Noah Harbinger

The 12-volt battery doesn't do much when starting a hybrid - it doesn't have to crank a starter like in a conventional vehicle. When mine died (2018, 5 years old at the time) I happened to have a 12-volt sealed lead acid battery lying around from a computer UPS that failed, and even with minimal charge, that was enough to start the vehicle - at which point the high-voltage system supplied enough power to keep the 12-volt system up, so that I could drive to an auto parts store to get a replacement.

I'm sure you weren't recommending them specifically so much as using them as an example of the concept, but: Drop-off location in a residential neighborhood with a 'shop' that is one of four mailboxes on a recycling shop. Every single 5-star review calls out the owner ("Chris") by name. Every single other review is 1 star. Sketchy as heck.

I got mine back yesterday. Yay! The technician's notes read: "Road test vehicle and verified TSB 20-2219 applies. Removed trans for inspection as per TSB. Split trans case and inspect. Verified pitting final drive and transfer shaft bearings. Found transfer shaft gear wore into the dampener housing. Replaced trans as per TSB 20-2219 and flushed trans cooler. Updated trans strategy and road test." It's going to take a while to get used to it being so quiet again, and to un-train the internal mental grimace of anticipation of the engine turning on at low speeds. It feels like getting a whole new car, so I am quite happy, and looking forward to driving it for many years!

The noise is present when the ICE is on, both when stationary and when moving. No noise when in EV and moving. The dealer called today to say that they got it apart and that it was bad enough that they'll replace the transmission under warranty (I'm still under 80k miles - yeah, I'm a light driver! Hopefully there are many more miles to come...). I am always nervous about talking to people in real life (and I was just so glad it was something that would be covered!) so I forgot to ask for details - I'll ask more when I pick it up.

I've had the same thing happen twice. Both times I initially pulled the wrong fuse, which didn't help - the second time I made a note in the manual on the fuse-box page of which fuse to pull. So it will probably never happen again :)

And that's my biggest worry - if it is deemed that the TSB doesn't apply and that the noise alone doesn't warrant repair. Maybe I'm vain, but it is embarrassing to have a car making that much noise. I adjust my driving so that the battery is full before pulling into parking lots so that people don't stare at me...

I feel like replying to my past self to say, I replaced the evaporator core temperature sensor (myself, since it was out of warranty) back in 2017 - I recall it being quick and easy, but time can make it easy to forget past troubles! It's been happy ever since.

They just called to say they're looking at TSB 20-2219: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10177123-0001.pdf After reading that, I'm curious if that is the right TSB, since it states "The noise may be present in all gear ranges including neutral when the vehicle is moving but will not be present when the vehicle is stationary or in park" - the noise definitely occurs (in all gear selector positions) when the engine is on but the car is not moving. Maybe the TSB means, "... when the gas engine is on ... "?

The 8-year / 100,000-mile warranty on hybrid-specific components will hopefully save me here. I just took mine in yesterday. (They said the transmission shop is backed up and wouldn't be able to look at it for a few days, but I'm working from home now, so it isn't that big of a deal to be car-free for a while...) I really love my C-Max apart from this, and I hope this keeps it drivable another 10 years.

The 2013 onward Fusion is pretty much exactly the same as the C-Max - same weight, same engine, same battery, same transmission. The only difference is a smaller cross-section and lower coefficient of drag. So any difference you're feeling in performance is purely psycosomatic.

It's too bad people post these problems and then never come back to say anything about the resolution!

I'm having pretty much the exact same noise. Specifically, the noise is only present when the ICE is running, including at a dead stop - both of which rule out TSB 14-0176. I should probably take it to be looked at...

5000 ICE miles, presumably; if you're driving 90% electric mode, that could take a while!

I feel you with the grumbles on the quality issues (though I have not experienced any yet, knock on metal) and every problem deserves to be acknowledged, but every one of us knew up front exactly how far they will stand by it: 36 months / 36k miles. I'm surprised that the dealer covered the 60k mile fuel injector, that seems like above and beyond right there - though $169 sounds like a ridiculous fee for something you can check with $15 worth of hardware and your smartphone. Are you still on your first 12v battery?

On the C-Max of course there is nothing to "engage", just a matter of a direction on the torque. I'm not an expert at motors so I try to assume anything out of the ordinary carries a risk of unknown consequences. At the very least, it would be confusing for a second :)

Nice! I was just realizing at 50k miles that the dealer didn't change it at the scheduled interval. Makes me wonder why I go to a dealer!

I had a similar problem - I was freaked out that my 12v battery had decided to die in middle-of-nowhere Idaho, or at least didn't have enough power at 41º to maintain its key fob sensors. But opening it with the manual key, everything turned on and it started right up. So I'm guessing it was actually the fob's battery that lost too much power to work at 41º - it's running 2.8v open-circuit voltage now, which is on the low side considering that under load it should hit that voltage at 60% discharged.

Did a run from San Diego to Rexburg, Idaho. Put 2300 miles on the C-max round trip, including a day of scouting for a better campsite. I stopped recording the individual gas tanks some ways in, since I was being careful to keep it topped off, just in case there was a run on gas, so the Fuelly doesn't report that milage yet - but between AC and 80MPH highways through Utah and Idaho, mileage was down a tad to 41MPG. Definitely worth it, and I'll spare no expense to chase the 2024 Eclipse.

I played with that a bit until that one morning when I was left wondering for a second "Why did my rear-view camera come on?" :lol: And after that I decided it wasn't worth it. I wonder how the motor would have reacted if I had stepped on the accelerator before realizing my mistake.

Just to respond to the original comment: I'm a hair over 4 years since purchase and I am still on the original battery. I've been meaning to do some measurements as it is getting up in age and there's no point in waiting for surprises.

I was just wondering about this. I've only had the AC cut out twice, but I really don't use it that much except when I have passengers - I like the feel of wind. The first time AC cut out and never came back on, it stayed off until after I stopped and got moving again. The second time, I turned off the AC for a while thinking its controllers needed to 'reset', and about 10 minutes later it came back on.

I eventually noticed that the weatherstriping between the front and rear drivers-side doors folds, and when it does it lets in noticably (but not intolerably) more noise. I have yet to really resolve it, other than trying to remember to un-fold it after opening the rear door.

Second time through is much easier, popped in and out in 5 minutes. I do want to note for any first-timers that a T-20 Torx bit fits better than the T-15 he recommends!

I both like the tallness and dislike it. That drag coefficient and cross-section size are murder on highway mileage.

Personally I never use navigation for directions - but I love having the map up.