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2014 FORD C-MAX — Complaint #2029609

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NHTSA Complaint about ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY:THERMAL MANAGEMENT:AIR HANDLING/FILTRATION filed October 3, 2024

NHTSA complaint #2029609 (ODI reference 11617872) concerns a 2014 FORD C-MAX and was filed on October 3, 2024. The owner reports the failure occurred on September 11, 2024. The vehicle had 131,500 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to California based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery:thermal management:air handling/filtration, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.

The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 1, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.

Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same FORD C-MAX cohort independently describe similar electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery:thermal management:air handling/filtration failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2014 FORD C-MAX shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.

Vehicle
2014 FORD C-MAX
Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY:THERMAL MANAGEMENT:AIR HANDLING/FILTRATION
Injuries
1
State
California
Mileage
131,500 mi

Complaint Description

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 discovered that the original Volvo battery could be emitting a toxic substance that was entering the vehicle; the battery was original equipment. The contact sustained dizziness and difficulty breathing. Medical attention was not sought. This occurred on several different occasions. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was drivable and was taken to the place of residence. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,500.

Complaint Details

NHTSA Complaint ID 2029609
ODI Number 11617872
Date Filed October 3, 2024
Failure Date September 11, 2024
VIN 1FADP5CU9EL

Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.