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 40 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
1crashes1fires1injuries
POWER TRAIN
4
1crashes
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
2
ENGINE
2
1crashes1injuries
VISIBILITY/WIPER
2
WHEELS
2
AIR BAGS
1
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
1
Total complaints40
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 owns a 2016 ford c-max. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment, prompting her to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who…”
“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…”
“Was driving it to a shop to do a transmission fluid exchange and got a big stop safely now warning on the dash with an advancetrac warning as well. Car stopped dead on a freeway off ramp - was very fortunate to get an immediate socal freeway service tow off the ramp in los angeles to a safe place,…”
“I have a 2016 ford c-max. On saturday, 9-16-2023 my wife and I were traveling on highway 69 in prescott az. We turned off the highway and about 50 yards from hwy 69 a stop safely now flashed on the instrument pannel. The car immediately braked hard and stopped. I had no time to pull over. Had it…”
“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.”
“In the course of routine maintenance, it has been brought to my attention that stock ford lug nuts have "swelled" and can not be removed using normal methods, making on the road tire replacement impossible. Ford states this is a known issue with defective ford lug nuts.”
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 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.