Yellow wrench warning and power reduction

[GDPirie]

This morning when I started my C-Max SEL everything appeared normal, but backing down my driveway it felt like the accelerator wasn't working and I didn't have any power.  I tried to drive down the street and there was no acceleration; it was just barely creeping and a yellow wrench warning comes on and says "see manual".  I tried to drive around the block and the car would barely go up an incline(I could walk faster).  I got it home and called Ford roadside and they said don't drive it and are sending a tow vehicle to take it to the dealer.  This yellow wrench warning and the power down mode are real killers. Has anyone else had this issue?  By the way when the tow truck arrived and I backed it down the driveway it appeared to work OK.  It is still going to the dealer.

[C-MAXER]

I'm sorry to hear your C-Max is sick.  Cars with advanced engineering and multiple computers/ecu's can occasionally boot up wrong.  In many cases, a restart corrects everything and the mechanics won't be able to duplicate the issue.  Hopefully there should be a code(s) triggered to help them since the tool icon came on.

[Tom]

I think restarting or rebooting, if you prefer, is a good idea -- like our PCs.  It would be nice to hear from Ford engineers on this.

[viajero]

The same thing happened to my Energi five or six weeks ago.  It was rather scary.  I pulled over, turned the car off and back on again.  It drove normally but the wrench was still there.  After recharging the wrench went away.  It hasn't happened again since then.  I suppose if it repeats I may try to dig into it some more.  Unfortunately when problems are that intermittent they are almost impossible to debug.

[Jus-A-CMax]

This morning when I started my C-Max SEL everything appeared normal, but backing down my driveway it felt like the accelerator wasn't working and I didn't have any power.  I tried to drive down the street and there was no acceleration; it was just barely creeping and a yellow wrench warning comes on and says "see manual".  I tried to drive around the block and the car would barely go up an incline(I could walk faster).  I got it home and called Ford roadside and they said don't drive it and are sending a tow vehicle to take it to the dealer.  This yellow wrench warning and the power down mode are real killers. Has anyone else had this issue?  By the way when the tow truck arrived and I backed it down the driveway it appeared to work OK.  It is still going to the dealer.

 

That is very bad...not seen or heard this issue before...should have taken a pic of it. Please keep the forum updated as to how this happened, it would be good information to pass around. Sorry to hear about this issue and thanks for letting us know.

[roninsd]

Thanks for sharing the experience.  Even though it may not have happened to many/most of us, it's good to have in the back of our minds so that if it does happen, we'll know we're not the only ones and that it's a "known" issue.

Edited April 17, 2013 by roninsd

[GDPirie]

I got my C-Max SEL back from the Dealer today.  There was a fault logged in the system as a power train failure, but it was not traceable to any specific part failure.  Evidently there are more failure codes than there are parts.  They did their diagnostics and Ford does not want Dealers replacing parts if they cannot determine or repeat a failure.  It did not repeat at the Dealers and has been working fine since.  I am chalking it up to a computer glitch.  I would advise that if you see the yellow wrench warning that you stop and restart the vehicle to see if it goes away.  Trying to drive in the power reduction mode is not really possible, it seems to be able to just get you off of the road.  Thanks for all the comments

[fotomoto]

Thanks for the update.  Good info.

[ceemax71]

A new TSB dated 4/29/13 might apply for this issue.

 

TSB 13-4-22, WRENCH LAMP WITH DTC P061A/U1011/P060C - REDUCTION IN VEHICLE POWER

 

ISSUE:

Some 2013 C-MAX Hybrid/Energi vehicles built on or before 4/9/2013 may exhibit illuminated wrench lamp or red triangle lamp or both with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P061A in the powertrain control module (PCM) and/or U1011 in the transmission control module (TCM) and/or P060C in the TCM.

ACTION:

Reprogram the PCM to the latest calibration using IDS release 84.02 and higher.

[DaveofDurham]

We got the yellow wrench symbol tonight.  We will have the dealer check for codes in the morning.

