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Why are C-Max reliability ratings low? MyFord or more fundamental?


gnc
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  • 1 month later...

Way late in seeing this post but wanted to comment. I too have been curious to find out why the C-Max is getting such bad press. True, it hasn't been out very long so long-term really can't be observed but so far I have been amazed! I have over 20k miles on my 2014 SEL and have had 0 issues. Aside from the Sync/MyFord being touch at times when listening to music on my phone, it has been perfect (nothing that turning the radio on/off doesn't fix).

 

I recently brought Caesar (my car) in for his 20k mile service and I asked the service advisor if he sees a lot of issues with the C-Max; that I keep hearing bad reviews but have had great luck with mine. He looked puzzled and said "what kind of issues?". Didn't seem like he had much to say about this either.

 

I am 33 years old and have owned 35 cars so far; I LOVE driving, I LOVE CARS... I have owned 3 Prius' and the first 2 were positive experiences (even though they drive like a tin can) but the 3rd Prius (2010 model) was a nightmare. My experience with that car and with Toyota was the worst I ever had.

 

I have had several Ford's and always had a great experience; any problem was professionally handled by the dealership and I can't say anything bad about them. When the C-Max first came out I was intrigued; Ford was in a bit of a weird transition with their products and I didn't know what to think... Finally after stalking it for some time I bought one and tell everyone, I am so surprised I love it as much as I do! It is fun to drive, comfortable, hauls just about anything, and efficient. My other car is a 2014 VW Beetle convertible and it just sits in the garage; I always prefer to drive Caesar when heading out... I don't know what to call it; is it a mini-mini van? Not sure but this odd little C-Max has won me over!

 

Though I love it I will be the first to admit I am still expecting a big let down to come at any time; it just seems to be too good to be true! If this car checks so many "boxes", why isn't it more popular? Why isn't Ford pushing it more? WHY is Ford moving the production to Mexico?!

 

Sorry for rambling on but if you do make a C-Max purchase, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! It's Ford's best kept secret I think! Just get one before they come from Mexico- that'll be NO BUENO!

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There are some parts of this car that I absolutely love.  The transmission is smooth and responsive.  There is a lot of available power when you need it.  I think it handles pretty great for what it is.  

However, I haven't personally had a good time with most of the interior components.  The MFT sucks, we have a ton of squeaks and rattles that the dealer was never able to fix.  The vents don't have a wide range of mobility; you can't aim them to blow on your body, only your face.  The visors are useless.  The windows sound like an old wooden ship when the car flexes over bumps.  And I hate you can't easily add backup camera, etc. 

I have a friend who has a 2011 Focus and has had a number of problem with his car that the dealer wasn't able to resolve, too.  

Overall, I'm thoroughly unimpressed with the car.  It's a real shame because I was really enjoying it before we broke it in (We have ~93,xxx miles now).  I was really hoping for better, but my next car will certainly not be a Ford.  I'm totes jealous of all you that have had great experiences with yours.

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You can easily add a backup camera.  When you buy the car, you choose one with a backup camera.  I'm not trying to be glib, but the options on the car are very reasonable (compared to Prius especially) where you can get leather, NAV, backup camera, A/C etc. for not alot extra.

 

Yes, it's difficult to add a backup camera if you choose a model without it.  Just as it is difficult to add keyless start or heated seats.

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I am 33 years old and have owned 35 cars so far; I LOVE driving, I LOVE CARS... I have owned 3 Prius' and the first 2 were positive experiences (even though they drive like a tin can) but the 3rd Prius (2010 model) was a nightmare. My experience with that car and with Toyota was the worst I ever had.

 

I have had several Ford's and always had a great experience; any problem was professionally handled by the dealership and I can't say anything bad about them. When the C-Max first came out I was intrigued; Ford was in a bit of a weird transition with their products and I didn't know what to think... Finally after stalking it for some time I bought one and tell everyone, I am so surprised I love it as much as I do! It is fun to drive, comfortable, hauls just about anything, and efficient. My other car is a 2014 VW Beetle convertible and it just sits in the garage; I always prefer to drive Caesar when heading out... I don't know what to call it; is it a mini-mini van? Not sure but this odd little C-Max has won me over!

