While driving, the Cmax displayed a red hazard, STOP SAFELY NOW, and lost all propulsion. The car was unable to be moved and is stranded in the driving lane.
2013 Ford C-Max electrical complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 51, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
Car will stall and brakes and steering lock up. This has occurred in when pulling into traffic. It always occurs when on a hill. Very dangerous but ford denies any problems. It has occurred since 2014. Last time was as below
I bought this 2013 ford c-max energi used in 2017, right off the bat after checking out vehicle, the toyota dealership had to jumpstart the car. Now, the current issue is that this vehicle has to be jump-started every time I try to start the car. This has been occuring since november 2020. These issues had occured sporadically, even after replacing the battery in 2018 with other brand battery, though not as frequently, and every day as it does now. Sometimes the vehicle would not start after sirius software update got stuck at 0%, this occured a few times in 2018. In late 2018 I bought a portable jump starter because this vehicle became untrustworthy to start. Though, if I had known about service bulletins and not just recalls I would have taken the car in to have it repaired earlier when issues presented themselves. So I finally took in my c-max in to a local hybrid repair shop, but the technicians were not able to replace the specific part, they referred me to the dealership to replace it. They printed out materials that stated there had been a few technical service bulletins for discharged batteries. I unfortunately missed the repair window by 6 months and will incur the costs. My car as of 1/13/2021 has been in the shop for two weeks now at dealership waiting for parts. The manufacturer defect will cost me around $1,100. It seems there has been many battery discharge bulletins for this model throughout the years for this year, make and model. The ford dealership at manahawkin, nj even stated this vehicle is not as common, so parts were not available immediately. I feel ford should issue a recall to be reimbursed for the trouble this car has caused. These issues should have been fixed by first owner of vehicle. There are several reported issues on carcomplaints.com for this issue. This should be investigated if recall can be made on this year and model.
I was driving on the highway and the car stalled. Warning light came on that says, stop safely now. The car completely lost power on the highway. I was lucky because that put me in a dangerous situation. Finally got it towed to the dealership and module-engine control. Pcm get too hot and the ignition switch. The car has been in at the dealership since 10.14.20 and has not been fixed and there still is not eta. Part is on backorder. This car has been tag a lemon and it should not be able to be sold. I didn't know this prior to purchasing the vehicle.
The outside drivers side tail light assembly is getting so hot the plastic is melting.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford c-max. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start-up after several attempts. Tri ford inc located at 12610 il-143, highland, il 62249, (618) 654-2122) was contacted by phone and informed of the failure. The contact stated that the battery was drained. The failure was caused by the radio remaining on and the door locks actuating independently after the vehicle was turned off and parked. The contact found information online, which stated that replacing the radio fuse would fix the issue. The contact replaced the fuse however, the failure recurred. The contact recharged the battery however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Very loud popping initially. Deafening pops that sound like your windshield was hit with a high velocity object. At first you cant tell where the sound is coming from. It does resemble the sound of a speaker blowing. It does not always occur when the radio or bluetooth audio is being used. In the beginning after it pops the blue tooth will not work for a few minutes to a few days. The sounds are terrifying and distracting. I believe it does place one in an unsafe predicament. You are not sure if you hit something or something has struck you. You feel like your windshield is broken. On other occasion it is clear that the speakers are cracking and again it very loud and dangerously distracting
Bought the car in may 2017. No problems until october 2019 car didn't crank everything dead. Took it to one dealer and they laughed at me. They replaced the 12v still didn't run. Had it towed to riverside ford october 2019. They worked on it didn't get the car back until dec 13, 2109. Paid the bill in full. And drove the car home. Two weeks ago. Dead again. My car is sitting in my yard because I can't afford to take it back to riverside ford or any other dealer to be fixed. What can I do now?
Tl* the contact owns 2013 ford c-max hybrid. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to southwest ford located at 3000 fort worth, weatherford, tx 76087) and was diagnosed. The contact was informed that an unknown module needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure occurred four times and was taken to the same dealer. The technician was unable to retrieve a fault code. The battery was replaced as a courtesy. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in customer satisfaction program 15b04 and provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Radio intermittently would not turn on. Then car was completely dead at home and could not unlock doors etc. Had to call aaa to have towed to dealer. Receipt states 'ids fault code b1d19:49 acm cd internal electrical failure stays on randomly causing voltage drain. Replace acm and program, perform coordinated hybrid battery module programming of PCM, ABS, sobdm-c, and dc/dc module, software updates to enhance driving and hybrid battery charge'. My husband was told by dealer this is common with this car. Paid over $1500. Originally was told it would be over $3000. A ' second' diagnosis was completed after my husband complained. This happened also in jan of 2019 car was also towed to dealer but we were told nothing was found to be defective.
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 !
