All Activity

My 2013 C-Max energi 89k has been having this fuel door won't open now for over a month, including during a 2,500 mile trip over Thanksgiving. I tried the various techniques mentioned above, then tried replacing the Fuel Door relay in the back fuse box. Still no luck but now the 12V battery runs down if I don't use the C-Max every day to keep it charged. Now I think(?) is hear a transformer-like buzzing near there -- a stuck solenoid perhaps? I just pulled the relay back out -- will update soon. Happy New Year -- btw we love this car !!!

The transmission can be removed without pulling the engine; however, you should use a "cherry picker" to support the engine from the lift bracket found on top of the engine, then disconnect the motor-mount on the passenger side of the engine bay. This allows the 1/4" movement (towards the passenger side) you will need to get the transmission out. Unlike the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford engineers did not leave enough space in the engine bay to allow safe removal of the transmission with the engine fully-installed. It is literally that tight in the C-Max engine bay, and that is why Hybrid & Electric Car Sales out of Franklin, TN, charges $500 more than the identical FH35 transmission repair service, compared to the Fusion. If anyone wants to attempt a repair of their HF35, I'm happy to share what I learned going through the entire process, in my garage, with the help of none other than my amazing brother-in-law, Steve.

We finally removed and split-open the HF35 in our 2013 C-Max Energi after 222,500 miles. The "grinding" noise had started ~6 months prior (~12,000 miles prior). This is the first serious problem we have had with this car since new. NOTE: I had changed the transmission fluid twice (first time @ 99,659 miles, the second time @ 200,657 miles). The interval recommended by Ford in the owners manual is every 150,000 miles(!). Three of the four roller bearings in our HF35 had severe spalling. I replaced all four roller bearings as well as the pump filter. In hindsight, I wish I had changed the transmission fluid every 50,000 miles; maybe that would have extended the life, maybe a lot, maybe a small amount. I think 100,000 miles was asking too much out of Mercon LV in the HF35 application, let alone 150,000 miles which Ford recommended. We ordered a 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid (CVT), and I'll be replacing the transmission fluid every 50,000 miles, religiously. I have about ~$250.00 into repairing the HF35 in our C-Max. Transmission has been reinstalled and car has been test-driven: No more grinding noise. Hoping to get another 100,000 miles out of this car. If you are mechanically-inclined, have a "cherry-picker", transmission jack, and are willing to spend ~$100 on bearing puller tools (if you don't already own them), this can be done with the help of a second mechanically-inclined friend/relative, and not that much $$...

This data in late 2024, looks different now, I think Consumer Reports found some transmissions with issues maybe built around 2015 (MY 2016) and in early 2013 releases, but overall the eCVTs are very reliable. Consumer Reports is stringent with giving out double green arrows. And if you do a bit of research on eCVT from Toyota, these things are iron clad. If Ford used Aisin (Toyota's transmission house) then this should not be a grave concern, outside of what is noted.

Hi is this still available?

I just "rebuilt" the HF35 in our 2013 C-Max Energi (222,5000 miles) in that we replaced all four roller bearings, which were badly spalled. We did not index-mark any of the gears, and since they are all concentrically uniform, I can't forsee any issues. Learned a LOT from this process. If I could find all of the related torque-values somewhere, I could start a side-hustle. NOTE: Be sure to buy Ford-branded bearings. I didn't, and the BT4Z-4221-A equivalent I had purchased would not seat on the gearshaft, even using a 20-ton press. Removed that POS and replaced it with a new Ford P/N BT4Z-4221-A, and it dropped right on (heat bearing to 375 degrees F in an oven and chill the gearshaft with a chunk of dry-ice, for 30 minutes.

Thank you! Ordered a Mavulo and it will arrive before Christmas.

No separate fuse. It's all part of the computer controls in the BCM and runs off the same headlamp lighting circuit. The key things that dictate whether it operates or not: Headlamp switch has to be in the Auto position Home Light setting on the dash is turned on Ambient lighting has to be low enough to trigger the automatic headlammps. If it is daylight out, the auto home light feature won't operate. Also worth verifying that the auto headlamps work accordingly while driving. If they are malfunctioning it could affect the auto home light function too.

The Ford adapter you posted will not work. That's for L3/DCFC only which the C-Max is not compatible with. You wouldn't be able to physically connect it anyways with the two DCFC pins at the bottom. What you're looking for and is an easy search is a 'Tesla to J1772' adapter. There's many on Amazon that I'm finding with a quick search. Keep in mind these will ONLY work with Tesla destination/wall chargers that are L1/L2 only. They will not enable the C-Max to work with Superchargers.

I have a 2014 CMax Energi plug-in hybrid. I'll be staying for the month of January at a place where the owner has a Tesla. He has installed a Level 2 home charger. What I need is an adaptor that goes from the Tesla plug to the Ford's J plug (SAE J1772). On the Tesla site they have an adaptor available but it goes the wrong way: from a J plug charger to a Tesla plug. Ford has an adaptor (part # VRK9Z10E826A) that would seem to be the right thing but it is out of stock until "early 2025". Does anybody here have that Ford #VRK... adaptor you no longer need and would be willing to sell me?

