MODELYEARINDEX

Which Ford C-MAX years to avoid

Across 5 scored model years, the 2013 and 2014 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Ford C-MAX Full report
F
Grade 2013–2017
2013 vs model median 2.5×
Model median3× median
Electrical 22
Body & Interior 9
Steering 8
Avoid

2013 · 2014

Best

2016 · 2017

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2013
2.52× 83 F
2014
1.52× 52 D
2015
1.00× 27 C
2016
0.91× 25 C
2017
0.38× 10 A

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2013 F 83 reports · median 22,927 mi

  1. Electrical 22

    Car will not start, nothing left on, car jumped with jumper, took place again yesterday 5/27/2014. Unable to jump start this time, ford road side assistance applied a jumper able to get electrical system up, but car… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 9

    The dashboard on the passenger side is misaligned, bent upward and out, not meeting the door panel/top of dash properly as does the drivers side. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Steering 8

    The contact owns a 2013 ford c-max energi. The contact stated that the power steering failed while traveling various speeds. The failure was recurring. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

6 crash · 4 fire · 6 injuries

2014 D 52 reports · median 25,000 mi

  1. Electrical 14

    After rain, the sensor warning on my car went off almost continuously. There were no warning signs on the dashboard, and I ran a vehicle diagnostic test that claimed everything to be fine. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 8

    The contact owns a 2014 ford c-max. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v643000 (latches/locks/linkages) however, the parts to do the repair was unavailable. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 7

    Unable to turn off car with keyless ignition. Computer seemed to think car was off and wouldn't let me turn it on because it thought it was plugged in (which it was not) and the engine was running and I couldn't turn it… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

2 crash · 3 fire · 2 injuries

The best year for the C-MAX

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2017 is the best-scoring C-MAX model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 88 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2017 0.38× 10 A
2016 0.91× 25 C
2015 1.00× 27 C

Recalls

12 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
22V413000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) 2013–2017 2,925,968
20V331000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 2013–2015 2,147,323
16V643000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 2013–2015 2,046,297
25V695000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2015, 2016 1,448,655
14V597000 AIR BAGS 2013, 2014 746,842
14V237000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE 2013, 2014 594,785
15V436000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION 2015 374,781
18V592000 EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL 2013–2015 49,197
14V164000 SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER 2013, 2014 43,135
13V475000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE 2013 23,000
14V514000 Park it STEERING 2014 508
17V052000 STRUCTURE:BODY 2016 17

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2013 were reported at a median of 22,927 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Ford C-MAX years should you avoid?
2013, 2014 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Ford C-MAX model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Ford C-MAX?
2017 is the best-scoring Ford C-MAX model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 88 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Ford C-MAX have?
12 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Ford C-MAX model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2013 C-MAX
Complaints in window
83
Severity-weighted
136
Model median (weighted)
54
vs model median
2.52×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
8
Open investigations
0
Score 22 F