 

Coincidentally, at least I hope it's a coincidence, we had the 13C07 door chime update done earlier today.

[DaveofDurham]

We got the yellow wrench symbol tonight.  We will have the dealer check for codes in the morning.

 

Coincidentally, at least I hope it's a coincidence, we had the 13C07 door chime update done earlier today.

 

No code or other problem found by dealer. 

[mtb9153]

Boy! these can be moody little beasties. :sad:

[Sarah]

Hi,

 

I recently bought a Ford C-Max Energi

I had a yellow wrench signal come one, so decreased power though. When I turned the car off and back on it had gone away. I took it to the mechanic and they read the error code (P0dd6) and said one that indicates one of the batteries needs replacing but they couldn't tell me which one. Is there any chance this is a weird glitch that a software update might resolve? I had the reg battery tested and was told it's fine which I guess only leaves the electric battery? But nothing has happened to the car and it isn't acting weird except that light coming on one  time. It also only has 102,000 miles on it which seems really odd for the battery to die that young. I'm a student without that much extra cash on hand. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated! Is there any way for me to find out if the electric battery actually needs to be replaced without paying a large fee to have a ford dealer look at it? And if it does and it's not some weird glitch, is there anyone who fixes ford electric batteries? I definitely can't afford a new one... Anyway this is all super stressful for me. 

[UBG]

Unfortunately, Ford dealers are clueless when it comes to electric or hybrid cars and Ford will not honor the 8-year warrantee on hybrid batteries that they promise.

 

I had the wrench symbol followed by the check engine light (code: P0B24, Hybrid Battery "A" Voltage Unstable) earlier this year on my 2013 C-Max Energi, which still has less than 50k miles total (~25k EV). The problem fixed itself, I cleared the code myself, and it did not come back for many months.  But because my EV mileage had dropped from 22 to 10 miles in less than 7 years I took the car to Ford anyway to have the hybrid battery checked out and hoped for a replacement.  They were completely clueless: They didn't even know how to measure the battery's capacity.  They then replaced the charging module and wiring harness despite nothing being wrong with them. They admitted that the battery had lost capacity, but claimed that it was normal and stated that Ford would not replace hybrid batteries because of capacity loss, no matter how severe. I picked up the car on Tuesday (after they messed around with it for more than 6 weeks!) and noticed immediately that I don't really have an EV vehicle anymore.  The engine is now almost constantly running in parallel with the EV motor, despite the battery having up to 10 EV miles left.  First, I thought they activated the "EV later" mode, but 'no', this happens in "EV" and "AUTO" mode.  This morning, after charging overnight, I had only 7 EV miles.  The engine kicked in immediately, no EV energy at all used for the first 4 miles, then both electric motor and engine ran in parallel and the kW usage ramped up, as if there was a short or something, and at 1.2 kW (3 EV miles left) the wrench light came on with the message to "check the user manual". At that point, the car stopped being a hybrid, no more EV, no more regenerative breaking, just an old fashioned vehicle with a combustion engine.  I wish now I had never taken my C-Max to Ford and just lived with the reduced 10 miles EV range.  Ford messed it up so badly that it can't even be called a hybrid anymore, let alone a plug-in hybrid.  And I'm sure they find nothing wrong with it if I take it back to Ford, or they would have to replace the hybrid battery, which they will never do.

Edited December 3, 2020 by UBG

[Luke]

I have recently been having the same problem with my Ford 2013 C-Max Hybrid. Engine was running but no movement(propulsion) with the yellow wrench “see manual” sign. I took it in and they had no idea because the light was not actively on, but it constantly turns on though now after driving for 30 minutes. I thought it was overheating since it is now summer, but i’ve also surpassed 120,000 miles. Should I take it in and ask for a computer reboot? Or should I get a tow next time it happens and leave the engine on so they can know what the light means? 

[homestead]

Did they check for any codes?

