2013 Ford C-Max electrical system problems
51 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 2013 Ford C-Max — 27% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Summary of Safety Issue The vehicle repeatedly experiences sudden loss of propulsion while driving, accompanied by a “Stop Safely Now” warning message and various other dashboard warnings . During these events the accelerator pedal becomes completely unresponsive while the vehicle remains powered…”
filed Apr 7, 2026
“I took it to the Ford dealership and they diagnosed it as having a parasitic draw from the 12 V battery when the car is shut down so when you go to get into the car if the battery is dead, they will fix it for $425 however, this problem was a recall in 2013 and my car did have a recall done to it…”
filed Feb 28, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026Some 2013-2023 Ford or Lincoln vehicles with modems activated through FordPass or LincolnWay may experience 12 volt battery drain symptoms when the customer uses non-Ford/Lincoln phone applications as an alternate…
SSM 50804 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 24, 2022
Electrical System problems in other C-Max years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 C-Max | 2 | 10% |
| 2015 C-Max | 9 | 19% |
| 2014 C-Max | 20 | 25% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2013 Ford C-Max
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.