rfaunce

Thanks Plus 3 Golfer. The green ready light does not come on when it will not start. I will try shifting the transmission to see if that works. A cable out of adjustment would be a nice solution.

The start button operates erratically on my 16 C-max. About a third of the time when I push it in with my foot on the brake pedal the dash energizes but when I put it in gear it doesn't move. I then put it back in park, push the button again and it is OK. Of course it didn't happen when I brought it into the dealership and the scan was negative. I have experimened with different pressure on the brake pedal and on the button but it makes no difference. Any ideas?

Traded in my 13 C-max for a 16. At about 7,000 miles it developed a strong thumping noise when going over even modest bumps. Never had that in the 13. The dealer said it is normal but I don't think so. Feels like something loose/broken in rear suspension. Any ideas? Any related TSBs?

I purchased a Ford ESP 100,000 mile 6 yr Premium Care warranty for my 2013 C-MAX in January 2014 with 14,000 miles on it for $985 from an on-line Ford dealer. The local dealer quoted me close to $2,000 for the same warranty. SHOP AROUND!

I would buy the 2013 with much lower mileage, use a portion of the $ difference and purchase a Ford extended warranty to 100,000. That will give you worry free driving for years. You can find on-line Ford factory extended warranties for much less that at your local Ford dealer.

Hi - I noticed in my response to my original post that I made a CRITICAL spelling error. See below: Hi - this is a followup to the rear body noise I discussed a few months ago. It occurred fairly erratically but most often when one tire or the other went over a bump but not usually both. I had it in to the Ford dealer and they checked the hatch latch but found it OK. I brought in back in once more and this time a tech rode in the back of the car as it was driven over a bumpy road and he determined that the noise was coming from the hatch. The latch was replaced and the noise is not NOW history. What a difference a letter makes!

Hi - does anyone know whether SYNC 3, which will be installed in 2016 Fords, will be available for upgrading current cars with an older version of Sync? http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-reboots-touch-screen-system-sync-3-161831606--finance.html

Hi - the driver side proximity lock has been a bit troublesome. Not a big deal but about half the time it will not open automatically. The other doors work just fine. There is a TSB on it and I brought it in for the dealer to address, which, as recall, consisted of removing the door panel and cleaning the lock mechanism. This obviously was not the solution as the proximity lock still only works about half the time. Anyone else have this persistent problem with the driver side proximity lock? Again, not a big deal but I would like to get it taken care of before the basic warranty expires. Other than that, the car is TERRIFIC!.

Hi - this is a followup to the rear body noise I discussed a few months ago. It occurred fairly erratically but most often when one tire or the other went over a bump but not usually both. I had it in to the Ford dealer and they checked the hatch latch but found it OK. I brought in back in once more and this time a tech rode in the back of the car as it was driven over a bumpy road and he determined that the noise was coming from the hatch. The latch was replaced and the noise is not history.

hi - my low mileage C-max has a minor but slightly aggravating noise at the rear of the car when going over some bumps. Sound like a slightly loose hatch but isn't. I have removed everything from the back of the car with no improvement and checked the battery compartment cover to ensure it is not the cause. Before I take it in to the dealer I wanted to check and see if this is a common problem or not. Thanks

I purchased a 6yr/100K Ford factory warranty with $200 deductible from an on-line Ford dealer for $945. I purchased a 6yr/100K Toyota factory warranty with $50 deductible from an on-line Toyota dealer for $885. Remember, if you sell the car before the warranty expires, as I have done twice, you get a refund so its an even better hedge against a problem with cutting edge technology. BTW, I have averaged 48-51 mpg since spring in my C-Max with most of the driving at highway speeds. The Prius does about 5 mpg better under the same conditions but the C-Max is a better car feature for feature and it is crazily comfortable.

I purchased a 6yr/100K Ford factory warranty with a $200 from an on-line Ford dealer for my 2013 C-Max for $945. I purchased a 6yr/100K Toyota factory warranty with a $50 deductible for my wife's 2014 Prius from an on-line Toyota dealer for $885.

