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lemon?


jlpecore11
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I have owned my cmax almost a year and have had to have it towed 3 times, once in the middle of a multi state road trip for coils and twice in my driveway for dead battery.  I love driving it when it runs but had to get on here to look up info about a lemon.  Have seen other people with dead battery problems on here but not sure what the percentage of those people is.  I really wish my new car that I'm paying a lot for was more reliable!!!  Fortunately we did not trade in my 10 year old Focus which has 200k miles on it and still runs like a top, it is my backup car for when my cmax doesn't start!!

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Welcome to the C-Max Hybrid Forum, jlpecore11--I just wish it were under more favorable circumstances.

 

Unfortunately, our beloved C-Max has a serious flaw hiding beneath the covers--a flaw which is causing many of the cars to suffer dead 12v batteries.  If you look in the Batteries sub-forum in the Drivetrain forum of this site, you will see a number of discussion threads about this issue.  Ford is aware of the problem and has been working hard to fix it, but unfortunately in the 17+ months in which the vehicle has been on sale they have not definitively identified the cause of the problem and not come up with an effective solution.  I have read posts from a number of frustrated owners who, after suffering from multiple instances of dead batteries, finally invoked their state's lemon law and had Ford take back their vehicle.

 

I am one of the unlucky owners who has experienced this frustrating problem--my battery has died six times since I bought my car in November of 2012.  I like my vehicle so much otherwise that I have decided to stick with it, but I am getting angrier with each successive failure.

 

All I can say is:  you are in good company.  There are a lot of C-Max owners who share your pain and are hoping that Ford can figure out the cause of this vexing problem and come up with a permanent solution.  Stop back often and fill us in on your experience. 

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Sorry to here about your problem with your 12v battery. A poll of 27 members that chose to participate 7 had 12v batt. problems. With 51Kmi. the only time I had a problem was when I forgot to turn it off. I used battery charger to restart it. Can't blame the car. Sure is weird approx. 30% have problems and the rest don't. :)

 

Paul

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I have owned my cmax almost a year and have had to have it towed 3 times, once in the middle of a multi state road trip for coils and twice in my driveway for dead battery.  I love driving it when it runs but had to get on here to look up info about a lemon.  Have seen other people with dead battery problems on here but not sure what the percentage of those people is.  I really wish my new car that I'm paying a lot for was more reliable!!!  Fortunately we did not trade in my 10 year old Focus which has 200k miles on it and still runs like a top, it is my backup car for when my cmax doesn't start!!

 

jlpecore11,

 

Let me see how I can help. PM me your name, phone number, VIN, mileage, and dealer info. I'll look into some options.

 

Ashley

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Ashley,

A small point, but new folks with less than 5 posts can't PM yet. That'll be anyone coming here with a problem for the first time. I've seen several replies to that effect.

 

Is there another way folks can contact you or someone else for support?

 

Thanks,

Frank, who has been known to ask leading questions...

Edited by fbov
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Ashley,

A small point, but new folks with less than 5 posts can't PM yet. That'll be anyone coming here with a problem for the first time. I've seen several replies to that effect.

 

Is there another way folks can contact you or someone else for support?

 

Thanks,

Frank, who has been known to ask leading questions...

 

Frank (and anyone else interested),

 

There isn't a great way to contact me outside of a PM because I work solely on forums. If there is an urgent concern that needs immediate attention, members can call our Customer Relationship Center at 1-800-392-3673 for help. Otherwise, they can wander around the forum and post a couple times until they can get to me. :)

 

Ashley

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To all owners who have dealt with failed 12v batteries and have either lived with them or decided to use the "Lemon Law" in their respective states.  I want to say I'm sorry for your frustration because I know it is disheartening to live with after buying your CMax and expecting a trouble-free and enjoyable driving experience.  But I want to say that I'm sorry for my remarks to your frustration and pain.  I haven't spoken in a sympathetic and understanding way always.  I can't know how you feel obviously and also because the battery issues have not been a problem for my SEL built September of 2012.  In wake of recent comments that posts have not been supportive but rather the opposite.  I just want to say I'm sorry and hope you all get what you want.

