2013 C-max dies on me. Radio to blame?

[Jean Marie]

My 2013 C-max (60,00 miles) has died on me twice so far. Each time, about a week before she goes, the entertainment (radio) quits. A few days later, I cannot hear phone calls through the bluetooth. Then, one morning, I go out to start her and there is nothing. The first time this happened, October 2018, AAA jumpstarted it, got it to the dealer. (The battery replaced 5/2016.) They checked everything and we thought we were done.

In November, it started again with the radio. When we got to the shop, they kept it for two weeks trying to replicate the problem but with no luck! They replaced the TCU module, checked all of the systems and sent us home.

A few days ago, the radio went out again. Yesterday the phone on bluetooth didn't work. Now I am waiting for the car to be dead. Of course, it's a holiday weekend! When I called the shop, there was no one there.

I'm nervous about taking the car on any long drives and wondering if I should look into a new car. I really do like the size and drive of my C-max...until she dies.

Thanks for any thoughts!

[plus 3 golfer]

Several have had issues with the APIM module where radio quits and day or so later “no start”. IIRC, took 5 weeks in shop for dealer to find problem for one member. Have you tried pulling fuses 67 and 79 to reset modules.  This doesn’t fix the APIM issue, which likely is APIM or other modules hang up and drains the 12 V battery.  But at least if the APIM and other modules reset, the drain likely goes away (until the next time).

 

Fuse 67: Message center module, Navigation module, Accessory Protocol Interface Module, and Telematic Control Unit

Fuse 79: Audio Control Module and Front Controls Interface Module

Edited May 26, 2019 by Plus 3 Golfer

[homestead]

Mine radio froze on yesterday. 2nd time in 6 yrs.  Reset sync but that didn't help

Pulled fuse 79 under the glove box and that fixed it.

Try doing the fuse(s) next time.

Edited May 26, 2019 by homestead

[fbov]

+1 to the fuse. I hate the phrase "They all do that" but they do. Happens to mine every 18 mos., four times in six years. If you don't pull the fuse when the radio stays on, the battery drains. I only had to prove that to myself once. No residual issues, however, if you do pull it. 

Frank

[plus 3 golfer]

+1 to the fuse. I hate the phrase "They all do that" but they do. Happens to mine every 18 mos., four times in six years. If you don't pull the fuse when the radio stays on, the battery drains. I only had to prove that to myself once. No residual issues, however, if you do pull it. 

Frank

LOL, when I read this I thought:  hasn't happened to my C-Max in 6 1/2 years of ownership. 

 

But no more.  :shrug:  We got in car to go to dine, and radio didn't work and wife says it didn't work in the morning either.  After lunch, I showed my wife how to pull fuse 79 with a pair of needle nose pliers and put back in to reset radio.  I mentioned to her if not reset, battery drains and car may not start. So, to my jumper cables already in the car, I added my needle nose pliers (flashlight already in car) and left panel below glove box off.  She is now equipped to handle situation when I'm not around. :)

 

I'm now a believer.  "They do, all do that". :2thumbs: 

[stratosurfer]

Is there a permanent solution to this problem?

Isn’t there a recall on that APIM?

[plus 3 golfer]

Yes, CSP 12M02 was an extended warranty for 5 years on the APIM software and hardware for 2013 and 2014 C-Maxes. So, it has expired for most 2013/14 MYs. Really don’t know whether problem was ever “fixed” by Ford in the 5 year period - apparently not for my car.

Edited June 12, 2019 by Plus 3 Golfer

[homestead]

LOL, when I read this I thought:  hasn't happened to my C-Max in 6 1/2 years of ownership. 

 

But no more.  :shrug:  We got in car to go to dine, and radio didn't work and wife says it didn't work in the morning either.  After lunch, I showed my wife how to pull fuse 79 with a pair of needle nose pliers and put back in to reset radio.  I mentioned to her if not reset, battery drains and car may not start. So, to my jumper cables already in the car, I added my needle nose pliers (flashlight already in car) and left panel below glove box off.  She is now equipped to handle situation when I'm not around. :)

 

I'm now a believer.  "They do, all do that". :2thumbs: 

Next time mine does the bad thing I'll think I'll put a piece of electrical tape around the body of the fuse and press the tape ends together as a flag to grab and pull the fuse plus it would identify which fuse to pull too.

