10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
22,875 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Ford C-Max:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #4

Sep 272023

C-Max

  • miles
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.

- Sherman Oaks, CA, USA

problem #3

Sep 062020

C-Max

  • 44,500 miles
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.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #2

Dec 052019

C-Max

  • 47,000 miles
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.

- Barre, VT, USA

problem #1

Jan 182019

C-Max

  • miles
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.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA