KnownCarProblems2014 Ford C-Max Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 80 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Ford C-Max, most often about the electrical (25% of complaints, typically around 64,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about C-Max model year since 2000 and has 8 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2014 Ford C-Max problems
Electrical
20 complaints · 25%Half of these problems showed up before 64,000 miles. Parts named most often: propulsion system, horn.
Wrench light came on meaning contact dealer asap about powertrain issue. I had noticed a few days earlier it seemed to not be switching between electric and engine as well or smoothly when driving. When stationary, the display screen for radio would not come on when getting into the car. Instead it gives message…
On november 26, 2019, pressed the "start engine" button. Dashboard flashed with check-engine, service wrench, and "stop safely now" indicators; car energized but would not engage in drive mode. Attempted to turn the car off but it would not. Fan motor began blowing although never selected. After several minutes, was…
Other or unspecified
19 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles.
The 2 back passenger doors do not function properly. They become stuck when closed and cannot be opened in a normal manner. The doors require great force to be opened because the inside door panel comes loose and causes the doors to not operate properly. The doors cannot be opened from the inside of the car and must…
After over a year of asking they keep saying they can't get the parts from Ford at the same time they admit they have received parts but they are not currently available and when I ask to be informed or put on a list they tell me they don't do that. They say I just have to take my chances when I have service or to…
Transmission
18 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 84,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that the transmission started making a grinding and thumping noise. The contact initially took the vehicle to hoffman Ford lincoln (600 connecticut blvd, east hartford, ct 06108, ([phone]), but they stated that they could not examine the vehicle for a month. The…
Transmission makes a loud whining sound when warming up and in gas mode. It is diagnosed by technician as possibly the transmission bearings, but will not know until they dis assemble. Quoted $7500 for a replacement transmission. The car only has 84,000 miles. Ford will not work with me on the price.
Steering
14 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles.
Excessive torque is too easily applied to the wheels when taking off from a stop causing unexpected traction loss and tire spin even under light acceleration, especially when turning. When driving at speed while passing or otherwise using close to or full power (in a straight line), the car will suddenly pull to one…
The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max. After starting the vehicle, the steering wheel seized and failed to turn. After waiting approximately 30 minutes, the steering wheel operated as normal. In addition, the service power steering now warning light illuminated. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was…
Doors and locks
9 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles. Parts named most often: doors.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max hybrid. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the hatchback door opened independently. The warning light indicating that the hatchback was opened was illuminated. The contact stated that after retrieving the vehicle from the dealer after NHTSA campaign number: 20v331000…
The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max hybrid. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention camera was inoperable. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera displayed images upside down. The contact stated that the passengerâs side rear door latch was inoperable and failed to lock as…
Engine
5 complaints · 6%1st incident the vehicle completely died while I was doing 50mph down a 5 lane road. All electrical went out while I was driving. Lost my power steering and braking was extremely difficult. Had to have the vehicle towed as it would not re-start. 2nd time about two weeks after getting the car "fixed" the vehicle died…
The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-Max. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, an abnormal noise was heard coming from the engine. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was not able to be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that she…
Air bags
4 complaints · 5%Air bag warning light stays on continuously - defect/malfunction per owner's manual. Other years of the same model has been id and recall is affect for the same airbag warning light problem and possible failure or deployment of the airbag upon impact. The dealer is reluctant to check it until I provided a recall #…
I was in a major accident (while driving on the highway, hit in the rear and pushed off the highway into a guard rail) my car was totaled and my airbags never deployed. It looks like my vehicle's make model and year were supposed to be part of a recall involving the airbag but we were never contacted and the dealer…
Fuel system
3 complaints · 4%The average miles per gallon of fuel is incorrect because the fuel usage is incorrect. This vehicle has a display that indicates the amount of fuel used. I reset with every fill-up. It is consistently wrong. Usually low by .5 to .7 gallons. This produces a false average miles per gallon reading.
Unintended acceleration. I was coasting to a stop for a red light and the car started to accelerate on its own. Jamming on the brakes stopped the car. One of time I was trying to back out of a parking spot and then I put the car in reverse and pressed the accelerator nothing would happened, so I put the car back it…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2014 Ford C-Max recalls
Transmission: shift linkage/cable/rod
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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 mailed october 27, 2022. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22s43.
Full defect summary
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.
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: 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 latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on july 27, 2020. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20s30.
Full defect summary
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, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Equipment: electrical
Risk: An overheated cord can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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, fm58-10b706-ae and fm58-10b706-af were manufactured without thermistors, and during vehicle charging, increased resistance in the house's outlet or wiring can cause the cord to overheat and melt.
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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 passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Seat belts
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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 manufactured april 25, 2012, to september 30, 2013. The coating on portions of the restraint control module (rcm) may crack, and when exposed to humidity, circuits on the printed circuit board may short.
Steering
Risk: The incorrectly manufactured steering gears may cause impaired steering, including the loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gears, free of charge. The recall began on november 11, 2014. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14s18.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 focus and c-max vehicles manufactured august 8, 2014, to august 15, 2014. The affected vehicles may have steering gears that were incorrectly assembled.
Air bags: side/window
Risk: If the side-curtain rollover air bag is delayed in deploying in certain rollover circumstances, the risk of injury to the passengers is increased.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Seats: recliner
Risk: The back of the subject seats may become loose or lean while driving and potentially increase the risk of injury in certain crashes.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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, through may 28, 2013. The driver and passenger seatback assemblies may have been produced with sub-standard weld joints used to attach the seat back recliner mechanism to the seat frame. The affected seat backs may have insufficient strength to meet the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 207, "seating systems."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Door latch failures
Summary
In december 2019, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation based on 235 vehicle owner questionnaires (voqs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (my) 2012-2014 ford fiesta, and 2013-2014 fusion and lincoln mkz. Some voqs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall which involved fracture of the latch pawl spring tab due to thermally induced cyclic fatigue. Other voqs alleged a similar failure in vehicles not previously recalled. A latch with a fractured pawl spring tab typically results in a ?door will not close? Condition, however in certain somewhat rare circu
Door latch failure
Summary
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 over 200 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion.one consumer alleged an injury that occurred while driving when a door inadvertently opened and then closed on a child's arm.another alleged that a door that inadvertently opened struck a parked vehicle.in response to odi's information request, ford motor company (ford) provided 500 unique repo
Questions about the 2014 Ford C-Max
- What are the most common problems with the 2014 Ford C-Max?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (20 complaints, typically around 64,000 miles); other or unspecified (19 complaints, typically around 40,000 miles); transmission (18 complaints, typically around 84,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2014 Ford C-Max have?
- 8 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 10, 2022 (transmission). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2014 a bad year for the Ford C-Max?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about C-Max model year since 2000, with 80 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.