Do not remove the fuse for the ANC system. You've effectively disabled the amplifier hence the no/low volume. Keep the fuse in place but pull the microphone connector under the dash on the passenger side per the ANC disabling thread in this forum.

Thanks for the replies. Think I'll test it today.

2015 C Max Hybrid…love my car! 170,000 current miles. So sad they quit production. My question is about the home light feature….in evenings or darkness when the headlights have been on in Auto Mode, when I arrive home and turn off the engine and exit the car the home light feature keeps the headlights on for a set amount of time….usually time for me to get to the door and unlock it if necessary. Mine aren’t staying on anymore. I checked the Lighting feature in the settings…everything was correct. Is there a fuse or sensor for this feature?

Same issue with radio here . I haven't removed it yet. I did have to remove the fuse for noise reduction because the noise was very annoying. Did anyone successfully get more volume? If you did please tell me how.

Would not be a bad idea to double check on the 12v battery. I had one, purchased & installed by Ford dealer/service center, go kaput at 12 months. What they sold & installed may have been new but was really NOS.

No truer words were ever spoken. In my case, for example, I found out the hard way that the back-up sensors did not work when the 12V battery was failing.

Ford updated their TSB on the transmission issues in the past couple years to cover all years so there's no 'safe' year. That said, as always it isn't a guarantee you'll experience it. Extended warranty is up to you and what you think is a safe bet. Just make sure it covers everything you may need. As far as preventative measures, I and others have recommended shortened transmission fluid change intervals. Ford calls for 150k miles. I think around every 75k is safe. No guarantee it will help prolong the life but at the very least it would give you a visual and see if there's any metal particles in the fluid coming out before things worsen. These transmissions have no normal wear components like clutch packs or the like so there shouldn't be any 'expected' contaminants in the fluid. That said it also means there's no harm in doing the shorter intervals or even shorter at your own discretion. Even high mileage changes should not be an issue. It's not like a traditional automatic transmission. It's more like a basic manual in this regard. Just a drain and fill and there for lubrication/cooling.

Thanks for your reply. It's about 18 months old. Hopefully not going out again.

Hello, I recently purchased a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi Titanium with 15k miles. I did my research on these for about a year, and finally found the color, trim, and mileage I wanted. Its my understanding that my C-Max was built after the transmission issues were corrected (Aug 15,2015). With that said, I'm wondering what, if anything, I should do as preventative for this car? Should I get the extended warranty? Change the transmission fluid? I'm open to suggestions. Carfax on the car is clean. Thanks for any input.

That really is weird. The only thing I can think off the top of my head (seeing as the garage door button is also on the fritz) is your 12V battery may be dying. Strange gremlins pop up when the 12V is on its way out.

From memory some people on this forum have had luck sourcing a used 2016+ transmission from wrecking yards via car-part.com, and getting a local mechanic to install that. It will cost much less than the 7k the dealer wants to charge.

He's an interesting tale. I have 2016 cmax energi . I love this car I bought used with around 50,000 miles on it and luckily it was certified. Anyway jump ahead about year and 17,000 and the transmission starts making noise blah blah blah. Anyway the dealer is great they say they will replace but it's peak COVID and parts were hard to find and the car stayed there for awhile but eventually it got done. Great! I now have car with 70,000 miles on it and new transmission so I'm good. Fast forward 3 years and 50,000 miles and guesses what. The transmission starts making noise. I take it back to the dealer they say it's possibly the transmission out a bearing in the axle and in order to figure it out it's going to cost me $1300 for a half shaft and if the noise is still there then it's the transmission. Ok I guess I don't have choice. The fix they say fixed but it really did not. Some the transmission only has 3 year warranty I'm out of luck. So to summarize Ford replace my faulty transmission with a worse transmission and I now have car with 121000 miles that needs a $7000 transmission...it probably the end of the car honestly.

Hello gang, Been awhile since I checked in. I did a quick search, but didn't see anything, so here goes. Several months ago Car Play started acting weird. Sometimes it would display and work, other times nothing. I tried different cables, swapped to different connection points, nothing helped. Now it's been a month since it's worked at all. I can play music from my phone, via the cable, but the Car Play stuff never displays. Not sure if it's related, but the garage door button on the visor no longer controls the door either. This is on a 2018 Titanium. Anybody else dealt with this yet? Thanks!

Update 12/05/2024 Been awhile since I've been here. Life... Just wanted to include some info. I don't even pay attention to the lifetime mpg that's constantly displayed. It's always about 2-3 mpg better than reality. I hand log and calculate every fill up.

here's what the dealership said. I don't know if they got into the electronics and/or BECM module (I've asked), but they say I need a new battery.