This vehicle's EV charge cord had an incident that seemed to heat up / bend the cord near the plug back in 2016. I reported to ford at the time, they said do not use the cord and said they had a resolution upcoming. To keep anyone from using the cord, I cut it up and sent off the parts for recycling (copper). No recall notices sent by ford, no articles online, or even common sense suggested I should keep this dangerous cord in my household to possibly be used again (and the liability would be on me for being so stupid). What the recall and articles did suggest was the cord replacement would be done by vehicle VIN number (that vehicle would be checked to see if it has received a new cord). When I went in for service this year to finally get this recall processed, it was denied because I no longer had the cord even though my car had previously been serviced with this cord in the car (before it had an issue, ford said do not use, and I disposed of once I read the recall notifications). I would like to request the federal safety agency get involved and make ford replace my EV cord. Their records clearly show my vehicle never got a new cord, but they are making some claim that without the old cord, they have no way of knowing if it was an EV cord that had the problem. However, my cord was produced pre-2013, they all were covered under this recall. Just seems like ford is trying to save themselves money and deny me this recall. I do not know why they are doing this because they previously indicated by phone call this would not be a problem. However, the service rep apparently called ford multiple times trying to get this processed, but ford simply declined saying I should not have destroyed the cord even though not language was provided I needed to keep and even insinuated I should destroy to keep from being used. Sounds like ford covered their legal liability and saved money.
Rear folding seat latch disengaged. No longer able to fold 60% of rear seat. Now faced with charges upwards of 600$ because entire seat needs replacement. Car was stationary when opened and on level surface. Was lightly used, maybe 15 times in entire life. Also, apim module draining battery on several occasions. Field service announcement made, but car is now out of applicable time.
Radio no longer works...cannot turn on or off...while the vehicle is in operation speakers suddenly generates loud static. This unexpected noise coming suddenly from the speakers is extremely unsettling/distracting when driving on the interstate or any highway. The internet is replete with similar complaints concerning this year/model vehicle. This is a continuing problem.
2013 ford c-max. Consumer writes in regard to defective battery in vehicle. *as the consumer stated the 12 volt battery would drain leaving the occupants stranded.
Purchased 2013 cmax used from a car dealer with 39,000 miles on it in 2018. Been driving it for 1.5 years- now has 58,000 miles.. Suddenly warning red triangle appeared with audio alert to stop the car immediately. I was driving on I-95 in the middle lane at 60 MPH. Could feel the car had lost power, able to get to breakdown lane and had the car towed-to dealership. They found "nothing wrong." car returned to me- second incident 3 days later, while turning into shopping center, again, felt the car lose power, red triangle/warning. Stalled in lot- it was a sunday. Turned the car off- when I turned it back on engine warning light was on .I called the ford dealership, and spoke to a sales person who told me it was safe to attempt to drive the car- able to drive it home ( slowly)- then to dealers the next day- warning light still on. Dealership unable to find the root cause of the problem and ford giving limited support to the dealership. Car still in the shop x 1 week- service advisor states it would not be safe for me to take the car until they find the cause because it could do it again at any time. *tt consumer stated she would like complaint to be deleted. The ford fixed the problem, it was a wiring shortage in the wiring harness.
Ford charger for c-max phev overheated and caused wall outlet to burn
Have a warning check engine light, it's a stop safety message. Came on and orange engine light came on with it. Seems ford has a wire problem at the battery, I understand it might be caused by a wire becoming bare from rubbing. Is this a recall??????????
When you turn off the engine, the radio stays on. When the engine is running, you cannot turn down volume, use navigation, adjust temperature, use cruise control. It began when I was turning the car off after a short drive. This is the second time
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.
The battery unloads. Unless battery replacement. I fear about shortage which may lead to fire.
The battery 12v is unexpectedly discharged via the tcu module (modem) gm5z-14g229-bd. The driver can not start the car. The battery was replaced about 8 months ago the mentioned problem remained. The dealer did not comply with tsb 16-0157 and did not replace the defective part. Ford does not see the possibility of repairing the problem. Module number gm5z-14g229-bd.I already had problems twice. Once in the parking lot in front of the house and once at work.
The radio will not let me change station, volume, sync my phone for handsfree. When I open the door the radio normal shuts off. However it is just staying on
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.
Cmax melting plug the 120 volt, 12 amp charge cord that came with my car is overheating creating a fire hazard. The end of the cord that plugs into the wall has melted and left burn marks on three different electrical outlets in my garage where I plug the car in to charge. I put in a dedicated 20 amp line and plug due to this problem in august. The plug still burned and melted. I have photos of the outlet and plug. I made ford aware of the problem and advised via. Ford EV help line case # cas-13607255. I am taking the car and charger into ford on monday coming 11/27/17. This problem with the cord has been going on since 2013. I thought it was my plug. It is not.
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.
When vehicle is locked, windows will roll down by themselves.
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)
I drive with my cmax energi approximately 10 miles with in winter with heat set to 68f. Parked at destination and restarted approximately 2 hours after. While in transit to destination an orange wrench displayed on vehicle. No issue occurred. Upon restarting a red triangle along with wrench displayed upon attempting to start. The vehicle did not start. I had it towed to dealership.
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