I agree with some of the comments about Ford not marketing the C-Max now. I suspect they are planning a re-launch with updated sheet metal. Interestingly, the Escape outsells the C-Max by 10:1 YET they have almost the same dimensions, the interiors are identical and except for the nose they look very similar. The Escape has a bit more interior and storage room and probably heavier duty underpinings. In fact, I think the C-Max is really a hybrid version of a FWD Escape. I think Ford may have backed away from the car after the controversy over mpg ratings but I think this was more a case of people driving a hybrid like a regular car and not like a hybrid is supposed to be driven. I always drive 5 mph over the speed limit but I take my time getting there. The longer the car stays on battery the better the mileage and I have been averaging 46-48 mpg since the end of winter and sometimes into the low 50's. Who could complain about that!

Although I can't seem to find the thread, I wrote in a while ago about a persistent check engine light on my 2013. My car is a very early production model so maybe the issue was unique t it. In any event, the bad - it took two long-term stays at the local dealer (totaling about a month) to root out the problem. In short, there was a bad wiring connector, bad O2 sensor and a bad engine control module. Interestingly, the biggest time consumer was that the O2 sensor had to be re-engineered by a Canadian supplier and there was a delay due to US Customs. The good - my local dealer and Ford kept me apprised constantly of the status of the repairs, parts and so forth. In addition, Ford and then the local dealer paid for my choice of rental cars. Now that I got the car back, it has been performing unbelievably. Runs great and I have averaged between 48-52 mpg under pretty good driving conditions. Also good- the cars i rented consisted of 2013 Dodge Avenger, Toyota Camry, Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonata. I put at least 300-400 miles on each. I drove the same roads under mostly the same conditions as the C-Max but the very best I could do was 34 mpg with the Camry and under 30 mpg with the Dodge (which was a pitiful car). The mpgs nosedived any time I drove in the city. Now, we all know that the mpg of any hybrid takes a hit in the winter due to heater use and battery warm-up time but the mileage I am getting is truly impressive and I can also say that the C-Max surpasses in comfort, driver friendliness, handling and utility all of the cars i rented.

Hi - I have had my 2013 C-Max into two different Ford dealers a total of 4 times over the past two months. I was originally told that the O2 sensor was at fault but when a replacement did not correct the problem I was told that, according to a service bulletin, Ford needed to provide the dealer with a program update. I had the program update as suggested by the service bulletin but this did not solve the problem. I was then told that the service bulletin said that a re-engineered O2 sensor was required. This took a month because it apparently was still being engineered by a Ford supplier. I got the new part installed this past week, it was road tested and checked out and everything was OK until I was a mile from the dealer and the check engine light came on again. Now, it could be coincidental and the light is on for something else but I don't think so. I will take it back to the dealer again but I think that to protect myself I will file a Lemon Law notice. I love the car but if I had to sell it tomorrow I couldn't because of the condition. If it gets resolved this time, all the better but if it doesn't, I don't want to be stuck. I don't blame either dealer for this situation. Ford is telling them what to do. Has anyone else had this specific problem? Some of you may recall that I am the fellow with the "SL" that was one of the first C-Max manufactured by Ford in June 2012 and I can't help but think that perhaps the problem is related to a very early production problem. Bob from Maine

Hi - I did end up at the Ford dealer where they were $12.68 each. Snow blades are apparently not available. Many wiper catalogues list the C-Max but when you actually open the package they are not the correct blade. I don't know why they did not use a simple bayonet mount, which would let me install snow blades (a must here in Maine).

Hi - I am having difficulty finding wiper blades for my C-Max. A number of parts catalogs list blades but the recommended part numbers are for generic blades of the correct length with universal mounts. The C-Max blades have a unique mount. Has anyone replaced their blades with Anco or Trico blades and have the correct part number?

