Total Complaints
12 filings
FORD C-MAX · model year
12 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 1 recall campaign listed for this cohort. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2018FORDC-MAX carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2018 C-MAX is steering with 2 filings, followed by electrical system (2) and air bags (2). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 1 NHTSA recall campaign listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA currently has 179 investigation files overlapping the 2018 C-MAX, and 6 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
12 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 2 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
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.
I recently rear ended a car and the front of the vechical was damaged. The air bag censor was destroyed, however the airbags did not come out. This was on a 2018 Ford c-max. Many people pointed out this malfunction and how my life was put at risk.
I totalled my car. The steering wheel airbag failed to inflate
The contact owns a 2018 Ford C-MAX Hybrid. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop at a red light, the vehicle inadvertently stalled and lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality; however, the failure had since become a regular failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering locks to the point that it can't turn. Happened while driving. Unknown cause. Warning light came on for driver to park. Issue unresolved and can no longer drive car.
Steering locks to the point that it can't turn. Happened while driving. Unknown cause. Warning light came on for driver to park. Issue unresolved and can no longer drive car.
Recently, there has been a whiff of gasoline around my garage but there is more than one vehicle in there so I didn't figure out what the culprit was for a while. After completely filling up my car 9/3/2022, I parked it in the attached garage and in minutes my whole house smelled like gasoline. So I immediately parked it outside and ventilated the house. I took the car to a local shop and they said yes there's a gas odor but they didn't want to touch the repair because it's a hybrid. So all this time later on 9/14/2022, the Ford dealership saw the car and stated that it requires immediate repair and park it outside while we wait for parts. My C-Max has always gotten regular normal maintenance like oil changes and brakes, it got new tires recently. There was one major repair Ford did when the car was assembled incorrectly at the back hatch hinge seal so water was pouring into the circuit board and the battery compartment which screwed up the electronics, and the touchscreen needed r
The contact owns a 2018 Ford C-MAX. The contact stated that the seat belt failed. The contact stated that while the driver’s side rear seat belt was fastened to the car seat, the seat belt tightened up independently on her grandchild’s chest. The contact’s grandchild was unable to breathe properly. The contact was unable to unfasten the seat from the clip. The contact had to cut the seat belt to be able to release the seat belt from her grandchild’s chest. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. The contact was informed that the seat belt operated as designed. The seat belt was not repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,000.
Mileage: 14,000
ELECTRICAL GREMLINS SINCE THE FIRST DAY. TOUCHSCREEN WENT ON AND OFF, PHONE DIDN'T CHARGE, DOOR HANDLES DON'T WORK, GARAGE DOOR OPENER FORGOT SETTINGS, PRESETS ON DASH WOULD BLINK OUT OF MEMORY. ULTIMATELY THE CAR DIDN'T EVEN START. BUT FOR ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS, SOMETIMES THEY WOULD WORK, SOMETIMES THEY WOULDN'T. ULTIMATELY GOT THE YELLOW WRENCH OF DEATH. BROUGHT IT IN REPEATEDLY AND THEY COULD NEVER REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM, UNTIL THE DAY IT WOULDN'T START AT ALL AND THE WRENCH WAS ON THE DASH. FINALLY DIAGNOSED OPEN SEAMS ON THE BACK HINGES TO THE HATCH. SEAMSEAL WAS MISSING ON BOTH HINGES. WATER WAS COMING INTO THE JUNCTION BOX WHICH WAS SOAKED. THE BATTERY WAS SITTING IN A POOL OF WATER. THESE PROBLEMS HAPPENED WHETHER IT WAS PARKED OR RUNNING.
Mileage: 46,500
ELECTRICAL GREMLINS SINCE THE FIRST DAY. TOUCHSCREEN WENT ON AND OFF, PHONE DIDN'T CHARGE, DOOR HANDLES DON'T WORK, GARAGE DOOR OPENER FORGOT SETTINGS, PRESETS ON DASH WOULD BLINK OUT OF MEMORY. ULTIMATELY THE CAR DIDN'T EVEN START. BUT FOR ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS, SOMETIMES THEY WOULD WORK, SOMETIMES THEY WOULDN'T. ULTIMATELY GOT THE YELLOW WRENCH OF DEATH. BROUGHT IT IN REPEATEDLY AND THEY COULD NEVER REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM, UNTIL THE DAY IT WOULDN'T START AT ALL AND THE WRENCH WAS ON THE DASH. FINALLY DIAGNOSED OPEN SEAMS ON THE BACK HINGES TO THE HATCH. SEAMSEAL WAS MISSING ON BOTH HINGES. WATER WAS COMING INTO THE JUNCTION BOX WHICH WAS SOAKED. THE BATTERY WAS SITTING IN A POOL OF WATER. THESE PROBLEMS HAPPENED WHETHER IT WAS PARKED OR RUNNING.
Mileage: 46,500
THE RIGHT-HAND OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR CONTAINS A SMALL INSET MIRROR INTENDED TO PROVIDE A DIFFERENT ANGLE OF VIEW SO AS TO GIVE THE DRIVER VISIBILITY OF VEHICLES ALONGSIDE OR IN THE "BLIND SPOT." IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE MOUNTED AT AN ANGLE RELATIVE TO THE PLANE OF THE MAIN MIRROR SIMILAR TO THE DRIVER SIDE MIRROR, BUT ON MY CAR IT IS MOUNTED IN THE SAME PLANE AS THE MAIN MIRROR SO THE VIEWS ARE IDENTICAL. FORD DEALER'S SERVICE MANAGER SAYS IT'S CORRECT, BUT EVERY OTHER FORD VEHICLE I HAVE SEEN HAS AN BLIND SIDE MIRROR THAT IS ANGLED. FORD'S CUSTOMER SERVICE CONSULTANTS REFUSE TO DISPUTE THE LOCAL DEALER'S OPINION. I BELIEVE THIS MIRROR WAS MANUFACTURED AND INSTALLED IN ERROR. FORD'S OWNER MANUALS FOR VARIOUS MODELS ALL DESCRIBE THE BLIND SPOT MIRRORS IDENTICALLY, BUT MY MIRROR DOES NOT CONFORM TO THOSE DESCRPTIONS. MORE CRITICALLY, IT DOESN'T PERFORM ITS INTENDED FUNCTION.
2018 TITANIUM FORD C-MAX WITH RATTLING/CLUNKING NOISE EMANATING FROM VEHICLE UNDERCARRIAGE. VEHICLE PURCHASED NEW NOW HAS FAILING STRUT BRACES (WHICH ALSO FAILED ON OUR NEW 2017 C-MAX). BRACES ARE FAILING APPROXIMATELY EVERY 10,000 MILES AMONGST OUR TWO VEHICLES.
Mileage: 9,500
STEERING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IS UNSAFE AS VEHICLE WANDERS WITHIN LANE PURPORTEDLY DUE TO ELECTRIC-ASSIST POWER STEERING. SPEEDS ABOVE 40MPH, VEHICLE REQUIRES EXCESSIVE STEERING INPUT TO STAY WITHIN LANE.
Mileage: 3,000
Timing Belt Failure
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2018 FORD C-MAX; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.