2013 FORD C-MAX Complaints

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD C-MAX ENERGI. WHEN CHARGING THE VEHICLE, THE OUTLET LOCATED IN THE WALL MELTED AND THE SIDE OF THE CORD USED TO CHARGE THE VEHICLE, WHICH PLUGGED INTO THE WALL, ALSO MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE CHARGED. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

DRIVING ON I-40, ABOUT 150 MILES FROM MY DESTINATION ON JULY 31, 2016, THE "SERVICE POWER STEERING SOON" LIGHT CAME ON IN THE CAR. I FINISHED THE DRIVE HOME WITH NO PROBLEM AND TURNED THE CAR OFF TO UNLOAD IT. WHEN I RE-STARTED IT, THE CAR REPORTED A COMPLETE STEERING FAILURE, AND THE POWER STEERING ASSIST SIMPLY QUIT. I LOOKED ONLINE AND SAW THAT THIS HAS BEEN A CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE FORD STEERING SYSTEM IN THE C-MAX AND OTHER MODELS. I ARRANGED TO HAVE THE ISSUE EXAMINED & REPAIRED AT MY LOCAL FORD DEALER. I DROVE THE CAR THERE, WITH EXTENSIVE EFFORT REQUIRED TO TURN THE WHEEL. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING UNIT HAD FAILED, WITH APPROXIMATELY 35,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. MY COST WAS APPROXIMATELY $1880, AND I DO HAVE THE RECEIPT. FORD REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AND I WAS FORCED TO PAY THE FULL AMOUNT. I BELIEVE THIS KNOWN DEFECT CREATES AN UNSAFE SITUATION. 1. FORD SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO FIX THIS DEFECT AS IT IS FAR MORE COMMON THAT ACCEPTABLE, AND 2. THEY SHOULD CHANGE WHAT HAPPENS TO A CAR WHEN THE PROBLEM IS DETECTED. HAD I NOT HAD A LOT OF STRENGTH, I COULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO AN ACCIDENT TRYING TO GET IT IN FOR REPAIR. THE SYSTEM WORKED JUST FINE FOR 150 MILES, SO THERE WAS NO REAL ISSUE STOPPING THE STEERING ASSIST...UNTIL I TURNED IT OFF AND THEN THE CAR DISABLED ITS STEERING. FORD SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO LET THE CAR CONTINUE TO DRIVE AFTER THE CAR SELF-DISABLES ITS POWER STEERING. IT WAS ONLY SELF-DISABLED AFTER I SHUT IT OFF, SO IT WAS ACTUALLY STILL SAFELY DRIVEABLE, BUT THE CAR'S COMPUTER APPARENTLY DECIDED TO CREATE THE DANGEROUS SITUATION BY SHUTTING OFF THE EPAS SYSTEM COMPLETELY, YET LEAVE THE CAR DRIVABLE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS FAILURE AND COMPEL FORD TO ADDRESS THE STEERING UNIT FAILURE ISSUE AND REIMBURSE THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR.

THE FORD EV CHARGE CORD (FORD PART NO. FM58-10B706AC) THAT CAME WITH MY 2013 CMAX ENERGI DRAWS TOO MUCH CURRENT AND IS A FIRE HAZARD. I JUST FILED A VEHICLE COMPLAINT (NO. 10904811) WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MELTED CORD AND BURN MARKS ON MY OUTLETS, DESCRIBING THE HAZARD IN DETAIL. IT IS LIKELY THAT THIS CORD OR A SIMILARLY DESIGNED CORD IS USED WITH THE FORD FOCUS ENERGI AND FORD FUSION ENERGI SO THIS HAZARD SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS AN EQUIPMENT DEFECT AND NOT JUST A VEHICLE DEFECT.

