Home · 2016 Ford Cmax Energi · Complaints

What 46 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (46)Crash / fire / injury (9)Electrical system (15)Backup camera & sensors (6)Transmission & drivetrain (6)Engine (4)Steering (3)Wheels (3)Body & structure (2)Speed control (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Airbags (1)

6 of 46 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Jan 8, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment, prompting her to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the transmission had previously been replaced 3 years prior. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 49,000.

NHTSA ODI 11634947

Oct 2, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Was driving it to a shop to do a transmission fluid exchange and got a big Stop Safely Now warning on the dash with an AdvanceTrac warning as well. Car stopped dead on a freeway off ramp - was very fortunate to get an immediate SoCal Freeway Service tow off the ramp in Los Angeles to a safe place, and after AAA told me I might wait 4 hours for a tow to my preferred Ford dealer, I got the car restarted and got it to a another dealer a couple miles away. Inspection showed a P0B37 error code with chafing of the high voltage battery harness. The dealer originally quoted me $1200 to fix it, but when I mentioned the California 10/150 hybrid powertrain warranty, they subsequently found TSB 17-0015 which deals with this exact issue on the 2013-16 Energi, and I've now read a report of the same issue on a 2017. The TSB quotes 1.8 hours labor with chafing and installation of heat shrink tubing, tie strap, and electrical tape... where the dealer came up with $1200 is beyond me. Obviously I'm pleased with the fact Ford is covering this one, but hope it doesn't happen to you... I had about 30 seconds to get the car to a safe place before it stopped entirely, and if I'd been in heavier traffic the vehicle would have stopped dead on a very busy expressway.

NHTSA ODI 11547715

Sep 7, 2020Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

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

Dec 12, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD C-MAX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH DOWNHILL, THE "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CONTACT CRUISED DOWN A HILL INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO FORMULA FORD INC (LOCATED AT 265 RIVER ST, MONTPELLIER, VT 05601, 802-223-5201) WHO STATED THAT THE SOBD MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS STILL AWAITING APPROVAL ON THE PART FOR THE REPAIR. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.

NHTSA ODI 11288676

Apr 17, 2019Transmission & drivetrainCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD C-MAX. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT ARRIVED BACK TO WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER IN THE PARKING SPOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD ROLLED AWAY. ON THE FIRST OCCASION, THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON A FLAT SURFACE. THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS AND CRASHED INTO A TREE, CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. ON THE SECOND OCCASION, THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS AGAIN, STRUCK A TREE, AND CONTINUED ONTO THE ROADWAY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SANTA MONICA FORD LINCOLN (LOCATED AT 1230 SANTA MONICA BLVD, SANTA MONICA, CA 90404, (310) 451-1588) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE FAILURE OR RETRIEVE A FAULT CODE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11196937

Oct 17, 2018Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngine

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

Working with the data? Download all 46 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 2016 Ford Cmax Energi verdict →