[Jawolf315]

Our 2013 C-Max Hybrid showed the Wrench warning light, twice. The manual suggests that multiple appearances should be checked. We took it in to Stevens Creek Ford and they diagnosed the battery control module as defective. We were under warranty, which surprised me. They replaced the unit and we picked it up the next day. Everything seems to be running fine. Thank you Ford! My wife likes the car a lot and doesn't want to change right now; I have been arguing for a year that we should get a new car for  her. At least for the next few months, I am not going to bring up the subject.

John

[labensky]

Our 2014 C-Max Hybrid is showing the Wrench warning light intermittently with noticeable issues with the starting of the vehicle (Does not always start with the first key turn), The radio at time refuses to change channels, and the Radio Sync LCD Display has a different time than that of the screen behind the steering wheel. The manual suggests that multiple appearances should be checked so I called for an apt and the fastest I could have it looked at was 12 Feb 2024.  ALMOST 1 month from today with no recommendations of what it might be. I was thinking of having a non-dealer shop check it out, maybe it is just the battery that starts the vehicle.  What do you all think? I hope it is something easy like the battery control module that Jawolf315 had go bad on his C-Max. I LOVE my C-Max and want to keep it for another 100K miles (only has 75K).

[Groovyweda]

On 12/3/2020 at 7:15 AM, UBG said:

Unfortunately, Ford dealers are clueless when it comes to electric or hybrid cars and Ford will not honor the 8-year warrantee on hybrid batteries that they promise.

 

I had the wrench symbol followed by the check engine light (code: P0B24, Hybrid Battery "A" Voltage Unstable) earlier this year on my 2013 C-Max Energi, which still has less than 50k miles total (~25k EV). The problem fixed itself, I cleared the code myself, and it did not come back for many months.  But because my EV mileage had dropped from 22 to 10 miles in less than 7 years I took the car to Ford anyway to have the hybrid battery checked out and hoped for a replacement.  They were completely clueless: They didn't even know how to measure the battery's capacity.  They then replaced the charging module and wiring harness despite nothing being wrong with them. They admitted that the battery had lost capacity, but claimed that it was normal and stated that Ford would not replace hybrid batteries because of capacity loss, no matter how severe. I picked up the car on Tuesday (after they messed around with it for more than 6 weeks!) and noticed immediately that I don't really have an EV vehicle anymore.  The engine is now almost constantly running in parallel with the EV motor, despite the battery having up to 10 EV miles left.  First, I thought they activated the "EV later" mode, but 'no', this happens in "EV" and "AUTO" mode.  This morning, after charging overnight, I had only 7 EV miles.  The engine kicked in immediately, no EV energy at all used for the first 4 miles, then both electric motor and engine ran in parallel and the kW usage ramped up, as if there was a short or something, and at 1.2 kW (3 EV miles left) the wrench light came on with the message to "check the user manual". At that point, the car stopped being a hybrid, no more EV, no more regenerative breaking, just an old fashioned vehicle with a combustion engine.  I wish now I had never taken my C-Max to Ford and just lived with the reduced 10 miles EV range.  Ford messed it up so badly that it can't even be called a hybrid anymore, let alone a plug-in hybrid.  And I'm sure they find nothing wrong with it if I take it back to Ford, or they would have to replace the hybrid battery, which they will never do.

The wrench and the engine light came on in my 2013 C-max energi. I took it to the dealer and they said the high voltage battery needs to be replaced. They said they changed the computer for it and it didn’t fix the problem. I asked if I could drive the car like a regular car if the battery dies and the service guy said no, that the battery and the engine work together. By what you’re saying, I’m thinking they’re wrong. 

[cr08]

On 2/15/2024 at 12:50 AM, Groovyweda said:

The wrench and the engine light came on in my 2013 C-max energi. I took it to the dealer and they said the high voltage battery needs to be replaced. They said they changed the computer for it and it didn’t fix the problem. I asked if I could drive the car like a regular car if the battery dies and the service guy said no, that the battery and the engine work together. By what you’re saying, I’m thinking they’re wrong. 

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.