What 46 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Cmax Energi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated that while charging the hybrid battery, the battery stopped charging after 15-16 minutes. The contact stated that the battery could only be charged for 15-16 minutes at a time. The contact stated that there was a red triangle warning light illuminated on the charger but there was no warning light illuminated on the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the mileage range of the vehicle per charge was decreasing continuously. The vehicle was taken to dealer several times to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Gator Ford (11780 Tampa Gateway Blvd, Seffner, FL 33584), where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11670543

The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact attempted to honk at another vehicle, but the horn failed to respond while depressed. The contact stated that the horn occasionally responded while depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was repaired temporarily with electrical gel on a fuse. The contact attempted to check the fuse, but the fuse box cover was difficult to remove. The failure reoccurred after several months but the electrical gel failed to repair the vehicle. In addition, the horn failed to respond while depressed. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ODI 11601224

The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while in reverse (R) and backing up at 3 MPH the back-over prevention camera failed and displayed a black screen. The contact stated that when the back-over prevention camera failed to operate, the radio and the GPS became inoperable. The contact stated that the back over prevention screen occasionally turned blue or showed a distorted image. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but occurred several times. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that a software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that she was advised by the dealer that the software update was not a certain remedy. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred and that the back-over prevention camera became inoperable. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,295.

NHTSA ODI 11583321

I have a 2016 Ford C-Max. On Saturday, 9-16-2023 my wife and I were traveling on Highway 69 in Prescott AZ. We turned off the highway and about 50 yards from Hwy 69 a STOP SAFELY NOW flashed on the instrument pannel. The car IMMEDIATELY braked hard and stopped. I had no time to pull over. Had it been 50 yards sooner I would have abruptly stopped on Hwy 69. The Hwy was traveling at 55 MPH. You figure it out, we were going to have an accident 100%. The C-Max was towed to Sun Valley Tire, a AAA approved repair shop in Prescott Valley. They pulled up the Ford, Technical Service Bulletin - TSB 17-0015. That bulletin describes wiring that chafes and shorts out the car. Exactly what happened to us. The actual fix is simple, locate the shorted out wire and repair it. To get to it requires disassembling most of the car. Total cost $438.01. That is not the point, Ford knew that this problem existed, sent out a TSB and is allowing Ford owners like me to have a life threatening incident. WHY has Ford been allowed to continue allow these C-Max's to stay on the road without a fix! Are you doing your jobs? I want the NHTSA to do its job. I also want to be reimbursed. Who do I contact. You have my VIN # and therefore all my information.

NHTSA ODI 11545522

The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the charging cord overheated and became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V592000 (Equipment). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11472511

The contact's father owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated that several electrical features including the horn, hazard lights, power locks, and power windows engaged independently while driving at various speeds. The contact also stated that on multiple occasions, all four windows had been lowered upon returning to the vehicle even though the vehicle was turned off. The dealer had been notified of the failure and the contact was given an estimate for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11471976

The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the display screen would not display any images and not allow the contact to use any of the functions. The contact also stated that sometimes it would take up to 5 minutes for the display screen to engage. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with nothing needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11421874

The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that the mobile charger failed and the vehicle was unable to be charged. The contact stated that several different outlets were tried however, the failure persisted. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.

NHTSA ODI 11419314

SEVERAL TIMES NOW THE VEHICLE HAS COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. AT FIRST, IT WAS DRIVING UPHILL ON THE FREEWAY AND WHEN IT HIT A SMALL BUMP IT WOULD SHUT OFF. I FIGURED IT WAS JUST AT HIGH SPEEDS THAT THIS OCCURRED. RECENTLY, IT WAS JUST DRIVING UP A DRIVEWAY INCLINE AT 5 MPH, AND GOING OVER A SMALL SPEED BUMP TRIGGERED IT TO SHUT OFF. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN TO HAVE SERVICE FIX IT AND THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO BE DRIVING 65MPH ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR JUST SHUTS OFF. IT DOES NOT GO INTO A SAFE MODE, JUST COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN. IN ORDER TO CONTINUE DRIVING, YOU MUST PRESS THE PUSH-BUTTON START AND LET THE CAR SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES. AFTER YOU WAIT, PUSH THE BUTTON AGAIN AND IT WILL ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE DRIVING AS NORMAL. I BELIEVE IT IS A WIRING ISSUE BUT MULTIPLE SERVICE LOCATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE IT. I HAVE PAID HUNDREDS IN LABOR ATTEMPTING TO FIX IT. VERY DANGEROUS!

