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Hi everyone, I'm trying to help my mother in law get back into her car. 2016 C-Max Energi. It has been at the dealership for nearly 5 months waiting for Ford to make the part she needs. Q4 2022 came and went and now they want her to take the car back because it is taking space on the lot and they don't know when/if a part (Telematic Communications Unit) will be available. After digging around the forums, reddit, and anything else I can find. Here is what I think I know. I would love any guidance y'all can provide on the bullets below. Most importantly I want her to be able to drive her car with confidence. We really don't care about all the bells and whistles at this point. Ford has known issues with 3G/4G and releases a TCU upgrade for a lot of models but unfortunately with the C-MAX it doesn't work. They go back to the drawing board and a year later there is still no solution. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10204043-0001.pdf I don't really know what the TCU does but I did see in one of the threads that it isn't required. https://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/14268-tcu-module-power-drain-affects-power-steering/?tab=comments#comment-87268 I would love to know more about how to "bypass" if that is an option. While it would be nice to have all the features of the vehicle, at this point all she needs is a car that gets from point A to B. Reading through other owner's issues I see C-MAX has had lots of problems over the years (power steering, radio, battery, etc) - they all seem to have the common issue of "battery drain." A lot of the stuff is dated and my guess is there is a troubleshooting guide somewhere or perhaps someone here that can help me go through a few diagnostic tests and or known fixes for common things. I'm willing to pull fuses or ask for software updates if I know what to ask for. I'm also willing to just keep the car on a trickle charger for the next 6 months if that will help. Have her keep jumper cables or a battery jump starter in the trunk. Anything really to get her back into her car. Questions: 1) Before we get the car back from the dealer is there anything we should be asking them? Specific diagnostics run, results, error codes? 2) Are there any resources OTHER than the dealer. Perhaps someone who might be able to help and is within 2 hours of Los Angeles? Thank you! - Amanda

Hello everyone! I am considering purchasing a 2015 c-max hybrid. It has 130,224 miles on the odometer. It’s comfortable to drive and I’m really excited about it. But I am not familiar with Hybrid Batteries. What is the C-Max battery like? Is there much life left in a 9 year old battery? How much money would it take to repair one? Has anyone replaced these batteries and at what mileage did they fail? Thank you for reading this and I look forward to reading your advice

Haven't had luck with any videos, forums, repair shops, etc. Decided to see if anyone here had a similar problem with a solution. Car: 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid May 2019: Started making popping sounds randomly through the speakers even when stereo was turned off. When stereo was turned on and the popping happened, the sound would immediately stop working. Display still worked, buttons still worked, just no sound. This was quickly fixed by turning off the car and turning it back on. December 2019: Popping sound got worse. It was like a constant stream of pops at this point. The radio pretty much never worked at this point. Display and buttons still worked. January 2020: Popping stopped completely, but now the display doesn't respond to the buttons. Time and date are still on, but the stereo screen doesn't appear when I push the button. When I push the button a second time, there's this little animation that the screen would normally show when the stereo was being turned off. The rear parking sensor alert sound has also stopped working. I'm curious if this is a speaker issue... I've taken apart the system but haven't seen anything unusual or out of place. All fuses are working properly, too. The dealer hasn't been much help, and a couple independent repairs shops have said the model is "too unique" to know for sure if they can fix it. ? Please let me know if anyone has any ideas!

Hello all, I'm going to go look at a 2013 Ford C-Max today. It's looks like a great deal but i'm worried about how low the miles are for the car. It has less than 4k miles on it, has a carfax report, and is from a reputable dealer. I'm worried because the car has been driven an average of 600 miles per year, and my fear is that it spent a large chunk of time just siting on a lot. And might give me issues. Do you think this should be any cause for concern? Thanks!

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.

Newbie here. I'm considering purchasing a 2017 C-Max Hybrid. My dilemma is should I get the straight hybrid or hybrid energi. I'm leaning more towards the Energi model because I live in a small town (10K pop) and nothing is far away. This means that the car rarely reaches normal operating temps especially in the winter. I think the Energi model would work best in this scenario. Thoughts? I've noticed a few new Energi models and lots of barely used 2017 models. The depreciation on these cars seems pretty dramatic!! Was 2017 the last model year? We currently drive a 2012 Kia Soul that has been an excellent vehicle but on long drives it's quite tiring. I believe the C-Max would serve us better in that mode.

This past weekend my dad and I looked but didn't see where the plug is for the block heater on their Energi. The window sticker and Etis show that their car has one, as is standard on C-Maxes sold in Minnesota, but we don't see the plug. The owner's manual describes the operation of the block heater but does not address the location of the plug. It doesn't appear to be easy to find like the plug is on our Fusion Hybrid where it's part of the left fog light molding. Does anyone know where the plug is? Thanks!

