2013 Ford C-MAX Energi

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2013 vehicle, but with only 65 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (19 complaints), typically at 5.5 yr or about 47,900 miles.

Complaints: 65
Median age at failure: 4.8 yr
Median mileage: 43,000 n=52
Crash / fire / tow: 15.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

13V475000 2013-10-17

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. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Without an audible door chime, a vehicle owner may open the door and exit the vehicle without being reminded that the vehicle is still operational, leaving the vehicle susceptible to theft.

In owners’ own words

Electrical system 25,100 mi 1.8 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD C-MAX PREMIUM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER REPAIRS FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 14V237000 (AIR BAGS) WERE PERFORMED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS DAMAGED CAUSING THE PHONE SYSTEM TO ONLY ALLOW INCOMING CALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,100 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 28,500.

Electrical system 28,400 mi 3.7 yr in service

MY CAR FAILED TO START FOR 2 CONSECUTIVE DAYS AFTER NON-OPERATION OVERNIGHT AND WHEN I TOOK THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THEY NEED TO PERFORM A TSB 15-0089, SINCE MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY LESS THAN 2 MONTHS, FORD SAID I NEED TO PAY $1500 TO FIX THIS ISSUE. BASED ON RESEARCH THIS ISSUES SEEMS TO AFFECT MULTIPLE VEHICLES IN THIS CATEGORY AND FORD IS NOT OWNING UP TO FIXING THIS ISSUE THAT IS AFFECTING THESE CARS.

Electrical system 93,000 mi 3.6 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD C-MAX ENERGI. WHEN CHARGING THE VEHICLE, THE OUTLET LOCATED IN THE WALL MELTED AND THE SIDE OF THE CORD USED TO CHARGE THE VEHICLE, WHICH PLUGGED INTO THE WALL, ALSO MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE CHARGED. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

Other C-MAX Energi model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2013 Ford C-MAX Energi

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other C-MAX Energi model years

How to read this