. The contact stated that when the back-over prevention camera failed to operate, the radio and the GPS became inoperable. The contact stated that the back over prevention screen occasionally turned blue or showed a distorted image. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but occurred several times. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that a software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that she was advised by the dealer that the software update was not a certain remedy. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred and that the back-over prevention camera became inoperable. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,295.
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 federal safety agency to do its job. I also want to be reimbursed. Who do I contact. You have my VIN # and therefore all my information.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the charging cord overheated and became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V592000 (Equipment). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
The contact's father owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated that several electrical features including the horn, hazard lights, power locks, and power windows engaged independently while driving at various speeds. The contact also stated that on multiple occasions, all four windows had been lowered upon returning to the vehicle even though the vehicle was turned off. The dealer had been notified of the failure and the contact was given an estimate for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that the mobile charger failed and the vehicle was unable to be charged. The contact stated that several different outlets were tried however, the failure persisted. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.
Several times now the vehicle has completely shut off while driving. At first, it was driving uphill on the freeway and when it hit a small bump it would shut off. I figured it was just at high speeds that this occurred. Recently, it was just driving up a driveway incline at 5 MPH, and going over a small speed bump triggered it to shut off. I have taken the vehicle in to have service fix it and they can't duplicate the issue. It is very dangerous to be driving 65mph on the freeway and the car just shuts off. It does not go into a safe mode, just completely shuts down. In order to continue driving, you must press the push-button start and let the car sit for a few minutes. After you wait, push the button again and it will allow you to continue driving as normal. I believe it is a wiring issue but multiple service locations have not been able to locate it. I have paid hundreds in labor attempting to fix it. Very dangerous!
Driving along a highway holding steady speed of 65mph, the car displayed a "stop safely now" message and disabled the accelerator. We were able to coast to a stop on the side of the road. The car would turn on and off with the push of the on/off button, but the "stop safely now" message remained on the dashboard any time the car was powered on, and the car would not move. We called ford as we are still under warranty; however, a tow truck would have taken approx 90 minutes, and I was not in a safe position, so I used a obdii scanner and app to reset the fault codes. After that the vehicle resumed normal operation. This is the third time we have seen this error in the last 18 months; however, the last time was approximately a year ago.
I was going to back into my driveway. I put the car in reverse then all of the electrical went haywire.everything turned on( windshield wipers, radio, all the lights. Etc.) then I put my foot on the gas to go in reverse and it went forward. Then I tried turning the car off and it would not turn off, so I was stuck in the middle of the street. I then moved the stick shift back and forth, put it in reverse again and it went a couple of feet, then wouldn't move anymore. All the electrical components remained on, but I couldn't turn the car off. I then had it towed to the car dealership with all the electrical components still on.they couldn't get it turned off either. They have it there and have no idea what to do. Now they can't get it turned on because the battery died.
Questions about the 2016 Ford C-Max Energi electrical
Does the 2016 Ford C-Max Energi have electrical problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the electrical of the 2016 Ford C-Max Energi, 41% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2016 Ford C-Max Energi electrical problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 50,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Ford C-Max Energi electrical?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford C-Max Energi have the most electrical problems?
The Ford C-Max Energi model years with the most electrical complaints are 2013 (19 complaints), 2014 (16 complaints) and 2016 (13 complaints).
Other 2016 Ford C-Max Energi problems
Driver assistance 5Transmission 5Engine 3Steering 3Acceleration 2Body 2Wheels 2Lights 1Seat belts 1
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