I have my 2014 SE for sale. $9,500. It is in excellent condition, had regular oil changes, and is very clean inside. I'm getting almost 47 MPG and it has 55679 miles (mostly highway). Includes Power lift gate and audio backup sensor options. Have all weather mats and original carpet mats still in plastic. 2014 silver Ford C-Max SE, hatchback, hybrid. Clean car in excellent conditions with smoke free environment. Great gas mileage (been averaging almost 47 MPG) and acceleration. Tons of storage with foldable back seats. Regular oil changes. Includes all weather floor mats and original carpet still in plastic. Only selling because I got an electric car. Includes the following options: power windows, power locks, power back lift gate, power mirrors, cruise control, A/C, AM/FM/CD/Bluetooth, regenerative braking, remote entry and lift gate, ABS breaks, audio reverse sensing backup, and ambient interior lighting. 1 owner car purchased in April, 2015. It still has a 5 year, 60,000 mile warranty on the powertrain and an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty on the battery.

Hello all! I am new to this forum tomorrow me and my wife will be picking up our used 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid SE with 70,300 miles on it. I have done a few extensive test drives on the car so far and had a few tech friends look at it as well it is pretty well sound. We are getting it from a bigger Honda dealer as it was a trade in we are getting it before tax and title $7,995 which i think is a really good price myself given the dealership offers lifetime warranty on anything lubricated, motor, transmission internal parts ect. As long as the recommend manufactured maintenance is performed by somewhere that keep digital copy. Also to the fact that it is still under ford hybrid 8y/100,000 mile warranty. I have seen some reports of the eCVT going out around 100,000 warranty can anyone point me in the right direction as to signs or symptoms or sounds they experienced and what clued you into knowing it was the transmission, did you have issues getting ford or whom ever to replace what was the experience? This being our first hybrid and I have done a ton of research in the past 2-3 weeks which is how long the car has been on hold for us. Any other comments concerts, what to look for while buying this car would be superb and appreciated. Thanks!!!

I have a 2013 C-max Hybrid SE and since I have owned it, the MPH sign (in the bottom left corner) on the GPS that tells you what the speed limit is on the road you are on has always shown 74 MPH for 75 and 80 MPH zones (we can drive 80 in UT). I brought this up to my dealer and submitted a ticket online long ago, but never heard back from anyone. Not a big deal, but it seems like an easy fix Is this an issue in other models as well

Hey Everyone! Great forum, fun to read and super informative! In the past few months, I have been in the market for a new or new for me vehicle. The warranty on one of my cars is coming due in Feb and it needs to go as maintenance costs typically constitute a couple months of mortgage payments. A little background: Born in Chicago, grew up in Europe then South Florida...so my taste in cars lean towards hatchbacks! Here is a sample of the vehicles I am interested in: Buick Encore 13-15 Honda Crosstour 13-15 Toyota Prius Four 12-14 Honda CR-Z 13-14 Subaru XV Crosstek 12-14 Lexus CT200h 12-13 Honda CR-V 12-14 Ford C-Max 14-15Nice list, huh?!? Encore: Nice, although narrow and I feel expensive for some of the shortcuts they took.Crosstour: Love the look and how it drives, can get a great deal on a new one because no one likes them--I DO!Prius: Always called it a "turd on wheels". Actually not so bad, but sooo boring to driveCR-Z: Really ike it, but too small and low to the groundCrosstek: Love the functionality, the ride quality is a little jarring for my tasteCT200h: Tad more functional than the CR-Z, love the interior, tad better driver than the Prius CR-V: My mom and sister drive it (nothing wrong with that, just want something different)C-Max: LOVE IT!! but concerned about reliabilitySo there you have it. I am a car guy and never thought my list would look like this. I know there are others out there, but I want something more than what you see everyday. Currently the top runners are the C-Max and the CT200h--two totally different cars. Biggest concern with the C-Max is reliability and longevity. My criteria going in to this process was quality, reliability, MPG, and comfort! Thanks for reading my diatribe! Would love to hear your comments...

We've owned our C-Max for approximately 1.5 years and have 34,000 miles on it. Most of the miles are for commuting about 80 miles a day to work. It is a mixture of speeds 50% at and 50% under 65 mph. The terrain is very hilly though not mountainous and the weather is hot in summer and very cold and snowy in the winter. In November we put snow tires on which are removed in April. I have figured the cost of gas for the C-Max to be about $290 more than the Prius using the average miles per gallon figures for the 2013 model year of both cars from the Fuelly website,(49 mpg for the Prius and 43.9 for the C-Max). Having driven both cars the Ford C-Max wins hands down and is totally worth the extra $290 in gas. It is a much more comfortable car in fact it feels almost like a luxury vehicle. Driving is a much better experience. The view out the rear view is obstructed in the Prius and the display in the C-Max is much less complicated.

