6.9

fairly significant
Typical Repair Cost:
$160
Average Mileage:
31,050 miles
Total Complaints:
17 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (13 reports)
  2. replace battery (4 reports)
2013 Ford C-Max Energi electrical problems

electrical problem

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2013 Ford C-Max Energi Owner Comments

problem #17

Nov 162018

C-Max Energi

  • CVT transmission
  • 47,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have the C-MAX-ENERGY "top of the line" car for only 6 months and the batteries are dead already. Nothing works. Even the extended warranty I purchased from Carmax doesn't cover anything. You Call Ford Corporation, they give you the run around transferring to imbecilic people that don't know their asses from their elbow. Never had a Ford before, first time, and I am 1000000000000000000000000% dissatisfied with this piece of sh*t. They should close this nasty company, or send it to China, where they nasty products are just like Ford products. NEVER AGAIN.

Now I am stuck with this garbage, and I can't even find an attorney to take the case...

Buy Toyota, Buy Honda, Buy Kia...STAY AWAY FROM ANY AMERICAN PRODUCT, especially Ford products. I will put this information on every site I know, and every social media I know. May not make much of damage since I am only one person, but, someone needs to start at some place...

- Ricardo A., Phoenix, US

problem #16

Apr 092018

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,000 miles

I have had to have 12 volt battery replaced twice in the 9 months I have owned it. The 12 volt battery has died 6 times in last 4 days. Twice after having a battery charger on it all night. I need to carry jumper cables and a battery charger everywhere I go. I have been late to work on several occasions and the car is totally unreliable for the $14,000 I paid for it 9 months ago. I could spent $3,000 and gotten a more reliable car. I have never owned a FORD before and had heard terrible things from friends who had owned them. But...I drove this car and fell in love with it. Ends up it's a LEMON and my friends were all right about FORD. Find On Road Dead (Fix Or Repair Daily) because that is what my car has become. SHAME ON YOU FORD!!!!!!!

- Christine B., Galveston, TX, US

problem #15

Dec 302018

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,000 miles

Display said "audio off" for 2 days before battery went dead. I park car outside in front of my house & my neighborhood is a high crime area for breaking into cars and ransacking through. How the heck do I lock my car? I was able to lock the driver door but the other 3 doors + hatch are unlocked. This is infuriating! How stupid! Also, I heard clicking in the fuse box area on the passenger side.

- Laurel R., San Francisco, US

problem #14

Jul 242018

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have a 2013 Ford C-Max Energi. It dies and needs to be jumped. The pattern so far is: When the car dies, I jump start the car without any issue. I get to use the car for several days. Then she dies again. Jump start again with ease, drive for a few days ( about 5 days) then she dies again. This pattern happens about 4 times now in the last month. I have checked the battery when the engine is running (gas), the battery on the volt meter shows over 14 volts. Which tells me the battery and alternator are good... ( I think). This car has the ability to run on full EV but over the last few months, I have not had the opportunity to plug her in. She is running solely on gas and hybrid. Has anyone experienced this? Does anyone have the cure? Could it have something to do with the electric engine? Please tell me it's a simple fix. Thank you!

- Marc P., Medford, NY, Canada

problem #13

Mar 142017

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 19,000 miles

This dead battery problem has happened too many times to remember, however the hybrid rep at 'frod" motor company knows cause I reported it every time it has happened. A case number was given to me for a "buy back" program however "frod" turned me down without an explanation. After 3 dealerships (1 "module, that was supposed to fix the problem, 2 replaced batteries, that was supposed to fix the problem at $175 per diagnostic) I bought me a battery tender and charge this battery my damn self every other day. I was referred to a mechanic that talked me out of letting this car go into default ( I am not gonna pay for a car that leaves me stranded every other day) and promised me for $150 ( diagnostic fee ) he would find the "parasitic draw". When I first bought this car I was getting a 30 mile charge on the hybrid battery now a year later I get a 15 mile charge and I sure as sh*t don't have $3,000 for a new hybrid battery. This will be my last hybrid and my last key less car, it's a good thing I kept my 1995 Saturn SL1. I will never buy another ford!!!!

