How many recalls does the 2013 Ford C-Max have?

The 2013 Ford C-Max has 7 NHTSA safety recall campaigns on record.

How do I check if my 2013 Ford C-Max has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's official recall lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to see open, unrepaired recalls for your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are free.

What do owners complain about most on the 2013 Ford C-Max?

Of 231 NHTSA complaints on file, the most-reported component is electrical system.

2013 Ford C-Max Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2013 Ford C-Max has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 8,553,547 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 231 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

POWER TRAIN 22V413000 2022-06-10 2,925,968 affected

Defect

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.

Consequence

A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were…

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 20V331000 2020-06-08 2,147,323 affected

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210,…

Consequence

A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the…

EQUIPMENT 18V592000 2018-09-10 49,197 affected

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 120V Convenience charge cords that were supplied with and sold for use with 2013-2015 Ford C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi vehicles and 2012-2015 Ford Focus Electric vehicles. Cords with part numbers FM58-10B706-AA, FM58-10B706-AB, FM58-10B706-AC, FM58-10B706-AD,…

Consequence

An overheated cord can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current cord with a new 120V convenience cord with a thermistor, free of charge. The recall began January 18, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S24.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 16V643000 2016-09-06 2,046,297 affected

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a…

Consequence

A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.

SEAT BELTS 14V597000 2014-09-26 746,842 affected

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to November 1, 2013; and Lincoln MKZ vehicles…

Consequence

The short circuits could cause the frontal air bags, side curtain air bags and the seat belt pretensioners to not function as intended when needed, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21.

AIR BAGS 14V237000 2014-05-07 594,785 affected

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 C-MAX, and Escape vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the restraint control module (RCM) may have errors in the programming software which may result in a delayed deployment of the side-curtain rollover air bag.

Consequence

If the side-curtain rollover air bag is delayed in deploying in certain rollover circumstances, the risk of injury to the passengers is increased.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the RCM, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S04.

SEATS 14V164000 2014-04-02 43,135 affected

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured August 15, 2012, through September 10, 2013, 2013-2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured June 5, 2012, through August 12, 2013, and 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured from July 23, 2012,…

Consequence

The back of the subject seats may become loose or lean while driving and potentially increase the risk of injury in certain crashes.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seatback, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C03.

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STEERING

POWER TRAIN

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ENGINE

STRUCTURE:BODY

SERVICE BRAKES

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

AIR BAGS

Total complaints231

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“The rear impact bar is completely disintegrated and is falling off of the subframe due to extreme rust. There is either no or very little amount of rust on the entirety of the rest of the vehicle. The impact bar is either manufactured with incorrect materials or is otherwise defective. The impact…”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2026-03-30

“The rear impact bar is completely disintegrated and is falling off of the subframe due to extreme rust. There is either no or very little amount of rust on the entirety of the rest of the vehicle. The impact bar is either manufactured with incorrect materials or is otherwise defective. The impact…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2026-03-30

“Summary of safety issue the vehicle repeatedly experiences sudden loss of propulsion while driving, accompanied by a â€œstop safely nowâ€� warning message and various other dashboard warnings . During these events the accelerator pedal becomes completely unresponsive while the vehicle remains…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-03-06

“Summary of safety issue the vehicle repeatedly experiences sudden loss of propulsion while driving, accompanied by a â€œstop safely nowâ€� warning message and various other dashboard warnings . During these events the accelerator pedal becomes completely unresponsive while the vehicle remains…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2026-03-06

“Summary of safety issue the vehicle repeatedly experiences sudden loss of propulsion while driving, accompanied by a â€œstop safely nowâ€� warning message and various other dashboard warnings . During these events the accelerator pedal becomes completely unresponsive while the vehicle remains…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-03-06

“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.…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2026-02-25

“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.…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-02-25

“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.…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-02-25

Defect investigations

Investigation PE16001 Opened 2016-01-16 · closed 2016-10-29

Door Latch Failure

In January, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on consumers' allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2012-2013 Ford Focus vehicles (subject vehicles).ODI has received 464 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with…

Investigation PE16001 Opened 2016-01-16 · closed 2016-10-29