Now this is more like it A new series of Ford commercials. I just saw this while watching this weeks Pawn Stars episode on the history channel. Features a bunch of different models including the C-Max and Fusion very cool power slide in the C-Max at timestamp 1:30 or so. Check it out and let us know what you think Entire one featuring ALL the cars. About 2 mins in length: http://youtu.be/4LgxNU8egjI C-Max one about 30 seconds in length: http://youtu.be/AlFWP7TaaG8 Behind the Scenes 12 min video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtsA2n8q0H4

Looks like Ford is trying to better educate their potential consumer buyers by adding more education about hybrid tech on their website Shows the differences between the Electric, Plug-In Hybrid and All electric vehicles and why you would need one or the other This is definitely a step in the right direction: I'm sure many here and not on this forum should have read this info first before buying the car they did. (If all things were and if the plug-in didnt have the huge hump in the back to take up all the space, of course) ;) The info on why you may get better/worse mpgs is also an important slide for consumers to understand Check it out: http://social.ford.com/infographics/ http://social.ford.com/c-max-infographic/?id=0 http://social.ford.com/c-max-infographic/?id=1 http://social.ford.com/c-max-infographic/?id=2 http://social.ford.com/c-max-infographic/?id=3 there is also a download link at the bottom of each of these pages so if you wanted to print them out and keep them Great stuff Ford they should have done all this BEFORE the launch of the C-Max and Fusion hybrid and Energi's and had these available at the dealerships to give to the customers

Today on my way home from work, a few blocks from my home I spotted a White C-Max (unknown year/model) that had a huge Quest Diagnostics log on the side doors. Not sure if this was a free car they give them to advertise the company or an actual company car but it was interesting,. Havent seen anything like that before. Very cool to see it right around the block from my house Anyone see any other "ads" C-Maxes out there, and Im not including taxi Cmaxes in this question of course

My wife and I currently just have 1 car that we share (our FFH) because we're both able to walk to work most of the time and we plan out when each of us needs the car. However, my wife is considering changing jobs where she would need the car to commute and this would mean we would go back to having 2 cars. The higher pay of the potential job would offset the increased costs of owning 2 vehicles and we'd come out ahead. We'd likely look at leasing the 2nd vehicle because long-term our plan is to have only 1 car. Of course, any car we get has to be a hybrid and plug-ins are unfortunately excluded because we can't plug in at our apartment. I've asked and been told that it isn't an option and they aren't willing to consider it. Toyota has a great lease deal right now on the Prius but I don't really like the idea of getting a Prius because of the cheap quality interior. If we could find a C-Max lease deal for a comparable price to the Toyota lease we would give up a few MPGs to have the nicer vehicle. Unfortunately I'm not finding any lease offers for the C-Max advertised by local dealers in the Twin Cities area or by Ford. I'm curious what ppl are seeing for lease deals locally where you live and if they could please share as many details as possible about those leases. I might be able to use lease deals from other regions to convince a dealer to do business with us here. Thanks!

This is the C-Max with a Thule Bike Rack. I bought the Aero Bar Kit and the bike rack is just one of the racks one can attach there's also a rack for Kayaks and a cargo box etc. The mileage is down by about 3 mpg but that's at speeds below 65 mph. One thing though is I need a small ladder to be able to put the bike up there and take it down. Nothing big just one with two steps. Installing the rack is pretty straight forward just watch the video on the Thule site for the Aero Bars. The Sportrack was very inexpensive comparatively speaking and quite easy to assemble just be sure to fit your bicycle to it on the ground and adjust as necessary.

September 28 was the one year mark for us having the C-Max. In that year, we've put over 37,000 miles on her, & traveled to Utah, Nevada, & back home. We're planning a trip in the spring to Norfolk, VA to see the USS Nicholas FFG-47 decommissioned.

