2014 Ford C-Max problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (14) · Power Train (14) · Electrical System (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford C-Max model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
40 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (8)
Power Train:shift Linkage/Cable/Rod 2022-06-10 · campaign 22V413000 · 2,925,968 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Risk: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2020-06-08 · campaign 20V331000 · 2,147,323 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to beli
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Equipment:electrical 2018-09-10 · campaign 18V592000 · 49,197 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 120V Convenience charge cords that were supplied with and sold for use with 2013-2015 Ford C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi vehicles and 2012-2015 Ford Focus Electric vehicles. Cords with part numbers FM58-10B706-AA, FM58-10B706-AB, FM58-10B706-AC, FM58-10B706-AD, FM58-10B706-AE and FM58-10B706-AF were manufactured without thermistors, and during vehicle charging, increased resistance in the house's outlet or wiring can cause the cord to overheat and
Risk: An overheated cord can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current cord with a new 120V convenience cord with a thermistor, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S24.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2016-09-06 · campaign 16V643000 · 2,046,297 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.
Seat Belts 2014-09-26 · campaign 14V597000 · 746,842 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to November 1, 2013; and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to September 30, 2013. The coating on portions of the Restraint Control Module (RCM) may crack, and when exposed to humidity, circuits on the printed circuit bo
Risk: The short circuits could cause the frontal air bags, side curtain air bags and the seat belt pretensioners to not function as intended when needed, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21.
Steering 2014-08-22 · campaign 14V514000 · 508 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Focus and C-Max vehicles manufactured August 8, 2014, to August 15, 2014. The affected vehicles may have steering gears that were incorrectly assembled.
Risk: The incorrectly manufactured steering gears may cause impaired steering, including the loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gears, free of charge. The recall began on November 11, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S18.
Air Bags:side/Window 2014-05-07 · campaign 14V237000 · 594,785 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 C-MAX, and Escape vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the restraint control module (RCM) may have errors in the programming software which may result in a delayed deployment of the side-curtain rollover air bag.
Risk: If the side-curtain rollover air bag is delayed in deploying in certain rollover circumstances, the risk of injury to the passengers is increased.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the RCM, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S04.
Seats:front Assembly:recliner 2014-04-02 · campaign 14V164000 · 43,135 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured August 15, 2012, through September 10, 2013, 2013-2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured June 5, 2012, through August 12, 2013, and 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured from July 23, 2012, through May 28, 2013. The driver and passenger seatback assemblies may have been produced with sub-standard weld joints used to attach the seat back recliner mechanism to the seat frame.
Risk: The back of the subject seats may become loose or lean while driving and potentially increase the risk of injury in certain crashes.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seatback, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C03.
Service bulletins (94)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Unknown Or Other 2024-10-10 · SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Power Train 2022-10-25 · TSB 22-2396 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2013-2020 fusion, mkz and 2013-2018 c-max vehicles equipped with an hf35 transmission may exhibit a thumping/rubbing or grinding noise coming from the transmission. the noise may be present in all gear ranges including neutral when the vehicle is moving but will not be present when the vehicle
Equipment:electrical:infotainment 2022-08-03 · TSB 22-2309 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2013-2017 c-max energi, 2013-2018 focus battery electric vehicle (bev), 2013-2020 fusion plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (phev), 2015-2017 mkz/mkz hybrid/mkc, 2016-2017 mkx and 2017 continental vehicles equipped with 8 inch or larger center display screen may be unable to complete modem authori
Unknown Or Other 2022-06-21 · TSB 22-2230 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2013-2017 c-max energi, 2013-2018 focus battery electric vehicle (bev), 2013-2020 fusion plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (phev), 2015-2017 mkz/mkz hybrid/mkc, 2016-2017 mkx and 2017 continental vehicles equipped with sync screens 8 inch or larger may be unable to complete modem authorization af
Showing the 6 most recent of 94 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-07-28 · Electrical System“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 drainage even after vehicle was …”
2026-05-12 · Electrical System“for the last couple of years i've had a problem with the backup camera it goes out randomly sometimes the picture turns upside down sometimes it's just a black screen sometimes there is a thing that says see the dealer. it's intermittent it's unexpected and other ford years have been recalled for the same problem but for whatever reason they're not…”
2026-04-07 · Vehicle Speed Control“my 2014 ford cmax energi is unable to exceed 80 mph. this is due to ford mykey systems not allowing other keys to be made for the vehicle without restrictions being applied. because i had to get a new key made, my car now is unable to go over 80mph. in arizona, the flow of traffic is quick and intense. i am unable to reliably drive on the freeway b…”
2025-12-04 · Unknown Or Other“while car shopping, i found a ford hybrid listed with ~40,760 miles. its public history shows a severe, unexplained odometer discrepancy. in september 2022, mileage was ~38,353. by may 2023, it spiked to 392,484. the current title shows 40,760 miles marked with a † (dagger), indicating "mileage discrepancy" or "not actual mileage." the seller is ma…”
2025-07-11 · Unknown Or Other“backup camera nonfunctional. will occasionally work or be upside down.…”
2024-10-03 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:thermal Management:air Handling/Filtration · 131,500 mi“the contact owns a 2014 ford c-max. the contact stated while driving at approximately 20 mph with all four windows closed, there was a strong abnormal odor coming from the rear of the vehicle. the contact then opened all the windows allowing the odor to release, and the abnormal odor was not as potent. the contact later inspected the vehicle and di…”
2024-07-15 · Fuel/Propulsion System“ recall number18s24 my car had 3 recalls so i contacted the legacy ford dealer in mcdonough on [xxx] and made an appointment on [xxx]. when we brought the car, dealer didn't fix the recall above saying they didn't have parts even though we made an appointment over 2 months before. they told us they will let us know when they gets the parts, but i…”
2024-06-26 · Power Train · 106,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 ford c-max hybrid. the contact stated when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a tune-up and to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the axle was loosened, and the bushing was damaged, and …”
2024-05-06 · Power Train“when i first drive it with battery-only mode (about 15 miles), it is quiet. when the engine kicks in, there is a loud whining noise when driving it on the streets or on highways and even on idle. i took it to ford dealership they said it is the transmission and they can not repair just some parts of it, so it needs a brand new transmission to the t…”
2024-04-05 · Power Train“transmission failed at 80,000 miles, replaced at ford dealership, failed again at 105,000 miles, just 2 years after replacement. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.