Owners have filed 20 complaints on the Ford C-Max, covering 2013–2017. The system named most often is Back Over Prevention (10 reports). Worst years by volume: 2016, 2015, 2017; cleanest: 2013, 2014, 2017. 2 reports describe a crash. On average the car was 7.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford C-Max
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 20 C-Max complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Back Over Prevention 10 Read
The contact owns a 2015 Ford C-Max. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse(R), the rear-view camera displayed an upside-down image. The contact…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that the rearview camera is malfunctioning, cuts out intermittently, and displays an error message stating that the camera is unavailable. The contact received a safety recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford C-MAX. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank screen. The contact stated that the failure was a persistent failure, and the rear-view camera displayed an upside-down image. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the…
Electrical System 2 Read
Rear view camera recall was last year on October 2025 I am facing serious safety issues with the camera not working properly or sometimes entirely not at all the screen turns blue and does not display anything it’s very dangerous
Major electrical issues, including rear view camera not working, vehicle starting when no key fob is in or near the vehicle, tail lights burning out even after replacement, one taillight blinking faster than the other, screen for infotainment not turning on, all of a sudden vehicle not starting with complete battery…
Air Bags 1 Read
The contact owned a 2015 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that upon accelerating from a complete stop at a traffic light, the vehicle ahead suddenly slammed on the brakes and was rear-ended by the contact's vehicle. The contact's forehead struck the steering wheel before the front driver's side air bag partially…
Fuel System 1 Read
The contact owns a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while driving 3 MPH, the vehicle started to stall and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was informed that gasoline was…
Power Train 1 Read
The contact owns a 2016 ford c-max hybrid. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle shut down and the "stop now pull over" warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road and towed to perry ford of poway (12740 poway rd, poway, ca 92064), but the cause of the failure could not be…
Fuel/propulsion System 1 Read
Intermittent inability to control speed. Finally got an error code of p2112 (throttle actuator control system) while in motion and vibration because the battery does not engage properly
Service Brakes 1 Read
My 2016 ford c-max with 10000 miles has brake issues... According to the dealer the brakes are rusted and need replaced for $1000.00. Seriously, a vehicle with 10000 miles has bad brakes and not covered by the ford warranty..... I hope nothing happens while my wife is driving the car as she does not feel safe
Vehicle Speed Control 1 Read
Received a letter from ford although ford is not calling this a recall I believe it is pretty serious. This if for the customer satisfaction program;17b28 ford is saying the electronic throttle body may develop contamination and may result in the vehcile entering a protective low-speed mode which can be dangerous if…
C-Max years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Fuel System, Gasoline | — | — | |
| 2016 | Back Over Prevention | — | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2014 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2013 | Tires | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 17 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 2 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.3 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 2. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,115,966 of them, covering 2,019 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the C-Max?
By complaint volume, 2016, 2015, 2017 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which C-Max years are the cleanest?
2013, 2014, 2017 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford C-Max have?
20 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2013–2017. Of those, 2 describe a crash and 0 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.
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