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And this video shows you the basics of how/where to check the level and add fluid. Use Mercon LV transmission fluid-dealer or AutoZone should have it.

Hi Maddie, yes something is leaking a bit of transmission fluid. A bit hard to tell from the pics but maybe leaking between the two halves of the casing. How long has it been like that and are you seeing drops on the ground after parking at work or home? If you aren’t sure I’d suggest wiping it with a rag then spraying it clean with some non chlorinated brake cleaner you buy ant AutoZone type store, then monitor. Are you noticing noises or bad shifts when accelerating or decelerating? I’d certainly suggest you check your fluid level. You do that by removing the plug on the side of the transmission housing from inside the left front wheel well. See my post in this thread for some additional info.

What is this box and why is it leaking? Are the transmission cooler lines leaking?

Probably front wheel bearings. They typically get quite warm/hot when failing. Carefully feel around the wheel hub for unusual warmth. But I'm surprised you didn't notice any noise when you did the brake work. I too hope it's not the transmission. Cheers.

Wheel bearings, hope it's not the transmission.

Did you ever figure this out? I'm getting ABS warnings, stiff power steering, no speedometer issues. This after replacing front bearings, transmission mount, and wiper reservoir.

Did you ever figure this out? I'm getting ABS warnings, stiff power steering, no speedometer issues. This after replacing front bearings, transmission mount, and wiper reservoir.

I only have 38,192 miles on my 2013 C-Max and the transmission needs to be replaced😵!!! Started hearing the loud noise others have mentioned, asked my repair shop to check it out. Of course this is after the 10yr extended warranty has expired and I barely drive the car since retiring. I had all of the required maintenance and recalls handled by the dealer but I can't help thinking they didn't do their job. My repair shop will try to find a replacement but the cost is going to be as much as the car it worth at this point! UGH! So much for my retirement car!

I have 104,800 on my 2014 c-max. Runs great but has a lot of transmission noise:(

Could be the tranny. What year and model is your CMax and how many miles? Early models (~2013-14) used a suspect bearing in the transmission.

I just got it back from ford and they said they can’t pinpoint the noise and suggested it was from the transmission….

If you are in park (in your case with the gas engine running), is the sound present? If yes, it’s not the transmission per TSB 19-2391.

Your transmission fluid is Motorcraft Mercon LV (low viscosity) ATF and you’ll need 5 quarts for a drain and fill. You can buy the Mercon LV fluid at AutoZone. Your brake fluid is Motorcraft DOT 4 LV high performance brake fluid. See pages 351-353 at the link below and pay attention to the notes 1 & 3 on page 353. https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13cmhom3e.pdf

The transmission on my 2013 CMax is original. That old part was original. I believe the only thing they change out on this recall is that slightly orangish looking plastic bushing and replace it with a new one (and cover it with a cap to make it last longer). I’m sure when new it should be a whitish cream color (similar to the color of the new protective cap), but over the years fades from oxidation/heat/cold/grime/etc to the off-orangish color it became in that top pic. Ford used a very similar setup on many of its cars from the 20-teens. When that inner bushing breaks you can’t shift out of the gear you are in. Poor design. My son in law was stranded in the middle of the road after backing out of his drive due to that bushing deciding to break when he tried to shift into drive in his Ford Fusion.

Great pictures. Thanks. Does your car have the original transmission or the replacement? I'm wondering as to when the new part was introduced and thus whether or not those of us that had the transmission replaced might have the updated part. Cheers

I know this is older topic. I just recently drained (~4.4 qts) and refilled (~4.8 qts) my 2013 CMax SEL transmission fluid at 112,000 miles. I purchased 5 Mercon LV qt bottles at AutoZone. I used a gallon/quart pump from harbor freight that screws tight onto these larger mouth quart bottles and pumped/filled through the level plug until full with the car up on my QuickJacks and left front wheel removed. I think you could probably get at the level plug with the steering wheel turned full left and car on ground but I didn’t need to do that. Put the level plug back in and started car up for one minute then shut down and waited five minutes. Then re-loosened the level plug and let some excess fluid drain out until it stopped coming out the level plug. Tightened level plug back up. Put the wheel back on, lowered the QuickJacks, and went for a test drive. Old fluid wasn’t horrible but certainly wasn’t fresh either. Didn’t notice any metal flakes. I even ran a magnet through the old fluid but it was clean when I wiped it off.

