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.
Rear drivers side glass shattered (but remained in place) one cold morning sitting in the driveway warming up when the rear electric defrost was turned on. Turned into insurance company for claim. When I took it to auto glass replacement shop they said that this was the third one this week they replaced.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. Approximately thirty seconds after the contact entered the vehicle, the rear driver side window shattered. There were no warning indicators illuminated before or after the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Rear window shattered after using remote start with the rear defroster enabled while vehicle was sitting in 30 degree F ambient. Much of the broken glass remained in window opening, however small fragments were found on rear seats and floor.
Rear windshield exploded when defroster was on (drivers-side only). Temprature was around 30-35 degree's outside. Truck had been remotely start and running for approximately 10 minutes before shattering.
I have had rear window issues since I bought the truck. First was when the rear defrost/mirror defrost wasn't working. They replaced the window in 2014. Second time was in April of 2017. We had a heavy frost and I couldn't see out the back window or the side mirrors, so I turned on the defrost. About ten minutes later I was driving down the highway and heard what sounded like a gunshot. I immediately started looking around thinking someone shot at me. I didn't realize right away due to the rear headrest covering a large portion of the window, that the drivers side stationary section of the back window had exploded. The glass stayed intact, however tiny slivers of glass fell onto my daughters car seat which was in front of this window. Ford did replace the window, reluctantly and I paid an insurance deductible, even though the internet is full of people having the same problem. I recently went to turn on my rear defrost again, and found the same issue as the first problem, where the defrost wont work and the likely fix is replacing the rear window. This will be the fourth window in four years. Is this something I should expect to do like oil changes and tires" this is ridiculous. The exploding window can really be an issue. Someone may panic and think its a gunshot, and cause an accident or if someone was sitting there, they could get glass slivers on them. This appears to have been a known issue for years with these windows. Why haven't they been forced to redesign it"
- Brook Park, OH, USA
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The rear window shattered and part of the glass fell outward after the defrost had been turned on. Sitting still in a parking lot in front of a business.
I had a heavy frost in my area, so while driving to work, I turned on the rear view window defrost and after about 5 minutes I heard what sounded like a gunshot. I was on an interstate so I wasn't sure what had happened. After looking around, I realized my rear window had shattered. I inspected the window, thinking that maybe it was hit but the glass was intact and there was no marks or appearance of damage from outside. I went online and searched for this and found it to be a common issue. I spoke to my Ford dealership service manager and he stated that they had three break the same day in the same manner. This is dangerous. My kids car seats are right by this window. If they were in them, they would have had small glass specks all over them. I believe this is negligence on the part of Ford. I had two glass companies both tell me that this is a problem. They would have easily taken my money but they knew it wasn't right. If not a recall, Ford should put out a technical service bulletin on this and replace them as they break.
I had my rear defrost on for about 5 minutes on my way to work. I heard a loud pop and stopped to see what happen. I noticed the driver side rear window was shattered. I took it to a Ford dealership and they where no help. I paid out of pocket to get it fixed as I have three small kids who ride in the back. The glass place that fixed it told be that this is a common problem that Ford will not take care of. My truck is a 2013 with 56,000 miles on it.
Stopped at a red light and turned on the rear window defroster. The indicator light came on then flickered on and off. Less than one minute later the driver's side back window shattered. The temperature outside was approximately 60 degrees.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rear defrost was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rear windshield and defrost mechanism needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was also concerned that the failure of the window defroster would cause the rear windshield to fracture and injure his two young children who were transported in child safety seats in the rear of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary, the rear windshield shattered without impact. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact then was advised by glass repair specialist, that a faulty connection in the rear defroster had caused the windshield to shatter. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56, 500.
Backing out slowly out of my driveway I heard a loud pop, confused I stopped grabbed my flashlight and examined. Out of nowhere my rear driver side window next to the slider has shattered. And as soon as I googled the problem it is everywhere. This seems ludicrous for Ford not to offer fixes.
I was traveling on the highway in February 10th, 2014 when I heard a loud noise like something had struck the rear part of my roof. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw that my rear left side window panel had completely crack (spider-ed). I though it may have been an object that caused this to happen until the same incident took place 3 years later and this time my vehicle was parked. I have now researched and found that other Ford F150 owners have experience the same defect in their vehicles.
Rear power windows with defrost option caused window to shatter when defrost was turned on. Loud, almost gunshot noise can be heard when it happened. Internet searches on the subject confirm it is not an isolated incident either.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the rear sliding window shattered after the contact activated the rear defroster without any warning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
The weather was approximately 25-29 degrees F. I remote started the truck and it ran for about 10 minutes before I got in the truck to drive. I drove about 100 feet and heard a very loud bang. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that my driver side rear window had shattered. My first thought was that something hit it, so I got out and looked and there were no chips or a spot where the crack started. The window just broke for no apparent reason. I have a rear sliding window with defrost. I was driving approximately 20 mph when it happened inside of the city, just a little way from my house.
The vehicle was in my driveway. I remote started it. 10 minutes later I entered vehicle and inserted key and turned on the vehicle. 10 seconds later I heard a loud pop and what sounded like leaves rustling, very slowly. It was 5 am and dark, Friday Dec 23rd, so I drove to a lit parking lot to see what happened. I noticed the rear glass behind the driver's seat was shattered. It was around 30F. There are a lot of instances of this happening with Ford pickups.
Just bought my truck and I auto started it with defrost set to auto. I got in and heard a loud pop only to see my window shattered. Nothing hit it. Took it to Ford and they wont cover it. I got online and saw hundreds of complaints of the same thing happening to a lot of people. This should be a safety recall. What if my kids were in my truck!
Started the truck to defrost windows on a cold morning. Both the front defroster and rear window defroster were turned on. It ran for about 10 minutes before I started driving to work. About 5 minutes into my drive I heard a loud pop. I couldn't figure out what happened. It was still dark outside at the time and when I arrived at my work, the parking lot lights revealed that my back drivers side window had shattered. I did notice on my drive that the rear defroster had turned off which it normally doesn't but I didn't put it together that the pop and the defroster were connected.
Used remote start to warm vehicle and the 1/3 of the rear glass (the driver's side) exploded and spidered. Research shows this is a common problem and likely due to faulty defroster. Ford doesn't part out the glass so the entire rear window needs to be replaced at a cost of over $650. My vehicle is garaged when at home and is in excellent condition with only 51400 miles. Since it is over 36000 miles, Ford won't do anything or assist with costs.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lorain, OH, USA