Edited June 14, 2019 by homestead

[ptjones]

I'm afraid to say this but it has never happened to me in 6 1/2 years.  :)

 

Paul

[HenryJK]

I have had this happen multiple times over the life of my C-Max (2013 Energi, now with 76,000 miles). Fortunately, it has only ever happened at home, so I've always been able to jump the car. And then everything is fine again. Sort of. 

 

The first times it happened, my Ford shop told me I needed a new 12v battery -- and they replaced it. Fair enough.  Not long before the problem happened again. I thought perhaps it was because we'd left seat heaters on, or a fan on, or radio, or something. We did get a small clue, that the radio wasn't working. My Ford shop couldn't find anything, anywhere in the Ford system. The next time it happened, I pushed harder, and the dealer searched the Ford tech service bulletin (TSB) network in search of responses/solutions from other techs anywhere worldwide who might have encountered and dealt with the problem. 

 

Long story short: they found one TSB notice and used it to completely reboot all of the car's software (don't ask me exactly what systems) -- a process that took about 3 hours. And that has worked great for a couple of years. This last time, a couple of months ago, my wife told me the radio had stopped working. Fearing that this was a warning of what was to happen, we left the car out of the garage to make it easier to jump. Sure enough: in the morning the 12v battery was dead. Another jump, and it was OK, but after driving around a bit to get things charged again, the radio still wouldn't come on -- until suddenly half of the central SYNC screen lit up, the radio half-started, the rest of the screen filled in, and the radio was back -- as if it required a set voltage from the battery before it would work work properly. 

 

Have just taken it back to the Ford dealer. This time, they told me they replaced the APIC -- the radio module. They did this for free, so I'm not complaining; the car is way past warranty. But I'm not convinced the problem won't happen again... 

 

S-o-o-o:  two takewaways there:  1) consider the whole system reboot (which may be under warranty for you); and 2) consider the APIC radio module if you're getting the same warning sign of the radio going dead before the whole battery goes dead. 

 

Hope this helps some folks. 

[fbov]

Henry,

Did the radio "turn off" or did the sound change (tinny), and then stay "on" when you turn off the car? I had the latter several times, only let the 12v die once, though. The fix for my car was to pull the radio fuse. The radio then returned to normal operation. Lots of us had this, is this what you're seeing?

Frank

[bad decision]

Yes, it's the entertainment/radio system, and it's annoying but it's easily managed. DO NOT GO TO THE DEALER, do not replace software, DO NOT REPLACE BATTERY or APIM. When the electronics fail, pull fuse #79 out (under the glove box) and put it back in. That will reset the radio and whatever else. If you do nothing the battery will eventually die, and then you can do what I do: use the portable charger you keep in the back specifically for this purpose (conventional jumper cables are a nightmare inside that cramped engine compartment; buy an aickar). If you pull the fuse soon enough, the infotainment will reset and the battery won't die, but if you have to leave it overnight or longer, it may; the portable charger works GREAT (I'd rather do that than pull that fuse!) and then you are back in business. I have a 2013 also (bought it in 2016), with about 47k miles on it. The problem will keep happening, but if you're lucky, not very often.

Edited February 9, 2021 by bad decision

[bad decision]

To all of you with this problem -- DO NOT GET RIPPED OFF BY DEALERS. you don't need a new battery (such a ripoff) or software reset or APIM (someone wrote APIC, I think that's a spice, LOL).....it's a quality glitch (as in, POOR QUALITY). Buy a portable charger (aickar is my choice) and just keep it in the car. But most importantly, when the radio starts having seizures (won't turn on, won't turn off, won't respond to volume/station commands), just pull that 79 fuse (it does not need replacing! and yes, I find pliers work much better than the little fuse remover thing that comes with the car!) and put it back in. voila, problem solved. It really really REALLY grinds my gears that these Ford dealers are ripping people off, the techs either DON't have the training or choose not to tell you; people are having their cars TOWED, and/or dumping them (makes sense, given they are lemons but). People are waiting days while the cars are "in service" and paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for unnecessary testing/procedures. First and only domestic car I have owned -- definitely also the last.

