Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford C-Max owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Ford C-Max. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH in the rain, the windshield wipers became inoperable, and the headlights inadvertently turned off. The contact stated that the horn would beep independently but failed to operate while depressed. Additionally, the heater and A/C unit became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle also failed to start. The contact had to jump start the vehicle on several occasions. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
This Vehicle has given us numerous numerous issues and left us stranded it has been a safety issue for my family we recently had to have law enforcement involved to try to save us from where we got stranded due to the unreliability of this vehicle and after already having a transmission replacement and having the car right now in the shop for approaching one month and they still cannot find the issue There has been one problem after another forward keeps giving me the run around when I contact them directly and the dealership Is just giving me extremely generic responses and telling me that their staff is not available this week and that they have many other customers to have to worry about and that I basically can go rent a car if I have a problem with not having a vehicle, I do not want to continue to have to risk my life or the life of my wife or children because of the lack of …
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I have a 2013 Ford C-Max SE that is having terrible white noise and static from the speakers. I see that this is common with the SYNC system and not limited to C-Max models How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I have not had a diagnostic run but I have seen so many listservs with the speaker issue. The car will be quiet and then blast static to the point of having to pull over to get the car over to get it to stop. It's so loud sometimes that it is hard to drive. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I am taking the car in on November 10th for an inspection. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? …
WHILE DRIVING the dashboard instrument panel beeps and flashes the word "Put in Park" and "Stop Safely Now", and the speedometer stops working, all kinds of warning lights start flashing on and off on the instrument panel, the heater goes on and off on it's own, then the instrument panel goes black, speedometer shows zero and car goes into shutdown mode. I was put in risk while driving without a speedometer and other vehicles near me were put into risk; when I pull over and stop the vehicle it strands me and I need a tow. This has happened randomly many times; I took it to FORD for repair, they didn't know how to fix the problem, my car was at FORD for 6 weeks! and I was without a car all that time, now 3 months later it's doing the same thing! …
I took it to the Ford dealership and they diagnosed it as having a parasitic draw from the 12 V battery when the car is shut down so when you go to get into the car if the battery is dead, they will fix it for $425 however, this problem was a recall in 2013 and my car did have a recall done to it. However, the issue is still going on therefore I feel as though the customer should not be charged. My car broke down going up the canyon and it told me to pull over safely, which I did going up the hill, but it was on an exit and it was a dangerous situation as I could not even turn on my flashers. This has been a known issue with the Ford C max since 2013 and since their software program then did not correct the problem and now they want to update the software why should the cost come from the Consumer?
Several times over the past 3 years, the 12 volt battery has been deeply drained while the car has been off/unused for ~3 days. (The problem has been described on your website: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/SB-10093862-2532.pdf.) This is a safety issue because there is a reasonable expectation of serviceability of a car, for emergencies or for returning to a safe place. Just as one depends on the reasonable reliability of devices like fire extinguishers, elevators, heart monitors, etc., so does one expect cars to be reasonably reliable. There is no advance warning that the battery will be drained.
12 volt battery had been drained of all power and would not start. Bought new battery, same thing happened. Jump started several times. 3 batteries later, Ford said it was a cooling fan fuse. Radio and window worked sporadically.
My Stereo/Navigation console went out, just went black and stopped working. I bought it to my local garage and they said it was a costly repair and that there is a recall/service bulletin on it and that i should take it to a Ford Dealer. I did and they acknowledged the issue but said my VIN wasn't covered, but it was a known issue with C-Max of this year. So I didnt have the car services. A few months later, (2 weeks ago) my battery died and could not be jumped, so I had it towed to my Ford Dealer. He informed me that the potential cause of the battery damage was a short in the Console/Radio/Nav/Screen system. I agreed to go forward with the costly repair... They have so far not been able to resolve the issues. This morning I called Ford and explained the issue. They said since there is not a Recall associated with my VIN, there was nothing they could do. …
Summary of Safety Issue The vehicle repeatedly experiences sudden loss of propulsion while driving, accompanied by a "Stop Safely Now" warning message and various other dashboard warnings . During these events the accelerator pedal becomes completely unresponsive while the vehicle remains powered, indicating a failure of the hybrid propulsion system or high-voltage battery control system. The vehicle and video footage of the failure are available for inspection upon request. Timeline of Events January 13, 2026 - The vehicle displayed a "Stop Safely Now" warning message and lost the ability to accelerate. The vehicle had to be towed to Lehighton Ford. January 21, 2026 - Paid $866.85 for repairs including battery service, Rear Control Module replacement, and PCM harness repair. Lehighton Ford stated the vehicle was repaired and safe to drive. …
Purchased 2013 cmax used from a car dealer with 39,000 miles on it in 2018. Been driving it for 1.5 years- now has 58,000 miles.. Suddenly warning red triangle appeared with audio alert to stop the car immediately. I was driving on I-95 in the middle lane at 60 MPH. Could feel the car had lost power, able to get to breakdown lane and had the car towed-to dealership. They found "nothing wrong." car returned to me- second incident 3 days later, while turning into shopping center, again, felt the car lose power, red triangle/warning. Stalled in lot- it was a Sunday. Turned the car off- when I turned it back on engine warning light was on .I called the Ford dealership, and spoke to a sales person who told me it was safe to attempt to drive the car- able to drive it home ( slowly)- then to dealers the next day- warning light still on. …
Electrical complaints in other C-Max years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2013 Ford C-Max?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the electrical system of the 2013 Ford C-Max, 27% of the model year's 187 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford C-Max electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2013 Ford C-Max, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Ford C-Max electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.