2013 FORD C-MAX Complaints

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.

CAR WOULD NOT START. ALL ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS NOT WORKING. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME IN 9 MONTH THIS HAS OCCURRED. BOTH TIMES THE CAR HAD TO BE JUMP STARTED. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE CAR IS NOT DRIVEN ENOUGH IN GASOLINE MODE SO THE BATTERY BECOMES DRAINED AND NEEDS TO BE RECHARGED. DEALER CLAIMS THERE IS NO OTHER REASON FOR THIS HAPPENING. I HAVE NOTICED THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM ON THIS WEBSITE. ISN'T THE PURPOSE OF BUYING A HYBRID VEHICLE TO SAVE FUEL AND DRIVE IN HYBRID MODE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE? THIS SITUATION MAKES THE CAR EXTREMELY UNRELIABLE. PLEASE HELP FIND THE REASON.

ON 4-1-2015, AT APPROXIMATELY 1PM, WHILE TRAVELING WEST ON HIGHWAY 702 IN PIERCE COUNTY WASHINGTON IN MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN I SWITCHED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FROM INTERMITTENT TO THE LOW CONTINUOUS SPEED. ANTICIPATING THE HEAVY WASH FROM AN ONCOMING FULLY LOADED LOGGING TRUCK I SWITCHED THE WIPERS TO THE HIGH SPEED AND THE WIPERS FROZE IN PLACE JUST AS I REACHED THE LOGGING TRUCK. FORTUNATELY THEY RESTARTED WHEN I SWITCHED THEM BACK TO THE LOW CONTINUOUS SPEED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER, KORUM FORD IN PUYALLUP, WA AND ARRANGED FOR A SERVICE CALL THE NEXT DAY 4-2-2015. THE FORD SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISED THAT THE WIPERS FAILED BECAUSE OF DAMAGE TO THE WIRING THAT GOES TO THE MODULE THAT CONTROLS THE WIPER'S HIGH SPEED. THEY ALSO ADVISED THAT THE DAMAGE WAS DONE BY MICE AND SHOWED ME THE CHEWED MARKS ON THE PLASTIC COVER AND SOME MOUSE DROPPINGS. THEY ALSO SHOWED ME THE SHREDDED INSULATION LINING ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ENGINE HOOD. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT FORD USES SOY IN THE INSULATION AND THAT ATTRACTS THE MICE. WHEN I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE ON 4-11-2015 THE SERVICE ADVISOR SHOWED ME WHERE TO PUT CAYENNE PEPPER TO DISCOURAGE THE MICE FROM EATING THE WIRE INSULATION. I CONTACTED FORD AND THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE AND REFUSED TO ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE COST OF THE DAMAGE. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT IF I HAD NOT BEEN ON A FAMILIAR STRAIGHT ROAD I WOULD HAVE BEEN HEAD-ON WITH A LOADED LOGGING TRUCK. I GUESS I'M FORTUNATE THAT IT ONLY COST ME $2,324.73 INSTEAD OF MY LIFE. FORD NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A METHOD OF PREVENTING RODENT DAMAGE CAUSED BY THEIR USE OF SOY IN THE WIRE INSULATION AND THEY MUST ADVISE OWNERS OF THE RISK OF DAMAGE BY RODENTS AND THEY SHOULD NOT CHARGE CUSTOMERS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX THEIR MISTAKE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INSTRUCTING ME TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STOP. WHEN I DID PULLED OVER, I SET THE GEARSHIFT IN "PARK" MODE, AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE PROBLEMS THAT DAY. SUBSEQUENTLY, I NOTICED THAT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE ENGINE ( BOTH ELECTRIC AND GASOLINE) SHUT OFF SUDDENLY AND I LOST ALL POWER MOMENTARILY, THEN TURNED ON AS IF NOTHING WAS WRONG. THE CAR HAS BEEN DOING THIS MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY LATELY AND I DISCOVERED THAT WHEN I POSITION THE GEARSHIFT JUST PAST THE DRIVE MODE, THE PROBLEM STOPS. IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN THE GEAR SHIFT IS SET JUST PAST PARK, THE CAR NEVER LOSES POWER. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR IN JANUARY 2015, I WAS TOLD THAT THE GEARSHIFT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY AND FURTHERMORE THE PART IS NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF MARCH (IT'S ON BACKORDER). *TR

PURCHASED VEHICLE IN MAY 2013 AND SINCE THEN 4-5 TIMES THE BATTERY HAS GONE DEAD WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS JUST SITTING PARKED. SOMETIMES FOR JUST A FEW HOURS. NOTHING HAD BEEN LEFT ON IN THE INTERIOR AND THE HEADLIGHTS ARE SET TO AUTOMATIC. HAVE HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALER 2-3 TIMES BUT THEY NEVER FIND A PROBLEM. LAST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS JUST UNDER A MONTH AGO AND I HAD IT JUMPED. THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING FOR A COUPLE DAYS. MY HUSBAND TOOK IT TO WORK LAST NIGHT (4/4/15) AND CAME HOME AROUND 8AM. THE CAR SAT IN THE DRIVEWAY UNTIL 9:30PM WHEN HE WENT TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND IT WAS DEAD AGAIN. THIS IS A PERVASIVE PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED MORE FULLY THAN JUST ASKING PEOPLE TO NOT LEAVE THINGS PLUGGED IN. *TR

WE STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN BEFORE TAKING A LEFT TURN ON TO TEXAS 77, WHEN I STARTED THE GAS MOTOR FAILED TO START BUT THE ELECTRIC CARRIED US FORWARD TO THE CENTER LINE. A WARRING CAME UP A TRIANGLE WITH ! TELL US TO STOP BUT OF COURSE WE WERE ON THE CENTER LINE. AN 18 WHEELER WAS COMING FAST BEHIND US AND WAS ABLE TO PASS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD AS NO CARS WERE COMING. COULD HAVE BEEN A MAYOR ACCIDENT. I HAVE BUT TOLD BY FORD DEALER THAT THE GAS MOTOR WHICH CYCLES OFF DID NOT START. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED.. AS OF TODAY THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I AN AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR EVEN THOUGH I LIKE IT VERY MUCH. *TR

PARKED. STARTED CAR, PUT IN REVERSE. CAR SURGED BACKWARD AT A VERY FAST SPEED. LUCKILY I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. 2ND INCIDENT 2-27-15. PULLING INTO PARKING PLACE. APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH. REMOVED FOOT FROM ACCELERATOR TO APPLY BRAKE. CAR SURGED FORWARD AT A VERY FAST SPEED AND HIT A CEMENT/METAL POLE AT THE FRONT OF THE PARKING SPACE. LUCKY IT WASN'T A PERSON OR ANOTHER CAR. DEALER SAYS THEY CHECKED CAR AND NO PROBLEMS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD C-MAX. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V597000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO INFORM WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY FAILED TO REMAIN CHARGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

BATTERY FAILS TO CHARGE ON EARLY MODEL 2013 C-MAX SES. FORD RECOGNIZES PROBLEM AND HAS APPLIED 3 FIRMWARE UPDATES WHICH DO NOT WORK. BLAMES PROBLEM ON LOW-MILEAGE DRIVERS. YET PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AFTER 2 PREVIOUS DAYS OF LONG DISTANCE DRIVING AND IN BOTH HOT AND COLD WEATHER. NO LONGER OWN THE CAR BECAUSE IT COULD HAVE LEFT MY WIFE OR ME STRANDED. *TR