The 2018 Ford C-Max has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 2,925,968 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
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…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
2
2crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
STEERING
2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
POWER TRAIN
1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
1
SUSPENSION
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
VISIBILITY/WIPER
1
Total complaints12
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I recently rear ended a car and the front of the vechical was damaged. The air bag censor was destroyed, however the airbags did not come out. This was on a 2018 ford c-max. Many people pointed out this malfunction and how my life was put at risk.”
“I totalled my car. The steering wheel airbag failed to inflate”
“The contact owns a 2018 ford c-max hybrid. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop at a red light, the vehicle inadvertently stalled and lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality; however, the failure had since become a…”
“Steering locks to the point that it can't turn. Happened while driving. Unknown cause. Warning light came on for driver to park. Issue unresolved and can no longer drive car.”
“Steering locks to the point that it can't turn. Happened while driving. Unknown cause. Warning light came on for driver to park. Issue unresolved and can no longer drive car.”
“Recently, there has been a whiff of gasoline around my garage but there is more than one vehicle in there so I didn't figure out what the culprit was for a while. After completely filling up my car 9/3/2022, I parked it in the attached garage and in minutes my whole house smelled like gasoline. So…”
“The contact owns a 2018 ford c-max. The contact stated that the seat belt failed. The contact stated that while the driver’s side rear seat belt was fastened to the car seat, the seat belt tightened up independently on her grandchild’s chest. The contact’s grandchild was unable to breathe…”
“Electrical gremlins since the first day. Touchscreen went on and off, phone didn't charge, door handles don't work, garage door opener forgot settings, presets on dash would blink out of memory. Ultimately the car didn't even start. But for all of these problems, sometimes they would work,…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2018 Ford C-Max as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.