Hi Everyone, New member here. I drove my C-Max SE home on 11/16/12. It's my first American brand vehicle in something like 40 or 50 years and I LOVE it!!!! I've owned mostly Japanese and German vehicles during those years. I live in the mountains of western North Carolina (highest elevations east of the Mississippi - I did NOT know that) and I just got to 42.2 m.p.g. yesterday. Now that the engine is getting broken in, Winter has passed, and I use Empower mode, my m.p.g. goes up by 0.1 with every drive, all of them just short trips to town. This looks like a great Forum and I'll be happy to both share and soak up knowledge. I'm going to wait a while to get the upgrades and headliner fix as this is a small town (Brevard, NC) and I want the dealer to figure it all out beforehand so I'm not the first. I'm also looking for feedback from others here if the mileage upgrade makes any difference. Thanks, Donald Weiser www.whitesquirrelart.com

Hello! I've already learned a ton during a couple days reading this forum. Everyone is so helpful and knowledgable! It's with a heavy heart that I search for a replacement for my 12-year old Beetle. It runs great but the interior is falling apart; I've resorted to Gorilla Glue to hold things together! As a photographer with a degree in Environmental Science, I've decided to purchase either a design car, like the Beetle (but with more cargo space), or a hybrid. I put a 16.5' kayak on top and a ton of photography gear in the back. Kate Spade has yet to design a car for me, so I'm considering the MINI Clubman, the FIAT 500L and the C-MAX. After reading this forum, I"m pretty sold on the C-MAX SE with the 203A package (I don't want leather). :camera: Amy

The Ford C-maxes total sales for April 2013 were 3,608. C-max Sales.pdf

I finally saw another C-MAX right in my own neighborhood in Waukesha, WI. That is the first one I've seen aside from my own. It was ice blue. I couldn't tell if it was an Energi or Hybrid; too quick.

Hello all, I need some opinions. I've watched and read just about every review on these vehicles and drove them and I just can't choose. I currently drive a 2007 BMW 328i convertible, and it's my cream car. But it's almost out of warranty, and I have a dog, and I drive a lot so it doesn’t really work for me anymore. I’ve actually been thinking about a hybrid for a while, and eagerly waiting for Ford C-Max and 2013 Ford Fusion hybrids to come out. Well they finally have and I test drove both as of yesterday (the C-Max 2 weeks ago). The Ford C-Max basically has everything I need in a car, but not everything I want. It’s practical, can fit a lot of cargo both behind the rear seats and with sits folded down, I love the hands free lift gate in the back, perfect for putting in beach chairs when I take my dog to the beach and all the hands are full. It’s obviously very economical at 47MPG across the board. It’s actually smaller in person then it looks in pictures, but not too small, it’d fit perfect in my 1 car garage. And my mom would love to get it from me in a few years when her car dies especially with the park-assist option. So that’s all good, BUT it’s kinda ugly looking on the styling and I’m a 32 year old single male. The rear doors don’t open very wide so my dog would actually have a little trouble jumping in. No HID headlights, LED tail lights or larger wheels are offered. No adaptive cruise control, lane departure assist or other technologies available in the Fusion are offered. And it’s basically the same price as the Fusion Hybrid configured the way I want. The 2013 Fusion Hybrid is an amazing car, whisper quiet even at highway speeds, felt a little faster to me than the C-Max though I can’t back that up with any data, they have exactly the same engine, so it was probably just how it felt. It has a longer and I think a little wider wheel base especially with available 18” wheels, it just felt nice to drive. Also looks very sharp inside and out, felt almost luxurious. Doors open wider so easier for the dog to jump in. More appropriate for a guy like me, BUT the biggest problem is the trunk. The battery takes up a lot of useful space, and I don’t think it can even fit one medium or large size suitcase. I measured all the dimensions and it basically can’t fit much at all because of where the battery goes. It does have a ton of great features from nicer HID headlights and LED tail lights to adaptive cruise control and several other great safety features as well as park-assist. But I really need a trunk I can fit something in. So as much as I think a hybrid would be perfect for me with as much city driving as I do and I’d save about $150 a month on gas vs a BMW. But, I do love my BMW. The best alternative available for me right now is a BMW X1. Unfortunately configured the way I want it’ll be more like $35-37k, but if I take it as Base model it’d be about the same price as the SEL C-Max or Fusion Hybrid with the add-ons I want. It’s also practical, fun to drive, and looks good. But at the lower price I only get crappy headlights, nothing useful inside, and I have to put premium fuel in it just to get 24 city and 33 highway. So I get the practical and add the fun/sexy but lose economical. Lastly, I think a perfect car for me would be the 3-series GT that has not been officially announced yet, but there are some spy photos floating around and it’s supposed to be arriving in 2013, though probably towards the end. And just looking at the pricing of other 3-series, it’ll probably start in the high $30s, which would be a little too expensive for me. So can someone help me choose? Go for practical and efficient and give up sexy? Go for fairly sexy and efficient and suffer with no trunk? Go for practical and sexy but not efficient? Or just pay to get my car serviced, get a new set of tires and risk the future repairs but keep it till something else comes on the market? Lastly I should probably add that I would also consider the VW Passat Diesel and Jetta Diesel (maybe even wagon) but I'd rather not.