bigqueue

Mike, I have a fairly new to me 2016 CMAX Hybrid and my sync system was running great for about a month and then late last week it started to go haywire. First the Bluetooth modem seem to go out....and the only thing that fixed that was to reboot the whole car. (Pulled the battery wire..though I bet there is another fuse besides #79 that I could have pulled) It started to work, but then my SYNC software seemed to "go away" just like you describe....each time I would invoke it it would flash up on the screen quickly and then default back to the radio. In this case, pulling Fuse 79 did the trick and it has been working for for the last two days. Good luck....BTW: where do you find software and instructions for updating it? -Quentin

I will have to check on my Sync version.....this morning, the Fuse 79 trick made the whole thing work again. What a crazy and unreliable thing this seems to me. -Quentin

Well, that "fix" lasted all of about 20 minutes. I came back out to use the car and the phone would not connect to the car. Any ideas? I am thinking the 12v battery might be an issue.....but that is a pure guess only thinking that electronics can be the first thing to suffer from lower voltage "brownouts" and that can happen with the random "starting" of the motor on the hybrid. Any other ideas would be appreciated.....

.

I think I had the windows closed.....but I am not sure. It is winter here, so having them open makes no sense, but I was thinking of listening to a podcast off my phone while changing the oil on my other car, so I might have had them open.

Well, disconnecting the 12v battery did the trick. I had to go back and reprogram the whole set-up of the car prefernces, but my bluetooth and phone connection works once again. At least disconnecting the 12v battery is easy to do....nothing else seems to be on this car. (I am thinking air filter and oil change because of the belly pan cover)

I pulled out Fuse 79 and waited about 30 seconds, and after putting it back in.....no difference. Where is the Bluetooth interface itself...is there a chance it needs to be reset separately? I might try fuse 79 again, but my next plan of attack is the big 12V reset of battery disconnect. -Quentin

Hi All, I have a fairly new to me 2016 C-Max Hybrid and the Bluetooth has been pairing beautifully for me for about a month and suddenly two days ago it sort of went catatonic. (would not connect at all) I tried the set of factor presets stuff, and the software resets available....no dice. I think I searched and found that removing fuse #79 in the passenger fuse box will apply the hardware reboot needed....does this sound like the right fuse? Also....any idea why this might have happened. Is there any way to keep this from happening and any other way to give it the hardware kick in the shorts needed? Thanks, -Quentin

I am a new owner of a 2016, so I am not the seasoned expert that many here are. But when I decided on a CMAX, I did do my research and that is where I discovered the issues with transmissions in the earlier cars. (Up until cars made in Aug 15, 2015 according to this Ford TSB: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10148717-9999.pdf ....in there you can read the actual description of what Ford describes the issue to be) I was actually looking at a 2013 and a 2016 with about the same mileage and finding out the issues with the transmission and the rate of failures turned me to buy the 2016. But I understand that the 2013 is a wonderful vehicle if you are willing to roll the dice on the transmission and then if it fails pay the $3000-$6000 to get it fixed. (Depending upon how involved you want to get to go find the transmission from a wreck and so forth) Here is a link to the many transmission discussions here: https://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/search/?q=Transmission Here is a link to a thread that suggests the failure rate might be as high as 75%: https://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/search/?q=Transmission This is a link to a government lab that did a long term reliability test on the 2013 CMAX and the results of their transmission issues: https://avt.inl.gov/vehicle-button/2013-ford-c-max (This might be where the 75% failure rate estimate came from...I am not sure) --> 4 vehicles (identified by last 4 digits of their VINs): 2158 last date 3/24/2016 132k tranny 110k $3900 5138 " 9/27/2016 170k (no tranny replace) 5139 " 6/21/2016 144k tranny 90k $4400 8698 last date 3/16/2016 130k. tranny 115k $4k I am not posting this to scare you.....but I do think people should have a clear understanding of the possibilities. Some folks came into this who were mechanics, and they were not afraid of the possibility of a transmission replacement because they would do it themselves and I suppose had a back-up ride should it come on out of the blue. The CMAX is really a wonderful car.....I have only had mine about a month and I absolutely love it. I know this next link will be a little unrelated to your question, but I want to recommend some videos that Weber University made on the CMAX Tramsmissions.....not regarding the issues, but how they work and how advanced (and cool) they are. This guy does a lot of cool videos on Hybrid and PHEVs: I am an Engineer and maybe I just GEEK on stuff like that ? ) Keep asking questions.....getting opinions.....and keep everyone here apprised of your decision. -Quentin PS: The people here are wonderful and love to help / answer questions.....

