Ctgriffi Posted February 28, 2022 Report Share Posted February 28, 2022 (edited) Our white SEL has been in the family since Day 1 and is well-maintained with about 139K miles. Mostly, it's used for my wife's 20-min commute to work, as well as the occasional road trip, once or twice a year. It's had very few issues and runs/drives beautifully. I've had a lot of Hondas and Toyotas in the past and am pretty comfortable guesstimating their useful life—before regular breakdowns occur or some catastrophic drivetrain event totals the vehicle. But, this is a different animal, since it is a Ford and because it's a hybrid with new-ish technology for its day. I'm curious about the expected lifespan of this vehicle and would like to hear some educated opinions (even real world experience?) about how many miles these cars can go, before it's prudent to start shopping for a replacement. P.S. I know that experience can vary greatly (for instance, I also have a 97 Explorer that is still running with 240K on the original 4.0 SOHC and tranny... how?!!!). So, I'm mostly just looking for a very general, approximate range for planning/budgeting purposes. Edited February 28, 2022 by Ctgriffi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestead Posted February 28, 2022 Report Share Posted February 28, 2022 So you have 139k and have avoided the 2013 transmission problem so far? If so you are doing good. Even the transmission is replaceable, all depends how much you are willing to spend. Our 2013 only has about 63k on it now and has had no major problems so far. Fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 On 2/28/2022 at 11:45 AM, Ctgriffi said: I'm curious about the expected lifespan of this vehicle... Lots of owners have made 200-300K miles, many of the early ones with rebuilt transmissions. The chassis is quite reliable, as you've found, and there's nothing in the Hybrid drivetrain that will wear out. I'm in an Escape Hybrid because I had a 10/2012 build date, and it once made a loud "thunk" shifting from Park to Reverse. It's been just as reliable as the C-Max, and it works even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted March 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 On 2/28/2022 at 12:04 PM, homestead said: So you have 139k and have avoided the 2013 transmission problem so far? If so you are doing good. Even the transmission is replaceable, all depends how much you are willing to spend. Our 2013 only has about 63k on it now and has had no major problems so far. Fingers crossed! I wasn't aware of a possible transmission failure (or, have forgotten!), but that is a little concerning. After doing a bit of research, the reman automatic transmission options specified in the TSB start at about $3400 and top out around $4200, not to mention the 12hrs of projected labor cost. (I do all of my own repair work, but I know that late model vehicles are often not DIY-friendly.) Still, we haven't noticed any of the rubbing/grinding/thumping symptoms that are described. Maybe there's a hefty percentage of unaffected vehicles out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 To be clear, my 2013 never failed, but I traded it in at 66K miles. My lack of faith was bolstered by results of an early C-Max life test, service records attached, where 3 of 4 Hybrids, and 0 of 4 Energi's, had transmissions replaced at ~100K miles, in severe service. I can no longer find the data online, but can offer the attached for your perusal. For reference, the service records for many other hybrid/plug-in/electric vehicles in these tests went on for pages. There's very little C-Max service that's not replacing wear-out parts. And you may have the 4th hybrid, whose transmission will last. (Energi's have an electric oil pump.) IDL data 2013cmax HEV PHEV.zip Roadguyser and homestead 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted March 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Appreciate both of you sharing your experience, homestead and fbov. (Data from those service records was very interesting!) Any other ~2013 Cmax hybrid owners on this forum that have hit, say, 150,000 miles or more, without a major transmission or powertrain failure? Would like to hear from any of those folks, if possible. Thanks! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Had my trans replaced at 99k miles under warranty and second one was still running 273k total miles. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted March 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 On 3/21/2022 at 11:16 AM, ptjones said: Had my trans replaced at 99k miles under warranty and second one was still running 273k total miles. Paul Interesting, thanks for chiming in. So your original trans made it to just 99K? What prompted the replacement at that point? Did it totally fail or just start sounding like the end was near? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 (edited) It sounded bad coming back from AZ, stopped in Albuquerque, NM and FORD Dealer said trans was bad even thou it was working fine. I didn't think I could make it back to GA so I had them replace it. I suspected things were going bad about 8k miles earlier and steadily getting worse. I noticed my trans temp was going up. Paul Edited March 22, 2022 by ptjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted August 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2023 Just crossed over 152,000 miles, with no major engine or transmission issues. Our primary usage is commuting about 25 miles/day on city roads and highways, with the occasional cross-country road-trip, once or twice a year. I'm definitely staying on top of all maintenance, best I can... here's hoping we get another few years of reliability! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadguyser Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 ptjones thanks for the data...My 2013 C-Max SEL has 98K miles with no issues to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted March 19 Author Report Share Posted March 19 (edited) @Roadguyser good to know, thanks for the FB. We're at just over 158K now with no major problems, although mpgs have steadily crept downwards, year by year, which is probably to be expected. Anyway, hoping to make it well into 2025 and then replace at that point! Edited March 19 by Ctgriffi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nogoodbum Posted March 25 Report Share Posted March 25 Hello Ctgriffi. fellow 2013 owner here. Car looks great, made me want to give mine a bath to keep up but its cold & rainy here. I'm at 172k without any problems except with replacing a bad 12v battery with another bad 12v battery until I got a good one. [both via Ford dealer] There has been a lot of speculation concerning the failures of the C-Max transmissions & the causes. There was some reports of failures that involved ones used as govt. vehicles in the Phoenix, Ariz. area. Whether the cause was bad builds, high operating temp. conditions, or improper upkeep are all up for debate. The facts are the C-max came standard with standard fluid subject to heat related losses & without a dip stick for checking level far too many non-Ford service centers & owners assumed it was a non service item [know this from personal experience]. I assume you have had the trans fluid changed as it is a service item at 150k per owners manual. Any C-Max owners out there reading this should look into changing their trans fluid & making sure level is checked at every oil change [per owners manual] regardless of what their service tech tells them. Sorry for the long reply & Thanks for the read. PS. My last two Fords [89 Festiva & 98 Taurus] lasted 350k & 400k. i was driving 40k-50k yearly for work but now retired. I hope & believe my C-Max will out last me, 5-10 yrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted September 6 Author Report Share Posted September 6 @nogoodbum— So sorry for the excessively late reply; I never get notifications from this site! Your information and experience were very helpful and exactly the kind of thing I hoped this thread would provide. Thanks again! We are at about 168K now with no major issues. I have done some rear suspension work lately (shocks, shock mounts, and sway bar links) in an attempt to silence an unknown, nagging clunk back there… no success unfortunately. The car has always had a few weird, minor noises, and they seem to be increasing steadily with time. Overall, we remain quite happy but are still planning on replacing in the next year when it hits 180k or so (barring any unforeseen calamities, economic collapse, etc). The climate controls and Sync stuff have always been a pain of course but, mechanically, our Cmax has been a very reliable vehicle—fun to drive too and lots of interior space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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