Hi - I want to again add my two cents to this issue. There are many things that can go wrong with a sophisticated car such as a C-Max, Fusion, Prius or any other hybrid or electric car. I have 150,000 miles on two Ford and two Prius hybrids and so far have not had a problem worth taking to the dealer (except the infamous Prius floor mats) but I decided early on to not take any chances so I purchased extended factor warranties on each Ford and Prius. For example, I just bought a Ford Premium extended warranty 6 years and 100,000 miles with a $200 deductible for about $800. That was about the same I paid for one on both the Prius and the Fusion hybrid. When I traded the Fusion in at 51,000 miles, I received a check for $285 for the unused warranty, which I will apply to the new one. I could have just as easily transferred the warranty to the new owner if I sold it myself and probably recouped the original cost of the warranty because of its effect on the value of the car. Now, maybe I am being overly cautious or you might think I am wasting money but that is a lot of peace of mind for a car technology I don't understand at all (I have a 65 Plymouth Barracuda in my garage and I feel quite comfortable under the hood). I saw some of the internet chat about potential problems with the C-Max. Who knows if they are true or not but when I sat behind the wheel of the C-Max the first time, I said yikes, this is a very nice car! I'll let Ford take care of any problems for the foreseeable future just as I a letting Toyota take care of the Prius should something happen to it. I know Consumer Reports says nix to extended warranties but I don't agree for automobiles.

Hi - I appreciate everyone chiming in on this little puzzle. I don't recall if i provided this before but the VIN is 1FADP5BU8DL500413. I tried to post the window sticker itself but the site won't let me. I hope this helps a bit. I would be very surprised if the car had been in an accident because it should have been dosclosed by the Ford dealer I purchased it from. I noticed on my paperwork when I bought it that the car was previously owned by Ford Motor Credit. I assume that this is typical for a lease vehicle but when I ran a vehicle history report, it indicated that the car had never been titled before i purchased it (it also indicated no accident history). Is this SOP? Shouldn't the lessor have had a title for the car in order for it to be registered? Could this indicate that it was a Ford Company car and not leased to the general public? I am pretty sure it came from Michigan. Does any of this help track the SL history at all? If anyone wants to email me directly they can do so at rfaunce@megalink.net.

My window sticker says it is an SEL and it has all the regular SEL equipment with nothing unusual. The European C-Maxes use different designations. My best guess is that the model was originally intended to be an SL but Ford decided to use SEL as it does for other cars and made the change when it did the paperwork prior to shipping it to the dealer. Since it apparently was one of the first off the production line, the change was probably no big deal.

No, it is clearly stock and there was never any damage to the car. I am hoping a Ford employee might add something to this. My best guess at this point is that either Ford had planned three models and dropped the SL or the top of the line was to be an SL and it was changed very early in production to SEL. Since the car was produced three months before the C-Maxes went on sale, there would have been enough time to title it as an SEL. This is no big deal but it is interesting and it would be nice to figure out what happened.

My wife is on her second Prius and I just traded my Fusion hybrid for a C-Max. Based on 50K miles in each car, the Prius averages about 45 mpg in the Maine winter and about 53 spring to fall. My Fusion averaged about 38 and 44-45 winter/summer. The C-Max is doing about 38 in the winter and I expect it will do about 45 in the summer. The biggest winter issue for a hybrid after battery warmup is running the heater. I routinely shut it off at traffic lights and invariably the engine will shut down. If I did not do this the mileage would go down. At other times, the biggest issue with mileage is how the car is driven whether it is a Prius or Ford. I routinely drive 5 mph over the speed limit but I take it easy getting it up to speed. I can guarantee that the Priuses that drive 15 mph over the speed limit or floor it when the light changes are not getting anything near the EPA estimates. Hybrids need and should be driven a bit differently if you want good mileage. With all that said, the C-Max is the best car overall I have ever driven. Handling, engine/transmission combination, comfort, interior amenities and electronics are A1. My wife's Prius is absolutely rugged and gets better mileage but in every other aspect it lags quite a bit.

Here's a picture of the "SL" on my C-Max.

I bought a 2013 C-Max SEL off lease. I noticed that while the factory window sticker and the title show it to be an SEL, the model indicator on the hatch says "SL" and it looks to be original to the car. The car has a very early production date (6/12 - three months before they went on sale) and the VIN sequence # is 500413, which I think also shows it to be an early production car. I love the car but I am curious about the model code. Did Ford plan to have three C-Max models and then pared them down to the SE and SEL early in production? I have Googled the topic to death and haven't found a thing one way or the other.