 

35 cars in 33 years.  Holy cow....that's some auto-promiscuity.

 

I have to stretch myself to find bad things about "Maxine" (ahem---cars and boats are girls).  Sure the seats could be longer in the thigh.  The lack of memory settings for the driver's seat is annoying.  But these are trivial things compared to my ulcer-producing experiences with VW and Audi. 

 

I haven't heard any squeaks or rattles but if I did, I would take the car to the dealership.  And if they couldn't fix it, I'd go to another one.

Edited by Adrian_L
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As far as I know the two main issues are the random 12V battery drain on SE's and fuel economy. 

 

When Ford first advertised the car they claimed it would get 60MPG - which most people just aren't going to get.  They weren't the only vendor to do that - My local Chevy dealership was also claiming that the HHR could get 35MPG .. not happening.

 

Lucky for me where I work we have several of these so I knew the real world MPGs and it's not bad for a crossover, plus the car has a lot of power vs. the Prius V.  A few of the SEs at work still have battery problems but I've never had an issue with my SEL.

 

I also like the panoramic roof, technology package and trim on SEL. 

 

The Microsoft interface is horribly slow and a little quirky (it's made by Microsoft after all), but somehow still better than a lot of the other in-car touch interfaces that I've seen.  The other day I went to start the car to move it - I tried to back up really quickly and the MFT display was dead - completely dead - as though moving that quickly made Sync crash and it had to restart and do "maintenance" .. I used my mirrors instead.

 

Also, for some reason Ford never advertises this car, which I don't get..does it compete too much with the Escape?

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As far as I know the two main issues are the random 12V battery drain on SE's and fuel economy. 

 

When Ford first advertised the car they claimed it would get 60MPG - which most people just aren't going to get.  They weren't the only vendor to do that - My local Chevy dealership was also claiming that the HHR could get 35MPG .. not happening.

 

...

Also, for some reason Ford never advertises this car, which I don't get..does it compete too much with the Escape?

I believe the initial advertising was 47/47/47, which it was never going to get, not 60 MPG.

 

Your comment on the Escape is interesting. I owned a 2006 Freestyle, which is basically a Flex before it had the boxy styling. It looked almost exactly like an Explorer from the rear, and a lot like it from other angles (intentionally, I think). Ford never advertised the car, and I think it was because it would have stolen sales from the Explorer - if you didn't need towing, it could haul more people and cargo, and got much better MPG.

 

The early models had a CVT that caused some trouble, but eventually it went to a six speed, right before they dropped the box of a Flex on top of the mechanicals. I've sat in both and the interior hasn't changed a lot - it didn't need changes.

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As far as I know the two main issues are the random 12V battery drain on SE's and fuel economy. 

 

When Ford first advertised the car they claimed it would get 60MPG - which most people just aren't going to get.  They weren't the only vendor to do that - My local Chevy dealership was also claiming that the HHR could get 35MPG .. not happening.

 

Lucky for me where I work we have several of these so I knew the real world MPGs and it's not bad for a crossover, plus the car has a lot of power vs. the Prius V.  A few of the SEs at work still have battery problems but I've never had an issue with my SEL.

...

 

60MPG from Ford? Nah, I think you might have done a time warp into 2020 with the CMax Series 9 for a bit there...lol.

 

47/47/47 was the original, downgraded to 42/40 or something like that. Its meaningless...as the MPG will depend on how you drive and the terrain you drive and most important - how you best decide the optimal route with minimal traffic and lights, those are MPG killers.

 

My reality is that I easily get 60+ MPG driving City and I've proved this many times with my drive to work, golf course and home - all city, breaking the 600, 700, 800 (I think I got 9 tanks here) and a 900 mile tank. Look at the 600+ Mile club, lots of people doing those high miles on our 14 gallon tanks.

 

However, when I drive to from LA Mammoth a 560+ mile round trip, I average 45-46MPG with the car fully loaded, at freeway speeds. In theory, I could do a single tank there and back home but the wifey will have none of it - it's close as eventhough the trip home is mostly downgrade, there are some huge mountains to climb in between and that sucks gas. Can't fight gravity and that car behind you.

 

It all depends...

