Home · 2014 Ford Cmax Energi · Complaints

What 106 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 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 (106)Crash / fire / injury (12)Electrical system (34)Transmission & drivetrain (22)Steering (16)Latches & locks (11)Body & structure (7)Engine (7)Fuel system (6)Airbags (4)Wheels (4)Backup camera & sensors (2)

4 of 106 complaints match · Wheels · clear filters

Sep 14, 2022Wheels

Swollen lug nuts

NHTSA ODI 11484461

Sep 6, 2022Wheels

I had a flat tire and I was unable to remove the lug nuts. I was on the freeway creating a hazardous condition. The lug nuts had cover on them and standard lug nuts could not remove the tire. You needed a lug nut that is 1/2 mm larger. Ridiculous!! We had to call a tow truck and take the vehicle to the Ford Service Center to remove the lug nut and tire, which was an unnecessary expense that Ford made money on. What a joke!

NHTSA ODI 11483115

Sep 13, 2021Wheels

The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer for tire service and was informed they were unable to rotate the tire due to frozen lug nuts. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

NHTSA ODI 11432782

Jul 1, 2019Wheels

MY DAUGHTER DROVE THE 2014 FORD C MAX TO PICK UP MY YOUNGER DAUGHTER AND HAD A BLOWOUT WITH HER TIRE ON JUNE 26, 2019. SHE HEARD THE FRONT TIRE POPPED AND HAD TO MERGE FROM THE LEFT LANE TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. THE SIDEWALL HAD A HOLE AND WASN'T ABLE TO FIX SO HAD TO CALL THE TOW TRUCK. THIS OCCURRED ON HIGHWAY 4 WHICH DIDN'T HAVE ANY ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND SHE DIDN'T RUN OVER ANYTHING. I AM CONCERNED WITH THE INTEGRITY OF THE TIRES. THE MILEAGE IS 43600 AND THE TREADS ARE STILL GOOD. I'VE REPLACED TWO TIRES SINCE EVEN TREADS NEED TO BE PAIRED UP. TWO NEW TIRES IN THE FRONT AND THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON THE REAR. I'VE KEPT THE THIRD TIRE FOR FUTURE USE. HEARING THE WHOLE FACT FROM MY DAUGHTER AM CONCERNED OF THE ORIGINAL TIRES AS WELL AS THE NEW TIRES SINCE REPLACED WITH THE SAME BRAND. THE BRAND IS MICHELIN ENERGY SAVER.

NHTSA ODI 11228770

Working with the data? Download all 106 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 2014 Ford Cmax Energi verdict →