Looking for advice for my daughter… Ford C Max Hybrid 2014 (75K miles) hybrid battery wont charge over 46%, 12 volt battery needs to be replaced, she still owes 12K. Ford won’t warranty. If we replace the 12 volt will the car still run? 12K is a lot for a single mom to throw out and 8K for a battery is out of her budget. Need help!
You need a good 12 Volt battery for the car to run.
So, have the 12 volt battery replaced, it is six years old, it is time. Then check with your dealer to see if there are any computer updates that are required.
That MIGHT solve the issues with the hybrid battery charging.
The hybrid battery might have individual cells that are bad and can be replaced as needed.
I’ll let the other responders take over now, that are more knowledgeable than I.
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If you replace the 12 V battery, can’t the car be driven indefinitely with the gasoline engine?
Ford won’t warranty what?
Thank you! I will have her replace the battery and look into the individual cell issues.
Appreciate the response!
Dani
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Ford won’t warranty the hybrid battery. Said it’s unusual for it to start failing so soon, but too many lies to warranty out with a replace by hybrid battery.
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Her high-voltage battery is covered for 8 years/100,000 miles. Is she over 100,000 miles?
If not, why does Ford deny coverage? Has she elevated it to Ford corporate?
First replace the 12 volt battery. If problems remain with the hybrid battery that make the car un-driveable, my guess is your best bet $$$-wise is to just replace the car. The only way to avoid hybrid battery issues is to choose non-hybrid vehicles. The Prius line seems to be the better choice from the posts we get here among the hybrids available. My guess is that replacing the 12 volt battery is all that’s needed at this point.
No, she’s under 100K. I’ll call and see what I can find out too
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Dealer would not do that.
It’s better to look for a local hybrids repair shop, which might offer the lesser expensive option of replacing individual elements.
In my area, local shops of that kind advertise on CraigsList for example.
Great point above that hybrid battery should still be under warranty.
Much appreciated!
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When you said too many lies to warrant, did you mean too many miles?
If that is the case, you are out of luck with the warranty.
There are places that rebuild hybrid battery packs by replacing dead cells, but don;t have it done through the dealer because they will just add a hefty markup to the price.
+1
While the technology might seem to be similar, both Ford and Honda hybrids have a very poor record of reliability when compared to Toyota’s hybrids. If I was going to buy a hybrid vehicle (I’m not…) I would only buy one made by Toyota.
I think your daughter is in a real pickle here. Looking at prices for models like she has shows you can purchase one anywhere from 8 to 12 thousand dollars. If she has to invest 8K on a new battery to fix it and still owes 12K on the car, that isn’t good financial sense at all. At least in my opinion. If it was me, I would trade the car in for another used car that doesn’t use expensive to maintain batteries. You can buy a lot of gas for 8 thousand dollars. She will most likely have to borrow more money to complete the new loan but won’t have deal with expensive batteries.