Edited by mtb9153
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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Can the forum settings be changed so you can't post a new topic until you've got 10 posts in? I'm kind of tired of these people popping in to enumerate their problems, and then never returning to acknowledge the responses, and having a posting history would at least reduce that. 

 

I think it's possible and will check into this.

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Can the forum settings be changed so you can't post a new topic until you've got 10 posts in? I'm kind of tired of these people popping in to enumerate their problems, and then never returning to acknowledge the responses, and having a posting history would at least reduce that. 

 

I think it's possible and will check into this.

 

I'd say 25 posts at the minimum. This is a forum to discuss issues and find solutions, not a 1 post dump & run that I have seen too often...then everyone posts to pass on their commiserations, offer ideas and OP never bothers to be social. I too am sick of it

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Restricting newcomers from posting new topics until they have 10 or more posts would have been a negative in my case. I just found this forum a day or two ago after test driving a C-Max that left me surprised & impressed, but with a specific question I didn't find addressed previously. My question was not a gripe or bash, but if I'd had to wait for whatever period before I could ask without hijacking another thread, I would have probably just moved on, figuring this forum was a private old-boys club that wasn't really interested in having new people join.

 

I've been active in various online discussion groups since the pre-internet CompuServe bulletin board days, so not every newcomer is just there for a hit and run. Sure, the poster who gripes and immediately disappears is annoying, but is it worth it to set up rules that run off new people to the extent that you're only left with a small group of regulars and everyone else is just an anonymous lurker?

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Posting requirements are a double edge sword. I'd stick with typical levels...

 

To be fair, there are legitimate complaints to be had, and while I share the fatique from responding to one-post wonders, I still hope in the back of my mind that they read some of what we post, and are ever so slightly different for the experience.

 

HAve fun,

Frank

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IMO, the OP is simply introducing himself and giving a brief status report on his C-Max. He's not a newbie to the C-Max and has obviously read posts / threads on the dead battery issue here and is looking up info on a lemon.  Seems to me his post and thread in "Welcome" is appropriate whether he responds or does not respond. I might not respond either, as I would not be looking for condolences but rather a solution to the dead battery issue from Ford which apparently he has not got and is researching info on lemons (hence his title "Lemons?" with a question mark).  No one has responded to his specific request.

 

I agree with missti that such restrictions proposed on newbies will have a detrimental effect on whether someone joins and as such, will likely limit the diversity of data and information (the "private club").  Also, one could simply start 10 / 25 threads (or whatever the requirement might be) in the test forum. :) 

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It would be hard to impose a post limit rule on a welcome forum, where the purpose is to introduce yourself.  We need another solution or maybe a section for C-MAX help where new topics could be created.  Thus, if complaint topics and not started in that forum, they could be moved there.

 

Other ideas?

 

Which leads to another question, we need more moderators to help out.  E-mail if you interested.

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Adding some more forum sections is a good idea. In fact, I was a bit surprised as to how few categories this place has. The Mini and Volvo forums I visit have many more sections with their "welcome" area or equivalent pretty much being only for newcomers. Operational and technical discussions tend to occur in more subject specific areas. Members with a longer standing that I are better equiped to suggest what those additional sections should be, but it seems there is room for expansion.

 

(And, out of curiosity, what's the deal with the big white space in between the search bar and the Ford ad at the top of every page? I've tried a couple of different browsers and they all display the same way. It seems an odd waste of space.)

Edited by mlsstl
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Use the AdBlock extension to block the ads at the top of the page below the Search and shrink the white space.  I also use the Ghostery extension to block the Infolink in-text ads and trackers (I assume these ads are still showing up).

A HUGE thank you Plus 3!  That thing has been driving me nuts.  AdBlock now installed.  

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