A Ford C-Max 1.6 TDCi manual with a clean injector record and light, steady steering is the lesser risk; steer clear of the 1.0 EcoBoost, whose clutch, wet belt and degas hose all carry serious known faults.
6 known faults, 6 rated high severity in our database; owners report 43.0 mpg, 82% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Ford C-Max advert (free) →A Mk3 C-Max with the 1.6 TDCi diesel and a manual gearbox is the lesser risk, because the 1.0 EcoBoost, 1.6 EcoBoost and 2.0 TDCi each have serious known faults against them. The 1.6 TDCi isn't trouble-free: several owners have had injectors fail and the car drop into limp mode, some more than once. Buy one that idles smoothly, shows no engine warning and comes with paperwork for any injector work.
Whatever the engine, a 2011 to 2014 car has a known power steering fault where the electric motor on the rack burns out between 60,000 and 95,000 miles, leaving you with suddenly heavy steering. Heavy steering at parking speeds or a steering assist warning rules a car out. Don't skip the check on a later car either, as one 2016 car's steering rack failed at 16,300 miles.
On the older C-MAX sold from 2003 to 2010, the one to avoid outright is the 1.6 TDCi with the CVT automatic: by 2010 its gearbox failures had become so common that it isn't worth the gamble. Top-spec cars from that era also saw a run of electric handbrake faults at a little over three years old, so check the handbrake applies and releases cleanly on any you look at.
The 1.6 TDCi is the lesser risk, but its injectors are the thing to check. Owners have reported injector failures on 2011 to 2015 cars, one at 31,000 miles and another at 38,300, showing up as limp mode, a lumpy idle or an engine fault message, and some cars went on to need a second injector. One owner paid £421 for a single injector, and another paid £1,000 when a second one went.
Avoid the 1.0 EcoBoost. On 2012 to 2015 manuals its clutch, dual mass flywheel and slave cylinder can fail anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 miles. Its wet cambelt, due at 100,000 miles or 72 months, can break down and clog the oil pickup between 60,000 and 80,000 miles, and on 2012 to 2017 cars the nylon coolant degas hose can snap between 40,000 and 70,000 miles and crack the head. Several C-Max owners' 1.0s have leaked coolant, blown a head gasket or seized.
The 1.6 EcoBoost petrol has a known fault on 2011 to 2014 cars where the cylinder head overheats in one spot and cracks, letting oil spray onto hot parts with a risk of fire. The recall inspects the engine, replaces damaged parts and adds a sensor that warns you when coolant runs low, so don't buy one without proof it's done. It runs a dry cambelt, due at 125,000 miles or 120 months.
The 2.0 TDCi has a known fault on 2014 and 2015 cars where the engine software doesn't spot an overheat, and in extreme cases the sump can crack and lose its oil; a recall updated that software. Its Powershift automatic has a run of owner reports of failed clutches, mechatronic units and control modules, so the safer pick is the 1.6 TDCi manual, and a Powershift without receipts for its three-yearly fluid and filter change isn't one to take on.
Turn the steering from lock to lock at a standstill and again at parking speed on any 2011 to 2014 car. If it's heavy or a steering assist warning appears, don't buy it. The assist can come back after the engine's restarted before failing for good, so ask to start the car from cold yourself rather than finding it warmed up and running when you arrive.
On a manual, especially a 1.0 EcoBoost, pull away up a hill and feel for slip or a burning smell, and try changing from third to second once it's warm to see if it baulks. A judder or knock from the clutch area is a warning sign, and so is a pedal that sticks down, drops to the floor or feels spongy, as owners have reported all three.
Listen for an uneven, lumpy idle on a 1.6 TDCi and watch for an engine warning or limp mode, since that's how failing injectors have shown up. Keep an eye on the temperature gauge on any 1.0 or 1.6 EcoBoost or a 2014 to 2015 2.0 TDCi, and look under the bonnet for coolant stains and oil leaks. On a Powershift, a transmission fault warning after a long motorway run is a bad sign. On a 1.0, an oil pressure warning or heavy brakes mean the belt.
Ask for proof of the recall work that applies: the cylinder head inspection and coolant warning on 2010 to 2014 1.6 EcoBoost cars, the software update against overheating on 2014 and 2015 2.0 TDCi cars, the clutch pressure plate recall on 2012 to 2018 1.0, 1.5 and 1.6 EcoBoost six-speed manuals, and the side and knee airbag check on 2016 cars. A Powershift needs receipts for a fluid and filter change every three years.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Yes, as a 1.6 TDCi manual whose steering feels light and steady. The High known faults sit on the 1.0 EcoBoost (clutch, wet belt and degas hose), the 1.6 EcoBoost (a cracking head on 2011 to 2014 cars) and the 2.0 TDCi (a missed overheat on 2014 and 2015 cars), plus a steering motor burning out between 60,000 and 95,000 miles on 2011 to 2014 cars. Owners have reported 1.0 EcoBoost clutches going at 3,900, 14,000 and 15,308 miles, and one 2013 car's second clutch failure wrecked the gearbox.
It earned five stars from Euro NCAP in 2010 and three stars under the 2017 tests, though it isn't as easy to climb in and out of as the older C-MAX. On early cars the springs behind the outer centre seat backs are very stiff, so if one's a little reclined when you release it, it'll fly forward with real force. Try them gently when you view one.
Owners of 2.0 TDCi Powershift autos have reported a string of failures: a 2012 car losing valve body pressure at 25,000 miles, a 2013 car whose control module went at 40,000 miles before the whole gearbox was condemned, and one owner who paid £2,000 for new clutches then £2,200 for a mechatronic unit on a car that apparently hadn't been serviced on schedule. Its twin clutches wear faster if it's left in D while stationary, so shift to N in queues.
Single-car reports worth knowing about include a 2015 Grand C-Max 1.6 TDCi that blew its head gasket at 49,000 miles, which Ford accepted was its own fault, a 2012 car whose front driveshaft seized into the wheel bearing at 37,000 miles, and a 2015 car's self-levelling xenon headlamp throwing a malfunction warning. The air-con condenser on cars built before the March 2014 facelift has been reported as open to stone damage, so check it blows cold.
Real-world economy on this generation: Ford C-MAX 45.1 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Ford C-Max advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 43.0 mpg across the Ford C-Max engines with data, about 82% of the official figure, from 2,012 submissions.
Ford C-Max Real MPG by engine →A Ford C-Max 1.6 TDCi manual with a clean injector record and light, steady steering is the lesser risk; steer clear of the 1.0 EcoBoost, whose clutch, wet belt and degas hose all carry serious known faults. Our database holds 6 known Ford C-Max faults, 6 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
Turn the steering from lock to lock at a standstill and again at parking speed on any 2011 to 2014 car. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Ford C-Max fault before you travel.
Owners report 43.0 mpg on average, about 82% of the official figure, from 2,012 submissions. Wet belt: 100,000 miles or 6 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Ford C-Max Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Ford C-Max buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 124 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Ford C-Max is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
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