- csolano, Broomfield, US

problem #12

Apr 132017

C-Max Energi SEL 2.0L

  • CVT transmission
  • 14,042 miles

Bought a li-ion jump start pack to energize the chassis system. Once main battery is on line it will recharge the chassis 12v battery and the car is fully functional although the clock and radio presets might need updating.

4th occurrence, tsb 14- 0155 has been performed. New battery installed under warranty at first occurrence at 3 year mark.

- Peter W., Venice, FL, US

problem #11

Jan 072017

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I went out of town for one night. When I got in my car to go home the car was dead. I got a jump from a nice person in the parking lot and drove 80 miles back home. Three days later my car would not start after work. So my husband took it to the dealer and had a new battery put in. Two weeks later the car would not start again even with a new battery. So we took it to the dealer and guess what, they could not tell me what is causing the problem. They did some recall work and worked on a few loose wires and said it was good to go. So I will just have to see if the problem is fixed. In the meantime I bought a battery jumper to keep in my car in case it happens again. I have loved the car so far but if this keeps happening I am getting rid of it!!!!! I just cannot have an unreliable car. It sounds like this is a common problem and FORD needs to fix it!!!!!!!

- brossman, Tacoma, WA, US

problem #10

Jan 162017

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 35,000 miles

This is second time in two weeks that battery has died. Second time I have taken to Ford with same issue. They don't seem to have a clue. Sold me a new battery in hopes that will solve problem

- ilisten2u , Fresno, US

problem #9

Jan 302017

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 35,000 miles

Third time in a month with dead battery. Couldn't even jump it. Ford sold me a new battery two weeks ago hoping this would fix it. Clearly it didn't. There are dozens of complaints here exactly like mine with NO SOLUTIONS. Either Ford is really ignorant about the electrical system in this vehicle, or they don't want to admit/pay for the real problem. This car is 3 years old and is becoming more useless each week. I'm furious with their impotence

- ilisten2u , Fresno, US

problem #8

Aug 302016

C-Max Energi LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,120 miles

8/30/16-dead battery-dealer replaced it-bad cell

9/12/16-dead battery-dealer replaced it-bad cell

1/29/17-dead battery-car on it's way to dealer.

This is obviously a Ford problem that they refuse to acknowledge or fix. I have a few too many miles over the NJ Lemon law threshold to return to car. It's such a great car but only when it will start. so far the batteries have been replaced under warranty but who can afford new batteries every 2 months after the warranty expires?

- Jan D., Cranford, NJ, US

problem #7

Oct 022016

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 31,062 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Went to run errands this afternoon (Sunday, October 2, 2016), and car was completely dead. Had to use our other car. Used mechanical key to open driver door and then the hood. Battery was down to about 3.3 volts! Suspect dead battery, and have it on a charger for overnight. Then will plan to take it to dealer in the morning. Found 30 similar listings of this problem with the C-Max Energi. This is number 31! Should have been a recall about this. My wife had last driven the car on Friday, September 30, and everything has been normal up to now. We have had very few problems, and service has been very good. We had it in for 30,000 mile service about 5 or 6 weeks ago. I will follow up after the dealer sees it, and post the resolution. We are also paying for an extended service warranty for the car.

- kmkint3, Kingman, AZ, US

problem #6

Oct 012016

C-Max Energi

  • CVT transmission
  • 23,000 miles

I was reading the thread about dead 12v batteries and it happened to me for the first time. I should not complain as it did not strand me and I got almost 3 years without a problem. Poor design since the the battery should be charged while plugged in or something.

- David D., Beverly, MA, US

problem #5

Sep 272016

C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid

  • CVT transmission
  • 18,900 miles

The 12-volt battery in our 2013 C-Max Energi has died repeatedly. (I'll condense this saga into a single report.) The first two times were 6 months ago.

The car had been running fine for its first two and a half years - and then one morning everything was dead. I jump started the car and drove to the dealer, who could find nothing wrong other than a battery with an apparently low charge. They recharged the battery and gave it back to me. The next week the car was again dead in the morning. This time the dealer concluded the battery was bad and replaced it.