NHTSA ODI 11377393

DRIVING ALONG A HIGHWAY HOLDING STEADY SPEED OF 65MPH, THE CAR DISPLAYED A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE AND DISABLED THE ACCELERATOR. WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WOULD TURN ON AND OFF WITH THE PUSH OF THE ON/OFF BUTTON, BUT THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE REMAINED ON THE DASHBOARD ANY TIME THE CAR WAS POWERED ON, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. WE CALLED FORD AS WE ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY; HOWEVER, A TOW TRUCK WOULD HAVE TAKEN APPROX 90 MINUTES, AND I WAS NOT IN A SAFE POSITION, SO I USED A OBDII SCANNER AND APP TO RESET THE FAULT CODES. AFTER THAT THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME WE HAVE SEEN THIS ERROR IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS; HOWEVER, THE LAST TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AGO.

NHTSA ODI 11353500

I WAS GOING TO BACK INTO MY DRIVEWAY. I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE THEN ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL WENT HAYWIRE.EVERYTHING TURNED ON( WINDSHIELD WIPERS, RADIO, ALL THE LIGHTS. ETC.) THEN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS TO GO IN REVERSE AND IT WENT FORWARD. THEN I TRIED TURNING THE CAR OFF AND IT WOULD NOT TURN OFF, SO I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. I THEN MOVED THE STICK SHIFT BACK AND FORTH, PUT IT IN REVERSE AGAIN AND IT WENT A COUPLE OF FEET, THEN WOULDN'T MOVE ANYMORE. ALL THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS REMAINED ON, BUT I COULDN'T TURN THE CAR OFF. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE CAR DEALERSHIP WITH ALL THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS STILL ON.THEY COULDN'T GET IT TURNED OFF EITHER. THEY HAVE IT THERE AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. NOW THEY CAN'T GET IT TURNED ON BECAUSE THE BATTERY DIED.

NHTSA ODI 11182118

WHILE I WAS DRIVING & TURNING AROUND A CORNER ON A CITY STREET IN NEWPORT, RI, A SILENT WARNING FLASHED ON THE CAR DASH IN LARGE RED CAPITAL LETTERS, READING: "STOP SAFELY NOW!" BUT THE ENGINE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY - BEFORE I COULD APPLY THE BRAKE - LEAVING ME STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. AT THE SAME TIME, A YELLOW "ENGINE" AND "TRACTION CONTROL" ICON APPEARED ON THE DASH. I WAITED A WHILE AND TRIED TO START THE ENGINE, BUT NO RESPONSE. CALLED NEWPORT POLICE TO GET MY CAR OUT OF THE TRAFFIC LANE. TOGETHER, WITH THE POLICE AND A FRIEND WHO ALSO RESPONDED TO MY CALL FOR HELP, WE GOT THE ENGINE STARTED AND SLOWLY DROVE THE FEW BLOCKS TO MY HOME. THE CAR IS IN MY DRIVEWAY, AND I HAVEN'T STARTED IT SINCE. FLOOD FORD SERVICE DEPT. ADVISED ME TO CALL FORD ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE & HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THERE IS NO POLICE REPORT AS SUCH; IT IS CONSIDERED BY THE NEWPORT POLICE AS A "CALL FOR ASSISTANCE."

NHTSA ODI 11141013

THE CAR WENT INTO "LIMP" MODE WHILE GOING 70 MPH. TOOK THE CAR IN AND WE WERE TOLD IT HAD A RECALL ON THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY. WE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE AND IT ISN'T LISTED ON THE NHTSA SITE.

NHTSA ODI 11031781

1.REVERSE CAMERA STAYS ON 2.VERY SLOW TO RESPOND TO TOUCH 3.NAVIGATION 4.NAVIGATION NOT SAFE, FEATURES NOT DISABLED DURING DRIVING

NHTSA ODI 11002468

I ENTERED THE CAR AND TRIED TO START. IMMEDIATELY IT FAILED TO START AND WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON SAYING NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR THEN IT WENT DARK AND I AM NOT CERTAIN IF THE CAR IS RUNNING OR NOT. I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE IT AT ALL AND HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD RODENT DAMAGE SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW. FIRST TIME WAS IN AUGUST 2016.

NHTSA ODI 10939733