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I recently read that NHTSA.GOV has webpages of Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) specific to vehicle year, manufacturer, and model. However, I didn't find them easily and emailed the webmaster for help. The reply states: "To look up Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) which are known as Manufacturer Communications on our website go to NHTSA | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration click on the Recalls tab. Enter your vehicle's Year Make and Model, then click Search. Under the vehicle information, you will see a section for Manufacturer Communications click the Blue number. There you will find the Manufacturer Communications that have been issued for that year, make, and model." There is no search function for finding TSBs that are relevant to a particular vehicle problem on the NHTSA website. Therefore, I created a file which contains a brief description of the subject of each TSB for 2013 Ford CMAXs and the URL of the TSB. It can be searched for keywords by loading the file into any document software that has a search function. The file is attached for those who would care to use it to help diagnose the cause of CMAX problems. (Many of the TSBs were issued for a broad range of model years. (Although the NHTSA website has separate web pages for CMAX Energi models, many of the TSBs in my CMAX file also cover the CMAX Energi model.) In addition to the TSBs, the NHTSA website also provides webpages of complaints from owners about vehicles of specific year, manufacturer, and model. In the case of the 2013 Ford CMAX, a few failure modes were the subject of a large number of complaints. Among these is unexpected discharge of the 12 volt battery, which I have experienced repeatedly, and which a local Ford dealership has been unable to cure, notwithstand billing me hundreds of dollars for trying. Had I all the information available from NHTSA to show them, I suspect that at least I could have avoided paying the dealership for reprogramming all CMAX's module firmware, and perhaps been able to point them is a direction that would have led to success. (My workaround is to carry a voltmeter and 12V SLA "jumpstart" battery in the vehicle which I can use if stranded in a location where I can't plug in my battery charger.) 2013 FORD CMAX Technical Service Bulletin URLs & Brief Descriptions - NHTSA.GOV.txt

Thanks for the replies. Replacing the battery has apparently solved the problem, though I am surprised that it did so because of the following observations: 1. Once the door was unlocked with the mechanical key at the being of the day, then the presence of the fob would lock and unlock the doors normally. Why would it take a stronger battery to perform the first opening of the day but not subsequent openings? 2. After the first opening with the mechanical key I tried using the buttons on the fob to lock and unlock the doors, first when I was next to the vehicle, and then repeatedly as I walked away from the vehicle. They were still operational when I was 36 feet away and out of space for a longer unobstructed path between fob and vehicle. Assuming the fob's broadcast antenna is unidirectional, the intensity of the radio signal decrease as 1/distance squared. It hard to understand why the fob buttons still worked with a mildly discharged battery when I was 36 feet away unless the keyless entry signal is different from the button signal (which is possible, since it broadcasts continuously and the energy stored in the battery is limited). The next time my keyless entry system fails, I'll try the fob button to unlock or lock the doors, not the mechanical key.

I have a 2013 CMAX SEL with factory keyless entry that has worked reliably for the two years I have owned it. As of a year ago, a Ford dealer assured me that all software updates have been installed, even though the liftgate doesn’t always open with a single swing of the foot or triggering the hand activation system (a problem I read which others have reported). However, recently the keyless entry system sometimes fails, even though the 12-volt battery is charged. When it happened yesterday, I made sure to verify that none of the four door handles would unlock the vehicle. However, the liftgate did respond when I depressed the pad under its handle, which also unlocked all four doors. Sometimes, when I have used the mechanical key to open the driver’s door, a beeping starts as the door is opened. Once, the beeping ended with the horn sounding; another time when I quickly positioned the fob near the start button, the beeping stopped without the horn sounding. Still another time the doors unlocked when I touched the mechanical key to the metal where it is supposed to be inserted, perhaps the result of static electricity transfer to the vehicle. Other times, the doors unlock when I grasp the driver’s door handle. The 3-volt CR2032 battery in my only fob measures 2.96 volts. It hasn’t rained during the period of keyless entry failures, so water intrusion into the hardware is not a candidate culprit. Does anyone have any troubleshooting tips or has anyone had similar CMAX behavior?

My 2013 C-MAX SEL has a physical parking aid button below the entertainment screen. Are you speaking of a virtual button in the left hand dashboard display, in addition to the physical button?

The CMAX is currently at the dealership that did the software updating, so I can't verify by inspecting the vehicle dashboard, but I'm almost certain that there is no parking aid on/off available from the left-hand display. (Nor is it shown in the version of the owner's manual that I have in the section that describes the left-hand panel functions.) Perhaps that function was moved to the left-hand display panel in a later model year, or a later part of the 2013 model year. My CMAX was first offered for sale on 10/31/12 according to CARFAX. There is a parking aid button below the entertainment system, as shown on page 226 of the "2013 C-MAX HYBRID + C-MAX ENERGI Owner’s Manual (13cmhom3e.)." I tried pushing that button several times while near enough to an object that the proximity sensors should have sounded, but that didn't seem to have any effect.