Edited by Jus-A-CMax
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60 MPG??  No way.  I researched hybrids for a year before I bought.  I never came across the claim of 60 from Ford or anyone else for that matter.  Not even from Jennifer, the hapless car saleswoman at my dealership, who thought the panoramic roof would open if you found the right button on the dash.

Hey, where is that button? I want that.  Good thing she never found the extra buttons above the driver seat...

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I believe 60mpg came from a 2012 NEWS release that some Reporters in SOCAL did Test Drive trying to get the best MPG's they could.  My first tank in Oct. 2012   I got 47mpg with mostly HWY driving, FORD Dealer put Premium Gas in it.  With temps in the 90's you should be able to get atleast 45mpg on the HWY with A/C off.  BTW I have gotten over 61mpg four times on a tank on trips with the best at 68.3mpg so it can be done. My current LifeTime MPG 47.4 and Fuelly 46.5 with 82% HWY so if you are willing to put the effort in to it you can get 47/47/47.  :)

 

Paul

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I consistently get 39-40MPG, mostly suburban/back road driving and I don't hesitate off the line..although I do coast and anticipate traffic up ahead once I get up to speed.  Brake/Coasting score is usually very good, Accel not so much...it's too much fun to drive and a pet peeve of mine to take forever to get up to speed.

 

The MPG used to flutuate more until I bought "Cinturato P7 All Season Plus" tires - which are supposed to be LRR but I think are "stickier" than the OEM tires.  They have been a good tire, with some traction in the winter, etc. but I will probably buy OEM again once these are worn out.  The C-MAX SE's at work seem to get anywhere from 37 - 45MPGs - depending on who is driving, how used to hybrids they are and how much of a hurry they are in.

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We bought our used 2013 last October.  It took Ford several weeks to find and fix the electrical short which was causing the batter to drain.  They also replaced the battery charging unit which I believe that the tech damaged as it appeared to be fine before servicing the Nav and other parts.

 

The good news is since that time all has been great.  We have had no problem with the battery which we were told was due to a faulty fuse???  Once replaced, all is  well.

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  • 2 months later...

I have a 2013 and was very pleased until the car went dead this year due to a battery control module. My car has not been right since. I was ready to trade it for a 2010 explorer today and they only wanted to give me 12,500 for the value.

Why don't you contact our FORD Service Rep Crystal. If you are still having problems she can help you. :)

 

Paul

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I have a 2013 and was very pleased until the car went dead this year due to a battery control module. My car has not been right since. I was ready to trade it for a 2010 explorer today and they only wanted to give me 12,500 for the value.

I just checked KBB. A top of the line 303A package with 36K miles would be dealer value of around 13K. So your dealer may be about right. I'm checking values here in LA, don't know your zip code, and this assumes Very Good condition, which fits most vehicles.

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I just checked KBB. A top of the line 303A package with 36K miles would be dealer value of around 13K. So your dealer may be about right. I'm checking values here in LA, don't know your zip code, and this assumes Very Good condition, which fits most vehicles.

Exactly.  Now add about 30 k miles for 66 k total miles and a base SEL (my car) and I'd be lucky to get $10,000 on trade-in which is about 40% of what I paid out the door.

 

So, I'm wondering what else is not right with teddybear's car given that $12,500 seems pretty good (to me).  Of course a fully loaded SEL with 20 k miles might fetch $14,000 on trade-in.

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Exactly.  Now add about 30 k miles for 66 k total miles and a base SEL (my car) and I'd be lucky to get $10,000 on trade-in which is about 40% of what I paid out the door.

 

So, I'm wondering what else is not right with teddybear's car given that $12,500 seems pretty good (to me).  Of course a fully loaded SEL with 20 k miles might fetch $14,000 on trade-in.

 

We're at 106,xxx miles now. I don't guess we'd get much for a trade in, unfortunately.

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Resale values generally are not very good for Ford's or a lot of American cars for that matter.  But I also think that trade in is generally not good at any dealer.  Even my Scion xB was only worth about 50% of it's value after a few years.  

 

I was offered $2500 for the xB on trade for the C-Max and they told me they really did not want it because it was a stick.   Sold it myself for $4000 to the first person that saw it.  For 135K miles on it I was happy with that.   Almost 10 years old and I paid less than $16k for it.  

 

Cars take a big hit in the first few years.   Less of an issue over time. 

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