The 2016 Ford C-Max has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 4,374,640 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 25 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the unknown or other. Last updated July 20, 2026.
Recall campaigns
BACK OVER PREVENTION25V6950002025-10-131,448,655 affected
Defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is…
Consequence
A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be…
POWER TRAIN22V4130002022-06-102,925,968 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…
STRUCTURE17V0520002017-01-2417 affected
Defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 Focus and C-Max vehicles. The floor pan may have improperly welded left-hand apron joints.
Consequence
Improperly welded apron joints may reduce the front-end structural integrity of the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the apron joints, repairing the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S03.
Complaints by component
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
1crashes1fires1injuries
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
POWER TRAIN
2
SERVICE BRAKES
2
VISIBILITY/WIPER
2
AIR BAGS
1
BACK OVER PREVENTION
1
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
1
ENGINE
1
1crashes1injuries
Total complaints25
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“See attached document for complaint. Re: nhtsa safety recall 25v695 to whom it may concern, in august 2025 we took our 2016 cmax into the ford dealer we purchased it from to have the check out the back-up camera that was not working and have a service done. They charges us $225.00 to check it out…”
“The contact owned a 2016 ford c-max. The contact stated that while coming to a stop in a parking lot attempting to obtain mail from a mailbox; the vehicle independently accelerated and it was unknown what gear the vehicle was stationed in. In addition, it was unknown if the brake pedal was…”
“The contact owns a 2016 ford c-max hybrid. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v695000 (back over prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rear-view camera displayed a black screen while the vehicle was in…”
“The backup camera doesn't regularly function, ranging from 15% to 75% of the time. A tire man with prior experience in a ford dealership recommended checking for an electronics update to the system. There may be a worsening functionality when the weather is wet, but that's not a clear correlation.”
“The backup camera doesn't regularly function, ranging from 15% to 75% of the time. A tire man with prior experience in a ford dealership recommended checking for an electronics update to the system. There may be a worsening functionality when the weather is wet, but that's not a clear correlation.”
“Both this 2016 and my 2013 ford c-max hybrid have the backup cameras failing. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they have a black or blue screen than pops up and it says camera unavailable. I know there is a recent recall for other fords with backup camera issues, but the c-max sells much lower…”
“We drove from cincinnati, oh to wray, co for christmas. We drove 15 hrs straight back home ( gas and potty breaks). I drove the last 9 hrs. I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. So the heated seats are wonderful - usually. Yes, I used the heated seats almost all the way. I’m always hurting so…”
“I was driving slowly leaving a supermarket parking lot. There was no one else around. There was a sudden loud bang, the car lurched upward and to the right, coming to rest over a curb hanging down a ditch. The front end started to smoke and then caught fire. The car was a total loss. There had…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2016 Ford C-Max as of
July 20, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.