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I’ve seen them for sale on eBay. Compare that with online Ford parts dealer.

I was driving home yesterday and my skid plate let loose in front and got bent backwards and I removed it at the next fuel station. It also damaged my inner fender plastics.. where can I buy these?

Really easy way to check is simply check the voltage while the car is running. It should normally show 14+. If so, follow homestead's advice. Also if this is the original 12v battery, it's way past its useful life and likely needs to be replaced.

Short drives won't fully charge the battery. Stick a battery charger on it and charge it fully. See how that goes before changing anything.

After a full year of asking others, taking my 2013 Energis (I have 2) to the dealer, and constantly having to jump start my cars, I have finally gotten around to learning Forscan and updating my ACM. Worked well but one now has a low battery and driving it a few times didn't charge it. I had my local auto supply store test the battery and it tests fine. They said that my Voltage Regulator is bad. Not true - right? No Alternator mean no Voltage Regulator - Right? My question: Is there anything equivalent to a Voltage Regulator that could be causing the battery to not charge? Is that the DC-DC? Or is this likely just a matter of buying a battery charger and letting it charge overnight? D

My 2014 C-Max hybrid has similar issue. The license plate light and all associated lights, such as trunk lights, are never fully turned OFF. I suspect this bad hardware design causing 12V battery drained continuousely and shorter lifespans. I replaced some light bulbs to LED ones to reduce the drain, so far so good.

I will try to show a picture - in case it doesn't load.... I used some plumbers putty and sealed it down the bottom of the left side of the windshield. It worked! It appears the water can now find a path to the wheel well and not the floor or my feet.

Rock Auto has the right-side axle/CV joint assembly. A poster here described installation as a two-man job, and he probably had access to a lift. I will call around a see if there is a shop willing to install it if I provide the part. Thanks!

It's easy to blame the "damn gummint" for this sort of thing. But do we want the whole country to have Los Angeles-level air quality? I can think of two instances in my life where seat belts saved my bacon. Would Detroit have installed them if they hadn't been forced to do so? The "gummint" is certainly to blame for some things (gargantuan bureaucracy, a CYA leadership culture, too-cozy relations with the defense industry) but corporate greed is a major factor in cost-passing to consumers and embarassments like the current dumpster fire at Boeing. It has been my honor to know some government employees who were dedicated to their jobs and delivered terrific value for the taxpayer money that provided their pay -- meteorologists, air traffic controllers, and every career NCO I ever got to know (I worked for twenty years for a military contractor).

Forgot to add, as a mature driver myself [70+] I feel your pain.

Without knowing your area, the prices quoted are a bit high compared to averages listed via a quick Google/Bing search. You may want to get a second quote or three.

As cars have gotten more & more complex, it's easy to question the auto industry for blame, but the true blame mostly falls on federal & state regulations. Emission, safety, or CAFE along with public demand have turned simple repairs in your backyard into something needing a rocket scientist. The auto industry is to blame for designs that require special [for most of us single use] tools. More & more simple things are being used trying to force owners back to dealers service centers only. One example I can think of on the C-Max, is the lack of an transmission dipstick forcing an older owner back to the dealer or finding a shop willing to check it for you.

Lots of old data on this forum going back to 2012 when the c-max came out. Suggest you do a search for the cv boot problem before laying out $$ for that one.

~148,000 on the odo. The noise is directional, coming from the front left, and the repair shop found the front left bearing to be failing. It's much louder in a right-hand turn or curve, and quiets in a left-hand turn or curve. So the wheel bearing diagnosis makes sense. Tires were new last fall -- higher-end General Tire radials.

Tire noise can be bad on c-max. Finding a mechanic you can trust is key. How many miles does the car have on it?

Last week I bought a 2015 C-Max Energi. After a few highway miles, it became obvious that there was too much of what I thought might be tire noise. So I took it in to a local shop with a good reputation. After an hour's wait, I learned that the front driver's side wheel bearing was shot. Cost: ~$600.00. They also informed me that the passenger side CV joint boot was leaking grease. So replace the boot, right? Not a chance. The entire CV joint and axle is an "assembly" that must be replaced. 25 years ago any front-drive car that leaked grease from a CV boot just needed a new rubber CV boot. The 2015 C-Max needs an "assembly", cost: ~$700.00. I haven't bought a new car since the 1970s, and I usually drive ancient rattletraps. I bought the C-Max because I am now older than Methuselah and got tired of shifting a grabby 5-speed. The C-Max is comfy and gets great mileage. With a fully-charged HVB, I can do local errands without burning a drop of gasoline. But it looks like all that I save and more will be required to pay for routine repairs. So -- is there any good reason for this? Or is it just a way for the auto industry to shake down drivers, most of whom have no idea how to get by without a car? Your opinions will be much appreciated.

Thank you so much for the help! I suspected that the vertical post might be the negative terminal, but the manual photo isn't nearly as clear as the one you posted.

Attached some images. There's a long post sticking up in the engine bay for the negative connection and sits closer to the front frame. Although you can use any other metal spot in the engine bay of course. Just make sure it is actual metal, not painted. Also a photo of the 12v battery location which is in the rear. Same whether a hybrid of Energi model (Mine's an Energi in this pic). Some trim disassembly is required to get access.

I tried to charge the 12v battery . . . the positive post is easy to find, but the owner's manual isn't clear as to where the negative post might be. There is nothing in the area pointed out in the manual that looks like a post to attach the negative lead. And -- where is the 12v battery located? I'll have to dig deeper into the manual. It's more like trying to get a new computer up and running than operating a car. Welcome to the 21st century, I guess.

My daughter's c-max had a dead battery when she accidentally left headlights on one night. She kept jumping the battery and it would only last a couple days. We put a charger on it and charged it to 100% and no issues now for a couple months. Her battery was so low initially that the radio wouldn't even work.

Thank you, will do!

I have a 2014 C-Max Energi. I wanted to switch my back tires with each other. I tried to use the place where the 2 thick metal sheets come together below, but they bent right over when I put any pressure on them. I also see quite a bit of rust underneath, so that is probably why. Anyway, I finally took 2 hydraulic jacks and put a board in between and got right under the back axle, between the wheels, and lifted it up that way. Worked really well. Both wheels were slightly off the ground and i could easily switch them. Marty from Michigan

I am wondering the exact same thing. Corning, fuel mileage difference, etc

Nothing good happens with a weak 12V battery. Try charging it (battery recharge posts under hood on drivers side) to see if that helps. But be prepared for a replacement. Also, search the forum for lots more 12v info. Cheers, and welcome.

You're the only other person I've heard of with so many issues! My 2017 C-Max Energi has given me a lot of grief also. After leasing it for two years the seat heater gave out. Dealership spent a month replacing stuff until they just replaced the whole front seat. I was leasing it at this point so this was covered by warranty. This was minor compared to the next issue. A couple of years later my C-Max would overheat and I would have to pull over to let it cool down. Context: My husband and I would often take ~2000 mi (round trip) road trips a couple of times a year to visit family. The C-Max always handled it very well until the engine overheating issue started. We brought it to the dealer and they ended up replacing the whole transmission. Car only had 78,000 miles or so on it. The dealership had the car for six months because the transmissions were backordered from Ford. Silver lining: I had gotten a warranty when I purchased the car after the lease ended. So I didn't have to pay for the repairs. So yeah, now I have a love-hate relationship with my C-Max. I feel your pain lol. Also C-Min(imum) is great lolol.