This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
On a 50-degree morning I was driving to work and there was a heavy dew. I turned my rear defroster on and approximately 3 or 4 minutes later as I was at a stop I heard a loud explosion/pop. I examined my front windshield and started to think what could have happened and then when I looked in my rear-view mirror to see if someone had bumped me I noticed my back glass had exploded. Since I was at a full stop and I had no impact I got to wondering the cause of the problem. After getting to work I researched "rear defroster causes back glass to break". this is a known problem therefor I took my truck to our local Ford dealer and they determined a defect in the defroster caused the issue.
The rear defroster has not worked in a couple of years. I have read on the internet that there is a known problem with these from 2009-2014 and that it is not worth fixing because it will just break again. With a pushbutton rather than a toggle switch it is not clear if it is turned on or off. Driving one rainy day, it sounded like it was dripping rain inside the truck at the back window, but I could not see any water coming in. I then noticed the light was on for the rear defrost. I recalled what I had read about these defrosters shorting out and causing the window to shatter. I realized that was the sound of electrical arcing rather than water. I quickly pushed the button to the off position and within one second, boom, the window was shattered. With the large volume of comments and articles on the internet, why is Ford not recalling this? this is a very expensive window to get replaced and as many others do, I do not have it plugged in to avoid another shattered window. Also, the mirror defrosters will not work without the entire circuit being completed. I have other past experience with Ford not backing their product.
This morning I turned on my rear window defroster while in the driveway. Approximately 10 minutes later while driving in morning traffic, I heard a loud pop like a rock hitting my vehicle. After arriving to work I noticed the driver side glass of the 3 piece power slide window had shattered with no evidence of anything striking it. After conducting an internet search, I found that this is a common problem with the defroster causing the rear window to shatter.
Rear defrost malfunctioned while warming up the truck. The electrical input to the rear window exploded and shattered the back window making it unsafe to drive. The window is now a liability for rear passengers.
I remote started my 2012 F-150 and when I went out to get in the truck I noticed my rear defroster wasn't on anymore and the rear window had not defrosted. It was about 25 degrees out. I pushed the rear defroster button but it would not come on. I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed my passenger window, of the 3 section rear window, had shattered. I taped the window up and drove to work. I have 36,428 miles on this truck and I am not happy!!
While the rear defroster is activated the glass shattered due to what seemed to be a problem with the electrical for the defroster. Vehicle was stationary and running at the time of the incident.
01/18/2019 at approximately 3:45 pm est, my wife and I were traveling on nb route 301 in the crofton, Maryland area. Due to the recent snow and cold temperatures we are experiencing here in the eastern portion of the United States, we had the rear defroster activated in our 2012 Ford F-150 XLT pick up truck. While actively driving the vehicle, both my wife and I heard an extremely loud "pop" sound while riding inside of the cabin of the truck. I proceeded to look in the rear view mirror to see if I could determine where the noise originated from and that's when I observed that the rear passenger side glass was shattered. After stopping the vehicle, I did not observe any other obvious damage and was confused as to why the window suddenly cracked without an obvious cause. At this point I was quite perplexed. I subsequently turned to google in an attempt to find a solution and that's when I figured out what had occurred. It has been brought to my attention through various forums and online sites that multiple other Ford F-150 owners have experienced this same exact issue with the same exact circumstances in place (rear defroster activated, loud "pop" sound, observed a broken rear window). The articles go on to provide nightmarish exchanges between Ford F-150 owners and Ford dealerships where they are forced to pay full price for the repairs due to warranties being expired. Based on the age of the truck as well as it's mileage, I too am out of warranty. I do not believe Ford is recognizing or handling these issues properly. This appears to strictly be a design defect and no fault or negligence on the part of the owner/operator. My safety concerns are decreased visibility and sharp tempered glass shards inside of the cabin. I have submitted an insurance claim and am responsible for my deductible. I am looking to the NHTSA for assistance in looking into this matter.
