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Ford · NHTSA safety record

2017 Ford C-MAX

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

15

Complaints

1

Crashes

2

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2017 Ford C-MAX have filed 15 safety complaints with NHTSA between November 2017 and January 2026. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 3 of them (20%). The typical failure was reported at 38,448 miles, the median across the 8 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

22V413000 · June 10, 2022

The 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.
The 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.
The 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 mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

Ford Motor Company · up to 2,925,968 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 15.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 27%
POWER TRAIN 3 20%
STEERING 3 20%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 20%
WHEELS 2 13%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 7%
ENGINE 1 7%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 7%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 5.

2017 2024 2026
2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year

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

fire

Government vehicle was parked and unoccupied when caught fire. Damaged another government vehicle parked next to it. Both total losses. State Fire Marshal was at the scene stated that it appeared the fire started around the engine compartment.

NHTSA complaint 11420399. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

On 1/16/2026, while operating my 2017 Ford C-Max Hybrid in the Bay Area, the vehicle displayed a low tire pressure warning. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle experienced a rapid mechanical or electrical failure that required me to safely pull over and exit the vehicle. Upon exiting, I observed smoke followed by open flames originating from the vehicle. Emergency services were contacted immediately, and the fire department responded and extinguished the fire. The vehicle sustained catastrophic damage and was declared a total loss. The vehicle was towed to a storage facility following the incident. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle had not undergone any recent mechanical repairs or

NHTSA complaint 11712723, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash · 10,500 miles

THE PARK ASSIST FAILED WHEN THE AUTOMATED SYSTEM WAS PARKING MY VEHICLE IN A PARALLEL PARKING SPACE. THE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM APPEARED TO BE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY UNTIL DURING THE VEHICLE'S IT'S INITIAL BACKUP MANEUVER WHEN IT BACKED MY VEHICLE INTO A PARKED PICKUP TRUCK IN THE ADJACENT PARKING STALL WITHOUT WARNING. FORTUNATELY DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO PAINT DAMAGE ON MY VEHICLE'S BUMPER WITH DO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE IN THE ADJACENT PARKING STALL. THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP HERE IN BRANDON FLORIDA HAS TESTED THE SYSTEM AND REPORTED THAT THE SYSTEM IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY,THUS DENYING ANY RESPONSIBILITY. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY ON 11/09/2017 (CAS-13504308) AND AWAITING A

NHTSA complaint 11051973, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

43,896 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel detached from the steering column. The contact stated that the steering wheel had loosened. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a detached steering wheel bolt. The contact was informed that the steering wheel bolt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 43,896.

NHTSA complaint 11680455. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

70,000 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Ford C-MAX Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift as intended and made an abnormal humming sound while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated while while driving at various speeds, and while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormal humming sound. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact

NHTSA complaint 11604691, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Swollen lugnuts

NHTSA complaint 11592716. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Car accelerated by itself in Drive. I'd to either apply brake or put the car in Neutral to stop it. When shifted back to D, it auto accelerated. After I got home, shut it off and after 10 min. it started working normally.

NHTSA complaint 11585231. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
Rear back-up camera does not display on dashboard console screen when air temperature is cold, i.e. below about 45º, and will only turn back on when the car has sufficiently warmed up after driving some distance. This has been happening for at least two years. When the camera is not working, there is a blind spot directly behind the car. The rear of the car proximity warning signal still works, but the screen remains black. I brought this problem to the attention of the dealership service manager, who told me he could not find anything obviously wrong.

NHTSA complaint 11568220. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Ford C-MAX

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2018 10 1 —
2016 21 3 —
2015 50 6 —
2014 80 8 —
2013 187 8 —

Other 2017 Ford models

Escape 2,658 Explorer 1,675 F-150 1,407 Edge 1,309 F-250 SD 1,155 Fusion 1,102 Focus 891 F-350 SD 572

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst