FORD C-MAX HYBRID · model year

2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID

177 NHTSA complaints, 12 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013FORDC-MAX HYBRID carries 177 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 12 crashes, 0 fires, 9 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 C-MAX HYBRID is electrical system with 44 filings, followed by engine (17) and power train (14). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2013 C-MAX HYBRID, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

177
Complaints
12
Crashes
0
Fires
9
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

177 filings

Crashes Reported

12 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM44
ENGINE17
POWER TRAIN14
STEERING14
STRUCTURE:BODY9
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER8
SERVICE BRAKES7
AIR BAGS6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM5
EXTERIOR LIGHTING4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL4
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)4
SEAT BELTS4
STRUCTURE3

Recalls (3)

13V47500017/10/2013

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Focus Electric vehicles and 2013 C-Max vehicles equipped with the Intelligent Access Push Button Start System. In the affected vehicles, there is no audible chime when the vehicle is operational and the driver's door is opened. Th

13V30300010/07/2013

STRUCTURE

Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2013 C-Max hybrid vehicles, without panoramic roofs, that were manufactured January 19, 2012, through June 25, 2013. During vehicle testing, the vehicle exceeded a head injury criteria requirement set by the standard. Thus, these vehicles fail to

13V08500007/03/2013

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Focus and C-Max vehicles built from November 16, 2012, through November 21, 2012; and model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured from November 14, 2012, through November 21, 2012. The left rear door child lock was built incorrectly. As a result, the chil

Recent Complaints

20251022BACK OVER PREVENTION

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that while in reverse, the rearview camera failed to display a rearview image, potentially compromising the back over prevention system. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The rearview camera warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 230,000.

Mileage: 230,000

20250801STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 15-20 MPH, the steering wheel was wobbly. The contact exited the highway immediately and was able to pull over to the side of the roadway. The contact then pulled into a parking lot and the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe was rusted, causing the control arms to separate. The dealer determined that the rear subframe and connecting parts needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that a high voltage wire was chewed on by rodents. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Mileage: 90,000

20250801ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 15-20 MPH, the steering wheel was wobbly. The contact exited the highway immediately and was able to pull over to the side of the roadway. The contact then pulled into a parking lot and the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe was rusted, causing the control arms to separate. The dealer determined that the rear subframe and connecting parts needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that a high voltage wire was chewed on by rodents. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Mileage: 90,000

20241210ENGINE

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated while driving on three occasions at approximately 30-55 MPH, several unknown warning lights were flashing. The message to shift to park(P) was flashing. The vehicle was shifted to park, and the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact's husband assisted with restarting the vehicle. The contact determined that the battery was working as designed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for five weeks, where it was diagnosed that the battery junction box had corrosion and defective fuses. Additionally, there was a failing control unit. The dealer informed the contact a Ford engineer was advising with the repairs. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Mileage: 70,000

20241210ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated while driving on three occasions at approximately 30-55 MPH, several unknown warning lights were flashing. The message to shift to park(P) was flashing. The vehicle was shifted to park, and the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact's husband assisted with restarting the vehicle. The contact determined that the battery was working as designed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for five weeks, where it was diagnosed that the battery junction box had corrosion and defective fuses. Additionally, there was a failing control unit. The dealer informed the contact a Ford engineer was advising with the repairs. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Mileage: 70,000

20241112POWER TRAIN

The contact's wife owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated there was an abnormal hissing and crackling sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was informed that there were no recalls or warranties on the vehicle. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

Mileage: 180,000

20241009ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, the driver’s side doors failed to latch closed. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to get another driver’s attention, he became aware that the horn was not functioning as needed. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ19005 (Latches/Locks/Linkages, Structure); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.

Mileage: 80,000

20241009LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, the driver’s side doors failed to latch closed. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to get another driver’s attention, he became aware that the horn was not functioning as needed. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ19005 (Latches/Locks/Linkages, Structure); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.

Mileage: 80,000

20241009STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, the driver’s side doors failed to latch closed. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to get another driver’s attention, he became aware that the horn was not functioning as needed. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ19005 (Latches/Locks/Linkages, Structure); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.

Mileage: 80,000

20240919STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the hatchback ajar message was displayed. The contact attempted to raise the liftgate; however, the liftgate failed to raise up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Mileage: 160,000

20220801POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. Additionally, the vehicle remained on after the contact had pushed the Auto Start/Stop button to turn off the vehicle. The contact was able to turn off the vehicle after pushing the Auto Start/Stop button numerous times. The dealer and Five Star Ford Stone Mountain (3800 US-78, Snellville, GA 30039) were made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20220726POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) and 20V331000 (Latches, Locks, and Linkages) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a transmission failure and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. Parts distribution disconnect.

20220726LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) and 20V331000 (Latches, Locks, and Linkages) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a transmission failure and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. Parts distribution disconnect.

20220712POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds a grinding noise was heard with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed with a defective passenger’s side rear wheel bearing. The contact was informed that the wheel bearing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was transported to Maryland. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the passenger’s side rear wheel bearing. The contact stated that the grinding noise continued. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the front brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the grinding noise continued with unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced in the near future. The

20220607POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle started making an abnormal sound. After exceeding 20 MPH, the abnormal sound stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to another local dealer: Krause Family Ford of Woodstock (195 Woodstock Pkwy, Woodstock, GA 30188, (770) 809-1030) where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000. Consumer wanted to add to existing complaint that this vehicle was serviced TWICE at the Ford Lithia Spring (870 Thornton Rd, Lithia Springs, GA 30122) location prior to reaching the 100,000 miles. Consumer's step-father (the previous owner of the vehicle) stated that the vehicle wa

Mileage: 101,000

20220603LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The vehicle previously had the passenger's side front door latch replaced by an independent mechanic; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the front driver's and passenger's side front door latches were inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Mileage: 100,000

20220401LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that the rear doors had seized and failed to open. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the doors were repaired three times. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

Mileage: 88,000

20211206ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that the small battery in the vehicle had malfunctioned on several occasions and the vehicle could not be started. The contact indicated that the battery had been replaced by the dealer on at least 5 separate occasions. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 25,000.

Mileage: 25,000

20211005ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle failed to start up or unlock due to a defective battery. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer several times to have her battery replaced or her software updated; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had been repaired as of her last visit. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

Mileage: 48,000

20210810ENGINE

The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shut-off without warning. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer on three separate occasions for service. Each time the vehicle was towed to the dealer, the vehicle would resume normal operation upon arrival and the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Mileage: 120,000

Compare 2013FORDC-MAX HYBRID to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID have?
The 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID has 177 NHTSA complaints, 12 crashes, 0 fires, 9 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID?
Yes, the 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID?
The most-complained component for the 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 44 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2013 FORD C-MAX HYBRID safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. 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.