I guess I would be very surprised if he was having engine mount issues at only 55K miles.....I guess it is possible, but I currently have a Honda with 215K miles, and had a Scion with 225K and a Kia with 230K and none of them had engine mount problems. I wonder if his problem might be some sort of misfire since he rarely uses the ICE. I can see how the engine may not get sufficiently warmed up which might cause all sorts of issues with fuel gum-up or oil contamination. (fuel past the rings and the like) I suppose depending on what is going on, the injectors or even plugs could get fouled..... 55K miles on spark plugs is NOT a lot, but 6 years is...not that they "rust", but as I said they might foul. I like the idea of watching the engine when it starts to see how much motion there is and how it settles out. The fact that it settles out alone makes me wonder if it is engine mounts.....I don't imagine there are any Check Engine Lights you could scan? Good luck at the dealer....tell us what you find out!

I am a bit shocked regarding the 2016 Transmission failure you had, though it might be explained if the car was a very early in the year model built before August 15, 2015.....the TSB says the "good" transmissions were put into cars after August 15th, 2015......I don't suppose you know the date that donor car was built.....you are scaring me because I just bought a used 2016 that was built in Jan 2016....so well into the "safe" period.....but what if Ford was not telling the whole truth?

Interesting.....I always thought I would be hard on my battery when I had my Honda Fit EV because I generally always kept the battery at 100% SOC. I would drive pretty much the full charge of the battery each way to work....maybe 5-10% extra is all I had when I would get there. Then I would put it on the charger and within a few hours it was at 100%. So ad I worked for 9 or 10 hours, it was at 100% for maybe 5 of those hours.....then I would drive home, again down to say 5% of the battery and put it right on the charger which would charge it up to full in a few hours and it would sit there at 100% for maybe 12 hours....so lots of time at 100%.....bit the sort of think a Li-ION loves to experience. (Lucky for me, I was in Massachusetts.....so not in the super hot environment) I wonder if this was a factor for the Energi.....or was the chemistry of the bigger battery different for some reason? The hybrid CMAX software does a good of keeping the battery between 30% and 80%, the sweet spot for Lithium life.

Also, the Energi models are shown and described in the diagnosis section.....if they were not affected, I am not sure why there would be a section talking about how to diagnose them:

I hear the Chevy Bolt and Volt batteries are liquid cooled, and that this is a far superior system for all sorts of reasons.....I live in New England, so I would not expect very many temperature extremes.....but are there stories of Ford battery loss like those of the Nissan Leaf?

..

I agree with the float charger....I am sure many will work just fine, but I have had great luck with the original Battery Tender: https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=battery%2Btender&qid=1581406906&sr=8-4

Interesting.....I am a new owner of a 2016 and I was worried about my USB charger plugged into the lighter.....but the radio is an interesting one to consider. Actually, any item that decides to stay on. I didn't even know the radio would operate / get powered with the key off....I will keep an eye out for that one! (I think I remember it stays on until I open the door.....interesting if there was a bug in the firmware that kept it on after I got out)

He called it a "safety".....but what sort of protection does this "playing dead" form of operation protect you from? Seems like a bug in the way it works....not really a feature. Any ideas on what this is manner of playing dead supposed to protect?

I have been told the bad transmission problem called out in the Ford Technical Service Bulletin does not present itself when the car is standing still....so it does not sound as though your noise is that standard BAD transmission problem, which might be a very good thing.

I assume you are suggesting the transmission fluid get tested, not engine oil.....right? Or does the engine oil somehow get the contamination of the worn transmission bearings?

Yes, I see...that makes sense. I drive about 45K miles a year,. so I can't imagine driving only 5000 miles except in that I do about every 6 weeks or so.....but I can see that. If that is the case, and you only change once a year.....go for the gusto and fill it with synthetic....

I think these might be videos of the issue.....though I think these are pretty far along in their death throws: I've not had the problem...and I hope my 2016 never does.....so maybe some of those here who did can weigh in on how these videos compare to what they experienced.

One last thing......one response on the "Bob The Oil Guy" website regarding synthetic oils is a recommendation for them over non-synthetics....given the following logic: (here is a link to the post: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/round-1-bitog-q-a/ ) -Quentin

I am a newbie having just bought a 2016 CMAX Hybrid (and loving it) but I know there are plenty of posts on this site about the eCVT issues, and how to figure out if what you have is it, as well as how to approach fixing it. (through Ford at times depending upon warranty remaining, and through outside garages and locating newer transmission from wrecking yards. Here is one of the threads.....but there are plenty in the form about eCVT: https://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/7959-how-widespread-is-the-ecvt-failure/ I also recommend looking at the most recent Ford Technical Service Bulletin on the matter, which I think is found here: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10148717-9999.pdf That will describe the issue and the noises and condition under which those noises can be heard if you have the problem. But I think the forum descriptions are far more useful / descriptive. Good Luck, -Quentin

I am no expert, though that doesn't stop me from recommending synthetic oils. I have had great luck with them, and my greater than 200,000 miles for each of my last 7 cars (mine and my wife) seems to give me the confidence to recommend it. I also recommend the website: www.bobisyjroilguy.com for great information and insights. Here is a section talking the ins and outs of motor oil.....and there are other great areas including forums chock full of info. https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/ -Quentin