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Old 06-04-2018, 10:28 AM   #1
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Anyone Tow a C-Max?

I did a search but didn't find anything so I started this thread.

Does anyone tow a C-Max behind their RV? If so, what have you done and/or encountered?

I've heard that one needs to add a power line to keep from draining the C-Max battery down while towing. Any input on that?

Also, I understand that the car racks up mileage while towing. Does the car need to have a fuse pulled to prevent that? I could install a fuse cutout switch to do that (I had to do that on our Captiva to tow it).

Thanks for any input on this.
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:42 AM   #2
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We towed a 2018 CMax for 9 months. We did add a charge line. Ours did not rack up mileage.

Ultimately I ended up getting rid of it because the brakes on it didn't work consistently. We tried with brake booster fuse in and out. With it in, we'd get snazzy over-braking and with it out we'd have basically no TOAD braking. We had the ignition key version where you'd have to leave the key in while you towed.
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:46 AM   #3
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Thanks for the reply Islblues. That is the kind of feedback I'm looking for. The braking is definitely something to consider. What kind of brake controller did you have in it? We have an InvisiBrake in our Captiva.

Also, what kind of car do you have now?
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Old 06-04-2018, 11:14 AM   #4
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We towed a C-max for a couple years behind our Phaeton.

We also needed to install a charge line and we did not accumulate any mileage when towing.A couple times we got some shaking when we encountered a sharp turn.

We did need to use a 6 in. drop hitch and when we entered or exited some areas we drug the hitch.

The gas mileage was good and we enjoyed the car. When we traded for our Beaver we decided to get a new toad and we traded the C-max for a Ford Edge which we also have liked very well.

We are now considering a Ford Flex because we need more seating for the family.
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Old 06-04-2018, 11:24 AM   #5
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We used a ReadyBrute. Its not the braking system that is the problem, its the inconsistent braking force depending on whether the electric brake booster is operating or not. I read threads with people using other braking systems having problems too. ReadyBrake has this on their website. But when I pulled that fuse, I basically had zero braking from the car.

"We discovered that when using our supplemental brake (the Ready Brake) with the Ford C-Max hybrid Energi, you have to pull fuse #9 to disconnect the vacuum pump. If you don't pull the fuse, when the Ready Brake pulls on the brake pedal the car hops up and down.

In testing, this fixes this car's problem and makes it towable with the Ready Brake."


We tow a Ford Edge V6 AWD now.
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Old 06-04-2018, 12:45 PM   #6
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Thanks for the great information. It looks like we'll change our plan, then. We hadn't considered the Edge before but they look like a good choice. Only a few pounds over the Equinox.
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Old 06-04-2018, 03:00 PM   #7
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i have been towing my 2014 c-max energi for more than a year. yesterday i answered another thread at #12 of here.

yes i had a charge line.

when towing, initially i had to remove fuse #9 to prevent the brake lockup. later i made a relay that resolved the problem and never need to touch anything.

i am using an rvibrake 2 and no issues.

if i were to get a toad today, i would still get a c-max in a heartbeat.
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Old 06-04-2018, 04:42 PM   #8
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additional info - removing #9 fuse is required for energi only. for hybrid there is no such an issue.
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Old 06-04-2018, 06:59 PM   #9
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Thanks for the additional information, CountryFit. So the brakes work fine with the Energi if the #9 fuse is pulled or a relay installed to cut it out. The brakes work fine with the charging system disabled?

I was thinking of a Hybrid instead of the Energi because of the type of driving I'd be doing when not on a trip.

Evidently some are having issues with the C-Max and not others. Could that be due to the different model years?

I'm still trying to understand these things. We currently have a 2012 Captive but we had to get a new transmission a year or so back. Did it burn up from towing? I have no idea and neither did the dealer. We followed the book on towing so it shouldn't have been due to the towing unless there's a flaw in the system. At least the new tranny has a good warranty on it.
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Old 06-04-2018, 09:31 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rgand View Post
Thanks for the additional information, CountryFit. So the brakes work fine with the Energi if the #9 fuse is pulled or a relay installed to cut it out. The brakes work fine with the charging system disabled?

I was thinking of a Hybrid instead of the Energi because of the type of driving I'd be doing when not on a trip.

Evidently some are having issues with the C-Max and not others. Could that be due to the different model years?
charge line is a good practice for any toad, not just for c-max. when i had honda fit back then i installed the charge line. my batteries have never run down for days of towing.

you are correct. once #9 fuse is pulled, brake will work fine. i personally have never had that issue but i read from forums some experienced that. not everyone though, and nobody knows which model year has/ve that issue.

if you go with a hybrid, you even don't need to worry about it.
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Old 06-04-2018, 09:44 PM   #11
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2016 C-max Energi here. Blue Ox bar, mount and Pariot I brake unit. No problem so far with braking. Set gain at 3 or 4. Use jump pack to power patriot unit. Plan on adding charge line.
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Old 06-04-2018, 11:43 PM   #12
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Thanks for the replies. So it looks like the hybrid model is the way to go. That's fine since it's the one we would get anyway.
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Old 06-05-2018, 06:55 AM   #13
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We tow a 2013 C-max Hybrid. I've found that if I tow for about 8 hrs. or so the battery is basically dead. If I towed like 4 or 5 hrs. it still had enough juice to run the car. If you drove it around after that the battery would charge normally and you could tow again the next day without a problem. We did add a charging line and have no problems. We also aren't using any additional tow vehicle brakes, and haven't had any problems doing so. I'm looking at adding brakes as we are heading to Alaska next summer and will be in more mountains than we normally encounter. And no, you don't rack up miles on the odometer when towing. One of the reasons we went with the C-max was we liked the hatchback. Plenty of room with the rear seats down to haul stuff. The other reason was so many of the other vehicles we looked at had to many restrictions or things you had to do prior to towing. You could only tow so many hours then stop, run the car, shift it thru the gears, don't go over 60 mph, start the car, let it warm up for five minutes, shift it thru the gears, remove fuse 16, 79 and 22 etc. I put the C-max in neutral and go. It's compact, light weight, comfortable, gets good gas mileage and tows really easy. I have a 38 ft. DP and don't even know it's back there. We have about 80,000 miles on it right now and are actually starting to consider getting another car to use as a daily driver so I can keep the C-max for use as a toad. One other thing to keep in mind is, if I'm not mistaken, Ford will no longer be producing and selling the C-max in the U.S. after mid summer this year, just the European market. That's to bad, it's a great little car but just not enough panache for some I suppose.
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Old 06-05-2018, 07:05 AM   #14
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Thanks for the reply, Dave.

It looks like the hybrid is definitely the one to look at. Also a charging line is certainly in order.
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