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What 22 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 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 (22)Crash / fire / injury (3)Speed control (4)Electrical system (3)Steering (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Wheels (3)Fuel system (2)Body & structure (1)Engine (1)Hybrid Propulsion System (1)Tires (1)

1 of 22 complaints match · Hybrid Propulsion System · clear filters

Apr 5, 2023Electrical systemHybrid Propulsion System

The contact owned a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while starting the vehicle in the parking lot of her residence, there was a strong burning odor and several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel and the brakes were inoperable, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery system had burned and needed to be replaced; however, the dealer informed the contact that there was no guarantee that the vehicle would become operable after the repair. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an unknown Federal mandate for an Extended Warranty that stated that the Ford manufacturer would cover the battery system repair for 8 years/100,000 miles; however, the dealer declined to honor the Extended Warranty. The insurance company considered the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was totaled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 77,250.

NHTSA ODI 11515556

Working with the data? Download all 22 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 2017 Ford Cmax Energi verdict →