[beeewell]

Thank you bad decision, and all of the contributors to this post.  My 2013 C-Max was plagued by this problem multiple times since I've owned it.  After spending approx. $2K replacing the radio, several batteries, and diagnostic fees, when my radio died again yesterday, I was at my wits end and was ready to take whatever another car dealer would give me on a trade-in.  But I found this post, pulled the 79 fuse, ordered myself a portable car charger, and feeling like I won the lottery!!!  It's posts like this that really emphasize the value of information sharing on the internet.

[homestead]

My 2013 sync 2 locks up once or twice a year.  I just pull the fuse and it always fixes the problem.

Never had the battery problem however.

[bad decision]

I don't know how to reply to specific people on this weird board. Anyway, I am very gratified to have helped beeewell (I rarely check comments here) and others; it really gripes my cookies that these cars have this "bug" and the dealers make BANK on it. I too got a "new batterY" the first time and it is clearn, now, that I did NOT need one. What a racket! The first time it happened to me the radio froze -- would not turn off, station and volume could not be changed, etc. So of course it killed the battery. Dealer was clueless and wasted time on diagnostics; another time the radio was "absent" entirely. Other times it just flails and won't stay on any station. None of it is important, because pulling the 79 fuse has ALWAYS resolved the issue. I had another very weird experience with this zany car, the interior lights came on and would not turn off! It happened overnight and of course the battery died. I don't care any more about dead 12v batteries because it takes about 60 seconds to hook up the aikar and zap the voltage back up (though the battery doesn't hit a full 12 volts, ever, which is problematic, it should be hitting 12.5 but WHATEVER!). The last time the battery died it was at just 3.5 volts (!) -- yes I have a voltmeter -- yet the aikar charged it immediately, I didn't even have to turn the key. Those little portable chargers are the BOMB (even used mine to charge phone when our house had a power outage). Keep spreading the word people, fuse79! And no, it is not a "bad fuse," the fuse itself is FINE (at least it always has been for me, and you don't need to "wait" after you pull it, just pull it and put it back in. The station settings don't even go away. Weird-ass car. I ca't find my post about the bizarre problem with my antifreeze, no clue what made that happen -- or the "you have damaged your powertrain, do not drive" message that was meaningless (I just rebooted and it went away). Fun times!

On 6/13/2019 at 4:00 PM, homestead said:

Next time mine does the bad thing I'll think I'll put a piece of electrical tape around the body of the fuse and press the tape ends together as a flag to grab and pull the fuse plus it would identify which fuse to pull too.

I was uncomfortable with what seemed to be a little sexism (though maybe you'd have said the same if you were married to a man) ... it's a simple enough thing for most people to do without your being "around" -- but the salient thing here is, YES, so glad you found out that this is an omnipresent problem with these jalopies, and I'm so glad you got it resolved! YAY

[cr08]

The proper fix for these is to get the ACM calibration updated. Bring it to a dealer. They can easily do it in under a half an hour. It's a simple process. May charge you the normal diag fee for that length of time. But it will sort it out.

 

I had also found recently there was a TSB for these vehicles in particular on this. Previously I had been going on one exclusive to the Fusion but the same issue and ACMs are nearly universal in the Ford fleet. Ironically enough, this TSB for us has been posted in this forum already:

 

 

[homestead]

On 4/3/2023 at 4:22 PM, bad decision said:

I was uncomfortable with what seemed to be a little sexism (though maybe you'd have said the same if you were married to a man) ... it's a simple enough thing for most people to do without your being "around" -- but the salient thing here is, YES, so glad you found out that this is an omnipresent problem with these jalopies, and I'm so glad you got it resolved! YAY

bad decision: Your comment made me laugh.   I can only guess that you didn't understand what I was trying to say.

 

cr08 has best long term solution but you may have to pay a repair fee.