THE 120 VOLT, 12 AMP CHARGE CORD THAT CAME WITH MY CAR (FORD PART NO. FM58-10B706AC) IS OVERHEATING CREATING A FIRE HAZARD. THE END OF THE CORD THAT PLUGS INTO THE WALL HAS MELTED AND THE PLUG HAS LEFT BURN MARKS ON THREE DIFFERENT ELECTRICAL OUTLETS ON MY HOUSE WHERE I PLUG THE CAR IN TO CHARGE. PHOTOS OF THE MELTED CORD AND OUTLET BURN MARKS ARE ATTACHED. THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THAT THE CONTROL UNIT BUILT INTO THE CORD IS TOO HEAVY AND PULLS THE PRONGS FROM THE OUTLET AND IF A PRONG IS ONLY PARTIALLY PLUGGED INTO THE OUTLET IT DRAWS MORE CURRENT THAN THE CORD CAN HANDLE. FORD IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND ADVISED (FORD EV HELP LINE 1-800-392-3673) THAT THE CORD SHOULD NOT BE LEFT HANGING IN MID-AIR AND NEEDS TO BE PROPPED UP WHEN PLUGGED IN. THOSE INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT IN THE OWNERS MANUAL OR ON THE CORD, NOR WERE THEY COMMUNICATED TO CMAX ENERGI OWNERS. FORD ASSERTS THAT THE CORD IS NOT COVERED BY ITS EXTENDED 8-YEAR, 80,000 MILE WARRANTY FOR ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS FOR THE CMAX ENERGI, SO THIS PART IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE (I WAS QUOTED $975 BY FORD TO REPLACE THE CORD). THUS IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT OWNERS WILL DEFER REPLACING THE CORD AND KEEP USING IT, BECAUSE IT STILL WORKS EVEN THOUGH THE PLUG IS PARTIALLY MELTED. THIS CORD IS HIGHLY LIKELY TO RESULT IN FIRES AND MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TWO CMAX ENERGI GARAGE FIRES IN FLORIDA I READ ABOUT IN THE PRESS LAST MONTH. I AM HAPPY TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION IF YOU WANT TO CONTACT ME.

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON A 70MPH HIGHWAY. NO WARNING OR INDICATION. THE STEERING JUST CUT OUT. I WAS TRAVELLING WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD SON IN THE BACK WHEN I BASICALLY LOST ALL CONTROL OVER THE CAR. IT WAS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO NAVIGATE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I HAD TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY HIGHWAY. A GENTLEMAN HAD TO STOP AND HELP ME GET THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. THE CAR IS THREE YEARS OLD AND WE WERE TOLD THE POWER STEERING IS SHOT. WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE IT REPLACED AND IT WILL COST $1,700.

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AT NIGHT AT 70MPH THE CAR TURNED OFF ITS PROPULSION SYSTEM WITHOUT WARNING. A RED WARNING INDICATOR CAME ON STAYING STOP SAFELY NOW. MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE. SHE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND IT RESTARTED. THE NEXT DAY SHE DROVE IT TO THE SUPERMARKET. ON THE 2 MILE DRIVE HOME IT STOPPED MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION JUST LIKE IT HAD ON THE INTERSTATE. THIS SEEMS VERY SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEMS THAT LED TO A RECALL ON THE FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC, WHICH WAS MADE IN THE SAME PLANT AT THE SAME TIME IN 2013: HTTP://INSIDEEVS.COM/FORD-FOCUS-ELECTRIC-SHUTDOWN-PROBLEMS-WHILE-DRIVING-GET-OFFICIAL-AS-NHSTA-INVESTIGATES/.

FLAT TOWING WITH MY RV FROM A STOP HARD TURN AND ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE WILL WOBBLE OUT OF CONTROL FORCING YOU TO COME TO A,COMPLETE STOP AND THEN RE ACCELERATE FROM A STRAIGHT POSITION. YOU MAY BE FORCED TO STOP RIGHT IN FRONT OF TRAFFIC YOU JUST PULLED IN FRONT OF .WITH YOUR MOTORHOME PULLING THE CMAX . ROAD MASTER SAYS ITS FORDS FAULT FORD SAYS NOTHING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD C-MAX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE WEEKS LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC; HOWEVER; THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300.

THIS IS A 2013 CAR THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE STEERING RACK REPLACED AT OUR COST BECAUSE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED, AS THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A MFG DEFECT! FORD HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH POWER ASSIST STEERING FOR A LONG TIME. EARLIER MODELS WERE RECALLED AND IT APPEARS TO FIX THE ISSUE FORD HAS REPROGRAMMED COMPUTER SO THAT YOU DO NOT LOSE STEERING WHILE DRIVING, ONLY AFTER YOU SHUT OFF KEY AND TRY TO RESTART. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. WHY IS THE STEERING FAILING, AND THE REPAIR AT$1500.00 IS COSTLY!