I'm almost certain that it used the regular sound system, which, incidentally still is working with the radio and to sound some an alarm when other situations occur (e.g., driver door opened with car running). Furthermore the sound volume of anything playing does still decreases when something is close to the proximity sensors.

If you look at the table in my recent post Proximity Alarms No Longer Sound," you will see what I would presume to be the latest versions of the software of many of the modules. Note also that after having paid $418 for these minor software upgrades (compair "was" to "is" in the table), my proximity sensors no longer sound when they should. I had driven less than 200 miles after the upgrades when I noticed they no longer worked. I notice that there have been over 50 views of my recent post so far, but no one has replied with a report of a similar problem or an idea of how to fix the problem. (I also made a similar post on https://www.cmaxownersclub.com/forum which has had fewer views and no responses.) Therefore, I assume that few owners have made the mistake I made by agreeing to pay for the upgrades in the hope of solving the problem of the 12V battery discharging too rapidly while the CMAX was parked. It didn't solve that problem, and apparently introduced a new one. For whatever it's worth, my gasoline mileage has been in the 38 to 40 MPG range with very conservative driving but with 1,000 foot elevation changes on some trips. Incidentally, I calculate the MPG based on odometer and fuel dispenser data, and find the results to be less impressive than those calculated by the CMAX. I don't think Ford is the only company whose cars inflate the MPG reported on the dashboard.

Coincident with, and possibly cause by, updating of the several electronic module’s software versions at a Ford dealership, the proximity alarms of my 2013 C MAX SEL no longer sound when they should. They still do lower the radio volume, if it happens to be on when a nearby object is detected. Here are the changes that were made: 2013 Ford C MAX Software Updates Software Ver. Ids-118.01 "A later calibration is available." Electronics Module Software Version Was Is SOBDM-C DM58-7P120-AGA DM58-7P120-AEC PCM DN5A-12A650-DP DN5A-12A650-TG ABS FV68-2C219-ZA FV68-2C219-CC IPC DM5T-10849-AJ DM5T-10849-SEA GWM CM5T-14F642-AF CM5T-14F642-BC GPSM DE8T-19H463-AD DE8T-19H463-EA DCDC FM58-14B227-AF FM58-14B227-AG BCM BV6N-14A073-PD BV6N-14A073-PF Note that the software tool used to perform these updates (Ids-118.01) was not the then current version. Can anyone confirm that one or more of these upgrades resulted in the proximity sensors no longer producing an audible alarm when detecting a nearby object? Can anyone explain how to recover this functionality? Another change I observed after the updates is that when backing, a bell sound no longer repeats until the transmission is shifted to Drive. A third change is that when I step on the brakes, I no longer see a spinning circle overlaid the HV battery icon in the left panel of the dashboard. The up-caret symbol still indicates HV battery charging during braking, and the battery charge does increase. (The reason for upgrading the software versions was it was the only thing the dealership though might fix the problem that the 12V battery was losing its charge while the vehicle was parked more rapidly than it should have been. I was charged $418 for the upgrades and it didn’t fix that problem. According to Ford Co. records, CSP 15B04 had been performed 7/31/15 before I owned the vehicle.)

I have had a 2013 SEL, Equipment Group 303A, for about 1 yr. Two years ago an independent shop replaced the 12V battery with a OEM Motorcraft. Among the service records I received from the previous owners, there is no indication of an earlier battery replacement. About 6 months ago, one morning I found the CMAX wouldn't start and determined the 12V battery required charging. I charged it for an hour or two using a Sears 12V car battery charger (purchase in the 1960s) using the under-hood contacts. At the time I suspected that the auto-headlight-turn-off feature had failed, and I stopped relying on that feature. Now I wonder if the problem was of the sort addressed by Ford's Customer Satisfaction Program 15B04, which has been discussed on this forum (along with lots of dead 12V battery issues). However, according to Ford's records, CSP 15B04 module reprogramming and wire inspection was done by a Ford dealer on 7/13/15. Recently I again found the battery voltage was too low to allow the CMAX to start. When I tried to charge it with the Sears charger using the under-hood contacts, as before, the charger's current meter pegged at 7A. I quickly unplugged the charger. Since the charger is only rated for 5A continuous, I limited the current using a high-wattage, 1- or 2-ohm resistor. However, something on the right-hand side of the under-hood equipment then began to click is a repetitive sequence, and the current drawn from the charger changed several Amps in synchrony with the clicking. I found that when I limited the current to around 3A by using 3 ohms, this clicking stopped and the current was constant. Although it was left charging at around 3A for more than 24 hours, the battery voltage did not increase to the point the CMAX would start. I was able to recharge the battery by disconnecting the connector from the battery positive post and using the Sears battery charger connected directly to the isolated battery. A Ford dealership service department reports that the battery has passed their elaborate battery stress test, and they didn't find any reason why the battery voltage was so low in the first place. Does anyone have any idea what could have been causing the clicking I heard when the charging current was greater than 3A while I was using the under-hood contacts that are there to permit battery charging with access to the battery? Does anyone have any idea what why I couldn't recharge the battery using hundreds of watt-hours of energy, yet the battery passed the dealership's stress test? It seems the energy must have been dissipated somewhere other than in the battery, but where? Thanks for any ideas, David

To gain mechanical advantage, one can mate the exposed end of the metal key with the slot in the plastic key fob with the key fob at a right angle to the key. The turn the plastic key fob clockwise to unlock the door.

