Pemulis

Dale, Thanks for your update, which I hadn't noticed until today. I don't know that my dealer has gone as far as yours to correct the twitchy steering issue, which I characterize as lurching, but they did check it out and had a mechanic ride with me, first in my car and then in a C-max from the lot, to see if there was a difference, and they both drove about the same. This being the case, I guess I'm resigned to living with it, but I don't know for how long. Every trip of more than about 25 miles on a freeway leaves me fatigued from the effort required to simply keep the car on a straight track. Despite all the good things about this car, if this is an innate characteristic, I don't think I could recommend it to others, at least not without a strong warning about this problem. Pemulis

I'm having the same problems with my S4. It pairs up fine, but disconnects 30 to 60 seconds into first call, or if I don't make a call, usually within the first 5 minutes of driving. When the car is turned off and turned back on, the phone shows up as connected, as though there's nothing wrong, but then the disconnect occurs again as soon as I make a call. I think I have MFT V.3.1.3, but not absolutely sure. I've rebooted the phone and the MFT, and downloaded the Bluetooth Keepalive, all without success. I've deleted and reconnected several times, using both methods of passcode entry. I guess I'll check on the 3.5 upgrade I see references to, though it doesn't sound like that's the silver bullet either. Most frustrating, esp. after having the MFT work flawlessly with my 3 or 4 year old dumb phone. I'll welcome any more ideas.

Any luck from your dealer, DaleBunker? My advisor was showing me the same concern as yours until the service manager said nothing was wrong, at which time the advisor bailed on me and suggested I go to another dealer for a second opinion. I'm going in again tomorrow to see if I can get a better explanation from the service manager on how he is so sure nothing is wrong. I'm also going to test drive another C-Max to see if it's the same. If I hadn't read the story from the Energi owner who had the same symptoms finally diagnosed as a rack and pinion problem that was successfully corrected, I might be willing to accept what the dealer is telling me, but I'm not ready to give up yet. I'll keep you posted.

Dalebunker's description is close to what I'm experiencing, except perhaps too understated. I describe it as a lurching sensation, back and forth, that requires constant correction to maintain a true course. It gets tiresome, and detracts from all the good things the car offers, and, imo, presents at least a marginal safety issue. I don't want to exaggerate it, but it also causes a perceptible, if slight, pitching of the occupants back and forth in the car, which is uncomfortable. My dealer first diagnosed it as a "sensitivity" to the freeway road grooves, with nothing that can be done. They put an inquiry into Ford, which responded that it was a natural characteristic of the electronic steering that just takes some getting used to. I understand that the electronic steering may require some adjustment, but that doesn't explain the lurching, which in my view should not be part of the driving experience in a new car. I read a report from an Energi owner who was experiencing what sounds like the same thing, and after finally convincing his dealer that a problem existed, they diagnosed a faulty or over-tightened rack and pinion assembly (whatever that is) that, once replaced, corrected the problem. I don't know if the Energi has the same steering assembly as the regular C-Max, but my dealer thus far has shown no interest in this possibility. Does anybody know whether all these cars come with Michelin tires? I'm wondering if different tires might help. This car has been a pleasure in all other respects, but this problem is a huge black cloud.

I don't know the footage specifications for the various cars, but our Honda Pilot and Honda Odyssey both have significantly tighter turning ability than our new C-Max. The C-Max radius hasn't been a problem for most things, including parking, but it does require at least half a lane more of turning space for u-turns from a left turn/u-turn lane, which can be an inconvenience, esp. when you find yourself short of space and have to back up with cars following you.