Hi all. I need some help. I bought a 2013 Energi 2 weeks ago. All was fine until yesterday. I got the dreaded red triangle. Code POA92. I have the Forscan log if it will help. I shut it off and it restarted and drove home without an issue. It's also noisy with the ice running. Hoping it's not the transmission, which was replaced with the updated unit at 49k. Now at 115k. What do you think I should do?

Hi everyone. I am a new C-Max energi owner. Picked up a fully loaded 2013 all black today. I have a level 2 charger on my house,so I'm all ready. As a long time Ford parts manager, I'm very familiar with them, and looked for about 6 months to find just what I wanted. One owner, 115k miles, selling dealer serviced from new. The transmission waa changed at 49k under warranty with the updated unit. I can't wait to start modifying it!

I just got a 2013 C-Max Energy plug-in hybrid 5 days ago. I am looking to change all the fluids and filters since I don't know the previous maintenance history of the vehicle. I got everything but I am needing to rely on Advance Auto parts to tell me what type of DOT 4 brake fluid the vehicle needs, the guy handed me a bottle of high mileage Dot 4 fluid and said any Dot 4 brake fluid will work. Then on Amazon I found some Transmission oil which was listed as compatible with my vehicle, Automatic Transmission Fluid ATF (6 Liters) LIQUI MOLY. Is this correct?

My 2013 Ford CMAX with 130,000 miles on it now has a very loud whine whenever gas engine is on. If it goes electric only, the whine disappears. Ford dealer wants $1400.00 to open it up and inspect if, they think it is transmission. To replace transmission is $8,400.00 parts and labor. Car is worth $5,200. Could I find someone to replace transmission with a rebuilt one (rebuilt trans is $2,700) Thoughts?

As cars have gotten more & more complex, it's easy to question the auto industry for blame, but the true blame mostly falls on federal & state regulations. Emission, safety, or CAFE along with public demand have turned simple repairs in your backyard into something needing a rocket scientist. The auto industry is to blame for designs that require special [for most of us single use] tools. More & more simple things are being used trying to force owners back to dealers service centers only. One example I can think of on the C-Max, is the lack of an transmission dipstick forcing an older owner back to the dealer or finding a shop willing to check it for you.

You're the only other person I've heard of with so many issues! My 2017 C-Max Energi has given me a lot of grief also. After leasing it for two years the seat heater gave out. Dealership spent a month replacing stuff until they just replaced the whole front seat. I was leasing it at this point so this was covered by warranty. This was minor compared to the next issue. A couple of years later my C-Max would overheat and I would have to pull over to let it cool down. Context: My husband and I would often take ~2000 mi (round trip) road trips a couple of times a year to visit family. The C-Max always handled it very well until the engine overheating issue started. We brought it to the dealer and they ended up replacing the whole transmission. Car only had 78,000 miles or so on it. The dealership had the car for six months because the transmissions were backordered from Ford. Silver lining: I had gotten a warranty when I purchased the car after the lease ended. So I didn't have to pay for the repairs. So yeah, now I have a love-hate relationship with my C-Max. I feel your pain lol. Also C-Min(imum) is great lolol.

That detail furthers my suspicion that Ford shot themselves in the ass by omitting the transmission fluid circulation pump on the otherwise-identical Hybrid transmission. I wonder if hyper-milers with the longest periods of battery-only use have seen the most failures?

Certain gears inside the eCVT will always turn with the wheels no matter what gear you are in, and that includes neutral. You can see the internals of the transmission if you search "Weber University C-max" on Youtube.

This is correct. If the battery or hybrid system completely fails, the vehicle will no longer drive. At bare minimum the starter/generator motor in the transmission is necessary for starting the engine as well as facilitating the operation of the 'continuously variable' aspect of the eCVT and allowing the engine to properly transmit power to the wheels. This starter/generator motor is powered by the high voltage battery. That all said, there are plenty of failure modes up to the point of complete failure where the vehicle will see the battery is worn/degraded and may not be reliable to use for EV operation or higher loads but will gracefully fall back to hybrid operation or full time ICE operation and still be drivable but with reduced functionality. With how most dealers are clueless on these cars, I'd always go for a second opinion when they call for costly repairs like this. At the very least, getting any codes read and posting to a forum like this with more experienced owners who can hopefully narrow things down or confirm/deny the dealer's findings.