Rear defrost and mirror heaters not working. Replaced 3 times already. Almost backed into and run over kids and hit a car because of the lack of visibility.
I got in my truck about 7:40pm to leave for an appointment last night. I was parked in my driveway and started it to warm it up (outside temp was 29 degrees F). I tuned on the rear defroster and 2 minutes later I heard a loud pop (sounded like a gunshot) from the back of my truck. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the right hand side of my rear window was shattered. There was nothing behind my vehicle except my closed garage and nothing struck the vehicle. This was caused by the rear defroster heating the cold glass too rapidly causing it to expand and shatter. This glass should be tempered and not shatter like this. A quick google search reveled thousands of similar complaints from other Ford F150 owners over the last 8 years. I'm grateful I was sitting in my driveway and not far from home or driving down the road when this happened. Also grateful my kids weren't in the back seat and the glass did not go flying as in other reports I've seen and read. This is a well documented issue on the internet and Ford needs to recall this faulty rear glass/window defroster system. This cost me $500 out of pocket to cover my insurance deductible and could have caused an accident if I had been driving at the time. How many complaints need to be filed before Ford can be forced to issue a recall for this problem?
Theory - vehicle manufacturers can simulate or induce failure of various parts/systems through the computer programming systems that run vehicles causing vehicle owners to make unneeded repairs which creates demand for parts and labor throughout the dealership network. My vehicle has had the following issues arise after the warranty expired. 1) dashboard display of gear vehicle is operating in stopped illuminating 2) windshield wiper stays on lowest intermittent setting after wiper is turned off 3) vehicle makes noise for 5-10 seconds following ignition during which brake pedal is soft. 4) sound of grinding/scraping from the front end 5) power steering is stiff during low speed turns my response to these situations were/are as follows: 1) checked the fuses - everything was good there. Several months later the display illuminated and has stayed illuminated ever since. 2) the local dealership recommended replacing a $100 part - I continued to switch the wipers on and off until wipers stayed off. Situation still requires on/off switching sometimes but has improved over time 3) the local dealership recommended replacement of a $400 brake vacuum pump. I continued to wait for brake pedal to firm before operating the vehicle and the situation resolved to normal presently. That is to say there is no problem with the brakes. 4) took the vehicle in for service and incurred a $700+ charge for iwes system. Dealership said the check valves had stuck open and dirt and dust had entered the system requiring replacement of parts 5) this is the latest issue with the vehicle. It only happens when turning after a stop and doesn't happen every day. I suspect it will resolve itself overtime if my theory as stated at the top is correct.
The right rear window of my truck completely shattered. I was sitting at a stop light on a city street when I heard a loud pop. I look back and see that my window is completely spidered. It was around 20 degrees outside, and I had been running the rear defrost for about 10 minutes. After some research online I discovered that this is a problem with the rear defrost. Thankfully my child was not in the car with me as his car seat is directly under the window. He would have been showered with tiny shards of glass.
Started truck up turned on rear defroster and heated mirrors. Went about 100 feet in driveway and rear drivers side window exploded/shattered on my 8 year old son's back. This is a 3 piece rear sliding power window. Tempature around 10 degrees F.
My F-150 supercrew defrost does not work on the rear sliding window nor does the electrical defrost on the side view mirrors work. I have put forth significant time and effort to try and solve the problem, even so far as purchasing a new climate control panel. The only solution to get both defrosting (visibility) capabilities back is to replace the entire rear window. There is no bypass, or partial solutions. This becomes a safety concern when I have no rear visibility with mirrors (interior or exterior) during certain weather conditions.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While the vehicle was stationary, the rear passenger window panel exploded into pieces. A dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided case number: Cas-13920244. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
While parked in the driveway the rear window shattered minutes after turning on the rear defrost. Second time within 3 years. Ford really needs to recall this!
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving 25-30 mph, the contact heard a loud shattering noise and noticed that the rear driver's side window inadvertently shattered. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Oskaloosa, KS, USA