2013 Ford C-Max: battery drain or dead battery

Filed Feb 28, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · ID

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?

Filed Sep 28, 2024 · Electrical · DC

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)

Filed May 12, 2021 · Electrical · 107,200 miles · OH

The radio would not shut off or change stations and the volume control didn't work. The dash screen said the radio was off. Could not change audio inputs from fm station it was tuned to. The radio stayed on when the car was shut off even when the doors were opened. I googled the problem and found it is a known issue that can drain the battery completely. The suggested fix was to pull the radio circuit fuse from the main fuse panel under the dash, (#79), which I did. That reset the audio system and has resolved the problem for now at least. The last time I had weird audio problems was when the 12v battery started to need replacing. I thought it was due to it being 4.5 yrs old but now am wondering if it was hastened by battery drain from audio system when vehicle was parked. This problem could strand drivers and leave the vehicle inoperable due to dead 12v battery (which is in a very hard to reach compartment in the back hatch). I've also noticed that the back hatch unlatching switch doesn't always work at this time, which may or may not be related (same issues happened last time the 12v battery died 4 yrs ago). Could this be related to some other electrical short in the locking system wiring perhaps? Ford needs to solve this and issue a recall to remedy since the problem sounds pretty common.

Filed Jan 8, 2020 · Electrical · 52,000 miles · TX

Since I purchased the 2013 c max there has been an ongoing problem. It starts with the clock, time is wrong. Next the radio will not work unable to shut it off, change volume basically nothing works. After a day or 2 the car will not start, no power. Once we jump start the car everything will be ok until the next time. Currently radio is not working again and now engine light is on and I am getting a warning to pull over safely now. It took multiple times to try to shut vehicle off. Ford tells me 'we never heard of this'. They want $500.00 dollars to just diagnose the problem. This is insane because it is not the first time we had the vehicle in for the clock, radio and dead battery. What had to happen before this gets fixed? A serious accident? I read all the comments on here and it looks like that this is an ongoing problem! Ford needs to fix this problem !

Filed Sep 4, 2019 · Body · 53,462 miles · TX

Car, parked in driveway, failed to start because of a dead battery. Hood latch in vehicle failed to work (after being replaced once <1 year before). Could not open hood to access dead battery. Had car towed to dealer. Dealer was unable to open the hood. Was advised by dealer that hood cannot be opened without breaking front grill and paying for extensive repair. If hood handle malfunctions, there is no secondary access to open the hood. Repairs cost in excess of $1300 to replace hood latch cable assembly ($200) and the hood latch handle ($60), as well a the repair of body damage incurred by body shop breaking the grill to access the hood latch. Vehicle was unavailable for use for 22 days. Product defect: hood latch is prone to failure and not accessible during emergency. If pull handle breaks in car, hood cannot be opened without major body damage. No access from under or front of car is available. Expensive damage must be done to the vehicle, then repaired due to this design flaw.

Filed Nov 17, 2018 · Electrical · 45,000 miles · TX

I am experiencing chronic issues with the 12v low voltage battery draining and leaving the car dead. The car pulls load from the battery when the vehicle is off and all electronics are supposedly off. This appears to be an extremely common issue among owners of 2013-2014 ford c-max owners. Ford has been unable to assist as they say my vehicle (based on VIN) was not an effected model on their csp-15b04 program.

Filed Jan 28, 2018 · Electrical · 66,000 miles · CA

The 12-volt battery will die without warning or reason. No lights left on, or anything that may drain the battery. This leaves you without access to your car as there are no keys. Parked the car at night, and woke up the next day to a completely dead car. After getting a jump start, the car will be fine for a month or two; but then have the same problem again. Has happened at least 4 times in the year I have owned the car.

Filed Aug 11, 2017 · Electrical · 48,000 miles · FL

I have had a continual problem with my car battery going dead. It happens randomly every 4 or 5 months. I use my car every day, the battery drains overnight. The battery tests fine at the ford dealer. This last time the battery died, we trickle charged it and after gaining back power noticed we lost all power functions to all doors on our vehicle. After a week of diagnosis at the ford dealer it was determined that two of the door modules went out at the same time. Ford ordered new modules and one came to them defective. I have to go in yet again next week to have them change out that module for lack of the auto up feature. I think ford has a problem with these modules, I think they are causing the battery to drain overnight, and leading to expensive diagnostic/repairs bills at the vehicle owners expense. This issue is not caused by a vehicle owner, this is faulty parts from ford. I am not confident that the new oem parts will last long, this problem needs to be corrected. My 2013 ford cmax only has 48k miles and is taken care of and maintained regularly.

Filed Feb 9, 2017 · Electrical · 20,200 miles · NJ

Vechile and electrical components do not shut off when ignition is turned off and key removed. Radio volume can not be turned down creating a distraction while driving. Car battery dead after several hours. The federal safety agency campaign id #: 15v436000 is for same problem on like cars, but not for this particular manufacturing date. (not a vechile condition, but as luck would have it, I was stranded in below freezing blizzard conditions)

Filed Oct 17, 2016 · Electrical · 38,000 miles · SC

We purchased this car used in september, 2016 and it had 33,000 miles on it. One week after we bought it we returned to the car from dinner and found it wouldn't start. Had it jumped and continued on our way. One week ago we went to start the car after it sat in the driveway overnight and the same thing: battery was dead. We had it jumped. This morning, after sitting in the driveway overnight, it wouldn't start again, battery dead. This is the third time in just over a month our battery has gone dead. This site is full of reports of this happening, and ford dealers are unable to fix the problem. Why hasn't this car been recalled? Ford needs to offer replacement vehicles to anyone unfortunate enough to have purchased one of these lemons.

Filed Feb 18, 2016 · Brakes · 20,000 miles · CT

I've had multiple incidences of a "bucking forward" of my car when braking on rough road or braking and turning right when there may be uneven road or pothole near rear tires. I've brought it for servicing , they are stumped but have suggested may involve ABS. Recently, my ABS light went on, indicating my system turned itself off. I waited 2 hours to be told that something wrong with sensor back tire which is reading that its going 250mph. They have to order part, I have to wait another 2hrs for the repair and was told it would cost me $200 as its not part of powertrain warranty. I think these things are all related and have told the service dept I predict this would be the next recall. They are brushing it off, but if anyone was in front of my car when it "bucked" forward, they could have been injured. I reported the recall for dead battery issue multiple times, was dismissed by the service dept and later that became a recall. Please look into this complaint. Thank you. I'm seriously considering getting rid of this car. Enough is enough.

Filed May 22, 2015 · Electrical · 3,000 miles · MI

My "regular" battery died and needed to be jump started on 16 jul 14. I noted that my clock/date on the dashboard had stopped working at the same time. The dealership checked the computer but didn't find the cause. The same thing occurred on 16 nov 14. This time the computer showed that the battery was bad, and the dealership replaced it under the warranty. I am a very low mileage driver. I was very careful to make sure that the car was locked and electrical accessories were shut off after the july incident.