Last week the sequence repeated. The new 12-volt battery was again dead in the morning, this time with a trouble indicator - a yellow wrench lit up on the dash board. I jumped the battery from a charger and drove to the dealer. They verified that the battery was drained. They told me that they cleared a number of error codes by resetting various modules, after which the 12-volt battery appeared to be charged. (They told me that they did NOT connect the battery to an external charger.) They kept the car for a week but could not find the origin of the original problem and could not repeat the symptoms. I took the car back from them and drove it all last week. I just checked the battery and indeed it is fully charged - at the moment !!!

I've read through the complaints related to C-Max batteries on and can make the following observations. One person was told that he was being to efficient because the 12-volt battery doesn't charge when in EV mode. I doubt that. The alternator should charge the 12-volt battery whenever the wheels are turning. My own most recent experience gives a possible clue. There are many ways to drain a battery, but it can't recharge itself without a power source. There seems to be a (possibly unintended) connection between the hybrid battery pack and the 12-volt battery (whose only function in a C-Max is to turn the electronics on). If the hybrid battery can recharge the 12-volt battery, then it can also drain in of charge.

It is admittedly very hard to find a problem that occurs with a frequency of months. Given the histories I've read on , this doesn't seem to be going away. I guess it's time to trade in for something else, which is a pity since on every other level I really like the C-Max.

- andrewva, Yorktown, VA, US

problem #4

Dec 302015

C-Max Energi 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,000 miles

The 12v batter dies from what I believe is a drain on the system. If the car is left alone for more than a week the 12b battery dies. I know the lights were shut down (automatic), the car was left in Park, and the Larger Energie battery was fully charged but disconnected after it was fully charged. I think something like the keyless key sensors or some some light in the car drains the battery over time. This is happen several times and the pattern seems to be tied to a long idle time. I see lots of complains on the Web but my dealer say "No one has ever reported an ongoing battery problems" (standard dealership denial).

- David O., Lansdowne, PA, US

problem #3

Jul 062015

C-Max Energi Ener 2.0L I-4 Atkinson-Cycle

  • Automatic transmission
  • 29,000 miles

Went on vacation for 4 days, car was working great prior, never had a problem, and I had just charged up the car with the plug-in through standard 120V cord. When I got back from vacation, the car was completely dead. Thank God I had left it unlocked! Lift gate would not work. The myFord computer would not start up when opening the door, the start button was completely unresponsive. Tried to jump the car per the instructions in the owner's manual, while hooked up with the jumper cables the computer came on and booted, but still the car would not get into 'drive mode'. Display showed the lithium ion battery full. There were two warning messages that lit up, one was the red triangle of death, saying to turn off the car safely, the other was a yellow wrench that said 'see owners manual'. Clearly something is totally boogered up on my car.

Luckily, I still have 5 months on the warranty; Ford Roadside assistance came and eventually towed my car to a dealer, got a rental car from the dealership while they try to figure out what's wrong with the CMax. It appears the problem must be something wrong with the low voltage battery, which for some reason Ford has decided that owners should not touch or change this battery themselves. I am certain I didn't leave anything on such as headlamps or overhead light - something must be drawing power from that battery while it sits parked. Did several online searches, found other CMax owners that appear to have the exact same issue description.

- Peter S., Mooresville, NC, US

problem #2

Mar 162015

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 29,066 miles

Today marks the 9th dead battery in 7 months; yesterday was #7 and today was #8, then I got a jump from roadside assistance; came back after running errands, dead again, #9; waiting for another jump so I can park it and wait until Friday when I can get it in (probably will need a jump).

Going back, Ford wanted to have one of their engineers look at it to determine if it was a lemon or not; talk about biased. If multiple service departments and people can't figure it out, I am guessing those guys suck at what they do or the vehicle is a lemon. Awaiting arbitration on March 25.

- nicktca, Los Angeles, CA, US

problem #1

Sep 202013

C-Max Energi

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,000 miles

Battery died three times for no reason whatsoever, had to jump start it every time and finally had it towed to dealer. They said the 3 month old battery was dead and not holding a charge and had it replaced under warranty. Now a month later after fixing this the High-Voltage battery is not holding charge. Back to the dealer....

- Al Z., Santa Clara, CA, US

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