 

[homestead]

My radio froze up today so I added the tape to the fuse so I can pull it with no tools.

Radio wouldn't turn off, volume didn't work either.

Last time was about 8 months ago.

 

Fuse is on the 2nd row from the right and the 3rd fuse from the bottom.  

Mine is a blue 15amp.

 

 

[stolenmoment]

I'm DEFINITELY doing that next time I have to pull the damned thing!  I've been scratching around looking for a fuse-and-switch combo, this is insanely simpler.

[cr08]

I'll have to do up a tutorial soon to show how people can do the ACM update themselves since people still seem to like doing things the hard way with the workaround. You can do it DIY through a Forscan beta that allows for firmware/calibration updates. Stupid simple process and takes less than 5-10 minutes.

[bad decision]

On 4/3/2023 at 4:22 PM, bad decision said:

I don't know how to reply to specific people on this weird board. Anyway, I am very gratified to have helped beeewell (I rarely check comments here) and others; it really gripes my cookies that these cars have this "bug" and the dealers make BANK on it. I too got a "new battery" the first time and it is clear, now, that I did NOT need one. What a racket! The first time it happened to me the radio froze -- would not turn off, station and volume could not be changed, etc. So of course it killed the battery. Dealer was clueless and wasted time on diagnostics; another time the radio was "absent" entirely. Other times it just flails and won't stay on any station. None of it is important, because pulling the 79 fuse has ALWAYS resolved the issue. I had another very weird experience with this zany car, the interior lights came on and would not turn off! It happened overnight and of course the battery died. I don't care any more about dead 12v batteries because it takes about 60 seconds to hook up the aikar and zap the voltage back up (though the battery doesn't hit a full 12 volts, ever, which is problematic, it should be hitting 12.5 but WHATEVER!). The last time the battery died it was at just 3.5 volts (!) -- yes I have a voltmeter -- yet the aikar charged it immediately, I didn't even have to turn the key. Those little portable chargers are the BOMB (even used mine to charge phone when our house had a power outage). Keep spreading the word people, fuse79! And no, it is not a "bad fuse," the fuse itself is FINE (at least it always has been for me, and you don't need to "wait" after you pull it, just pull it and put it back in. The station settings don't even go away. Weird-ass car. I can

On 4/11/2023 at 2:33 PM, homestead said:

My radio froze up today so I added the tape to the fuse so I can pull it with no tools.

Radio wouldn't turn off, volume didn't work either.

Last time was about 8 months ago.

 

Fuse is on the 2nd row from the right and the 3rd fuse from the bottom.  

Mine is a blue 15amp.

 

 

't find my post about the bizarre problem with my antifreeze, no clue what made that happen -- or the "you have damaged your powertrain, do not drive" message that was meaningless (I just rebooted and it went away). Fun times!

I was uncomfortable with what seemed to be a little sexism (though maybe you'd have said the same if you were married to a man) ... it's a simple enough thing for most people to do without your being "around" -- but the salient thing here is, YES, so glad you found out that this is an omnipresent problem with these jalopies, and I'm so glad you got it resolved! YAY

 

[cr08]

Radio presets don't get lost in Ford vehicles because they store them in the ACM AsBuilt data which is non-volatile RAM. Likewise for Sync, basically everything including phone pairings and the like are stored in flash and don't get lost during a simple power loss.

 

Regarding your lights staying on, likely you have something else causing issues as well. Depending on your model year, there have been some known issues with stuff like the liftgate latch not registering as being closed and needing to be realigned. Other's will probably chime in with other suggestions as well since there have been numerous updates and fixes in the early model years for various battery drain issues, but with the lights staying on it seems to indicate a door (or even the hood) still registering as being open.

[homestead]

Bad Decision to reply to a post.  Go to the original post that you want to reply to and click the +Quote button then type your reply after the quoted section at the bottom

of the page then Submit Reply.

 

Hope that helps.

Welcome to the forum. 

 

 

 

[ModelAMike]

Add one more happy customer to the list.  Radio has been off for about two weeks, and decided to check here. (never had a battery issue)  #79 did the trick.  Thanks to ALL !