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What 228 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Cmax Energi

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (228)Crash / fire / injury (15)Electrical system (68)Steering (47)Transmission & drivetrain (44)Engine (17)Body & structure (16)Fuel system (9)Speed control (9)Brakes (7)Wheels (6)Airbags (5)

3 of 228 complaints match · Body & structure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

May 19, 2017Body & structureCrash

REAR (HATCHBACK) LATCH FAILS TO RELEASE RESULTING IN A DOOR WILL NOT OPEN CONDITION. BECAUSE THE LATCH RELEASE WAS ACTIVATED, DRIVING OR ROAD VIBRATION MAY CAUSE THE DOOR TO OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY AND EJECT CARGO WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. HATCHBACK FAILS TO OPEN AFTER ELECTRONIC RELEASE IS ACTIVATED AND MUST BE "JIGGLED" TO OPEN. HATCHBACK LATER OPENED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. REAR DOOR IS NOT COVERED BY NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V643000.

NHTSA ODI 10990550

Dec 8, 2014SuspensionBody & structureWheelsCrash1 injury

HI ON THE 11/19/2014 AROUND 2:30 MY WIFE AND HER MANAGER AT WORK WE WAS GOING TO MEET UP WITH CLIENT . THE OFFENDED VEHICLE BREAK THE STOP SIGN AND HIT MY VEHICLE FROM THE RIGHT SIDE AND MY CAR SPIN AND FACE THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FOR THE TRAFFIC .COMPLETELY DISABLED MY VEHICLE I CALLED THE POLICE .I WAIT TILL THE POLICE COME AND WE MAKE THE REPORT . I START FEEL PAIN ON MY NECK AND MY HEAD AND MY BACK SO THEY DO AN EX RAY FOR ME AND ALL THIS HAPPEN BECAUSE THE AIRBAG DID NOT OPEN THE SECOND DAY I RECEIVE LATTER RECALL ABOUT THE AIRBAG AND AFTER THAT I FIND MY SELF PREGNANT SO NOW THE BABY MAY BE INFECTED . SO ON MY THINKING THIS CAR IS NOT SAFETY BECAUSE THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THE DO RECALL FOR THIS MODAL

NHTSA ODI 10662696

Jul 25, 2014Body & structure1 injury

PURCHASED CAR BROUGHT HOME OPEN REAR HATCH VIA ELC OPENER WHILE OPEN TO FULL HEIGHT AND I WAS IN OPENING IT CAME BACK DOWN OVER 12INCHES CAUSING ME TO HIT MY HEAD ON IT. AS I HAD THE EXACT SAME CAR AND THIS WAS A REPLACEMENT THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED AS MY LAST DID NOT DO THIS (SAME YEAR CMAX COLOR OPT EVERYTHING) TOOK BACK TO DEALER WHERE THEY ORDERED NEW STRUTS TOOK A FEW WEEKS THEN WERE REPLACE DOSE THE SAME THING ON MY SLIGHT INCLINED DRIVEWAY (LIVE IN S FL WE DON'T REALLY HAVE BIG HILLS) TOOK BACK AGAIN THIS TIME THEY CHANGED STRUTS FROM ANOTHER CAR AND THEY TESTED ON THERE DRIVEWAY DID THE SAME COMES BACK DOWN WELL BELOW 6 FOOT THEY CALL FORD ENG WHO CLAIM THIS IS NORMAL IF THIS IS SO IT IS VERY UNSAFE AS I HAVE EVEN HIT MY HEAD AT ALMOST EYE LEVEL (BTW I'M 6'1) WHEN I OPEN AND IT FALLS BACK DOWN THIS DOSE NOT ALWAYS HAPPENS SEEMS TO BE WORSE IN WARMER WEATHER FORD HAS CLAIMED THEY HAVE NO FIX FOR THIS ISSUE BUT CAN SEE WHERE SOME COULD EASILY BE INJURED OR DROP A CHILD WHEN HITTING THERE HEAD THE HATCH OPENS ABOUT 6'8" ON ITS ELEC OPENER AND SHOULD STAY THERE AS IT DOSE ON A FLAT SURFACE FORD SEEMS TO BE UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO FIX THIS HAZARD AND CLAIM ITS NORMAL! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10616242

Working with the data? Download all 228 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Ford Cmax Energi verdict →