CSR

Ford · NHTSA safety record

2017 Ford C-MAX Energi

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

10

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2017 Ford C-MAX Energi have filed 10 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2017 and July 2025. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 2 of them (20%). The typical failure was reported at 12,948 miles, the median across the 4 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 10.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 20%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 20%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 20%
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 10%
STEERING 1 10%
STRUCTURE 1 10%
TIRES 1 10%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 10%
WHEELS 1 10%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 2.

2017 2021 2025
2017 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash · towed · 14,000 miles

THE CAR WAS IN REVERSE. MY INTENTION WAS CLEARLY TO BACK OUT OF A PARKING STALL. HOWEVER I HIT THE BRAKE, PUT THE CAR IN PARK, ATTEMPTED TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE BUT THE CAR KEPT GOING BACK, AT AN ACCELERATED RATE. IT WAS AS IF IT WAS GOING FULL SPEED, IN REVERSE. I COULDN'T STOP IT IN TIME BEFORE HITTING A SIDEWALK AND STAIR CASE BEHIND ME; AS WELL AS SIDE SWIPING A PARKED CAR IN THE STALL TO THE LEFT OF ME. MY DRIVER DOOR WAS DESTROYED BECAUSE IT WAS OPENED. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*DT

NHTSA complaint 11402854. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 77,250 miles

The contact owned a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi. The contact stated while starting the vehicle in the parking lot of her residence, there was a strong burning odor and several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel and the brakes were inoperable, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery system had burned and needed to be replaced; however, the dealer informed the contact that there was no guarantee that the vehicle would become operable after the repair. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an unknown Federal mandate for an Extended Warranty that stated that the Ford

NHTSA complaint 11515556, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
At night I noticed the indicator light came on for tire pressure drove to the next gas station to check it was flat tire I looked every where for the spare tire no luck.called dealer told me where to look. Then he checked something and said it came with a air pump under the passenger seat. I read the symbol of Instructions very confused and limited no use of car for days with ordering tire waiting for delivery and so on....

NHTSA complaint 11676305. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Steering wheel became loose. Within a week I took it into a Ford dealer who confirmed this was a serious safety concern. They worked on the problem a day later. Steering wheel bolt was damaged and would not retain torque. The steering wheel bolt was replaced by dealer.

NHTSA complaint 11604390. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS
Lug nuts are deforming. Costco techs require 3 sockets to obtain proper torque. Two piece construction is problematic.

NHTSA complaint 11547291. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The vehicle accelerate on its own accord, despite no foot or pressure to the accelerator, even going uphill and including after braking. For example, ona flat road, I stepped on the brakes and began to decelerate, I released the brake and the vehicle immediately began to accelerate forward at a high speed. I had to slam the brakes to prevent further movement. This is one of many instances, the most common of which is acceleration upwards of 10-15mph after the accelerator is released. It appears as if the accelerator remains pressed forward, I can feel the accelerator move back into place significantly later than when I remove my foot. I fear for my life and safety, and that of others. The

NHTSA complaint 11498618, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I own a 2017 Ford C-Max and share it with my husband. It is our only car so the past few weeks have been tough. Since I received my recall (22S43) in the mail, my car has been struggling to start. I believe this is due to the recall as the car is not in the correct gear to start the engine (even though I’ve been putting it in park & engaging the emergency parking brake). Yesterday, on our way home from the grocery store, our car gave us the “stop safely now” display; luckily we were close to home but it was still pretty scary. The engine had shut off. Also, I missed a doctors appointment last week because my car wouldn’t start. I almost missed my appointment for the RMV as well. Not only

NHTSA complaint 11475652, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Ford C-MAX Energi

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2016 32 0
2015 15 0
2014 30 0
2013 50 1

Other 2017 Ford models

Every Ford on this site — 348 vehicles, 1210 recall campaigns and 10 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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Independent developer and analyst