Frank, would you please clarify the difference between the two data sets in your graph? If it's 0% ethanol and 15% ethanol in the gasoline, the difference is understandable because gasoline releases more energy per unit volume than does ethanol when burned. Did your work commute include much change in altitude, many stop signs and traffic lights, or driving over 60 mph? Are the mileage values as calculated by the vehicle's computer, or are they as calculated by you based on the miles driven and the fuel consumed (odometer and gasoline dispenser values). Somehow, on the various cars I've checked, I usually find that the vehicle-calculated value of mileage exceeds the mileage I calculate the old fashioned way, perhaps a truth-in-advertising type issue. Finally, do you have data for the summertime that you could share? Here in southern California flatland even in the winter our temperature range is typically no lower than 50 F and can be over 70 F. Thanks, David

Plus 3 Golfer, Please tell us how you obtained the data that you report in your chart. If you used a recording device attached to the OBO II connector, what was its make and model? I would like to understand the condition of the HV battery in the 2013 CMAX SEL that I purchased recently. I would also like to understand the algorithm that controls when the CMAX goes in and out ot EV mode. I am sometime puzzled that I can't coax it into EV mode by lifting my foot from the accelerator, even though the HV battery charge indicator is over 50%, the engine is warm, the road nearly level, the speed below 45, and I'm not accelerating. (Other times under these conditions, I can.) Can you enlighten me about the algorithm, or point me to where I can learn about it? Finally, I wonder if all hybrids use energy from the engine to recharge the propulsion battery to more than 50% shortly after leaving the EV mode because of low battery charge, as my CMAX does. That limits the amount of braking energy that can be recaptured (and brake pad material saved) if there is a long descent in altitude up ahead. Thanks, David

FBOV, You are correct. 13B06 describes the problem: https://ford.oemdtc.com/2326/13b06-rear-gate-trunk-module-reprogram-2013-ford-c-max However, it looks like Ford dealerships will no longer honor this "Customer Satisfaction Program" fix: "PROGRAM TERMS This program will be in effect through May 31, 2014. There is no mileage limit for this program." I can't understand why Ford would put a end date on a control module programming error. Perhaps they no longer want satisfied customers.

When I swing my foot below the rear bumper of my 2013 C-MAX SEL, sometimes the door unlatches and opens. Other times a foot swing merely unlatches the door, and a second swing is required before it powers itself open. Is there a special technique for getting this door open with a single swing of the foot? Have other experienced this?

As far as I know, all C-MAXs are hybrids; my is. Beyond trim level, the only differences are whether or not they are plug-in hybrides, ie C-MAX Energi. A picture is worth a thousand words! I now see that there are two entrances into the left wheel well area. I hadn't noticed the one above and below the floor level because of the netting (that I assume was included on the SEL trim level). The photo shows an overview, with both entrances uncovered. Part of the fuse block is visible through the lower entrance. Thanks again for your help.

Plus 3 Golfer, thanks for your reply. I have a 2013 C-MAX SEL. On page 272 of its print manual it says "The fuse panel is located in the luggage compartment behind the left side wheel well. Remove the fuse panel cover to gain access to the fuses." The photo I took shows the opening to the wheel well with the "door panel" to the wheel well removed. I need to access F27, which is listed in the fuse table as fusing the "Luggage compartment [12V] outlet." The outlet used to measure 12V, but now is measuring 1V and no longer charges the Li-Ion battery in my wife's portable O2 concentrator after several months of doing so. I just Googled "AV6N-19G481-AL", and as you say, most hits describe the part as from a Focus. However, at least one hit from a used parts vendor on Ebay says it's from a "2013 Ford C-Max Focus", and is an "anti theft locking control module" [https://www.ebay.com/i/253155623820?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=253155623820&targetid=596465943068&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9031024&poi=21133&campaignid=1689407480&mkgroupid=74365778068&rlsatarget=aud-649939740844:pla-596465943068&abcId=1140476&merchantid=113482977&gclid=CjwKCAjwzdLrBRBiEiwAEHrAYtGydo5zVXe6ojq8G-9fujn-S7Ow2vlqqUJq_h1s6jCcm-UuYwpYDRoC5xwQAvD_BwE]. In any case, it looks like I haven't found the fuse panel. Does anyone know where that is actually located?

Can anyone tell me how to remove the cover of this fuse box after removing the door in the left side of the cargo area wall? Since the box is screw onto the wheel well, I can't see whether it comes off completely or how to release any latches holding it closed.