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.
I was driving on the off ramp from the highway when I heard a loud pop. I looked in my rear view mirror to see the driver side panel of my back window shattered.
I was simply backing out of the parking lot at work, and a loud 'pop' and the rear window shattered. Truck had been warming up, and I feel it may have been due to the rear window defrost. When I got out to look, there was no indication of any impact to the windshield.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rear window behind the driver's seat unexpectedly shattered. The vehicle was taken to courtesy Ford (3921 w river dr, davenport, ia 52802, (563) 326-4011) where the contact was referred to a local glass repair center for repairs. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 17,000.
Rear driver's side window shattered via a faulty defroster. Ford says it is not a known issue, but there are many website forums showing that indeed it is a known issue. There needs to be a recall on these windows. I used the remote start to warm up the vehicle (it was 47 degrees outside, so no frost, etc) for about 7 minutes. I then drove the truck and just around the corner from my house the window exploded. It sounded like a gunshot in the cab of the truck. I almost crashed the truck from being started by the sound. There is no way that "impact" cause the window to explode, since I have a shell/topper on the back. I contacted Ford corporate and they only "logged it" but said it wouldn't be taken care of, that I would have to pay for the repairs. Https://www.glassbytes.com/2014/08/NHTSA-receives-more-complaints-of-shattering-F-150-back-lites/fordauthority.com/2017/12/another-Ford-F-150-owner-claims-the-rear-window-shattered-despite-no-impact/#comment-356949 https://abc7chicago.com/automotive/driver-says-her-F-150-window-spontaneously-shattered/2773127/ https://www.F150forum.com/F118/2016-rear-window-shattered-406698/
Rear cab glass drivers side shattered 10 min after remote starting truck. Stationary vehicle. Sat in truck for a few minutes and heard what sounded like gunshot to the roof. Got out and examined roof, no trees or anything around. Found one of the rear glass panels shattered. Rear defrost button would never light up (figured it was broken). Was set to automatically come on when remote starting truck. Temp was between 20-25 F. rear window defrost button now lights up for the first time. Quick internet search reveals that this exact scenario happens to thousands of others with this truck. A random exploding window due to having a rear defrost on in the winter should not be paid for by the owner. This is a clear defect in the vehicle.
- Carrollton, IL, USA
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Started my truck with the remote start and had the rear defrosters on my wife and I got into the truck to start driving head a pop noise and the left rear glass shattered
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. After the contact started the vehicle remotely and shifted into reverse, the rear driver's side window shattered. The vehicle was taken to sunbelt Ford Lincoln (2926 North slappey boulevard, albany, ga 31701, 888-401-4376) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. While operating the vehicle, the rear defroster failed to operate. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer (amato Ford, 1510 main St, mukwonagon, wi) was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified and no S*olution was offered. The failure mileage was 30,000.
There seems to be a problem with the rear defroster system on all Ford F150's from 2011thru 2016. It either just stops working causing a electrical short and possible fire and electrical damage or bodily injury if contacted by a person, or most commonly it will shatter the rear window causing a visual obstruction out the rear while driving. Another issue with this defect is that when the window does shatter, it has been known to create a hole in the glass which could lead again to a person being injured with the broken glass. I did some research on this, and within 20 minutes I have discovered over 200 other customers with the same problem. Unfortunately the dealers nor the customers notify the manufacture of the issue. I don't know how many of these have been replaced by warranty, but it seems that the Ford dealers say it is a $700 repair because you have to replace the whole rear window and there for no one wants to take the responsibility of fixing it. This is a serious safety issue due to the risk of possible bodily injury and driving hazard restricting the vision while driving. Please, could you help with resolving this serious issue. Thank you
Remote started 2014 Ford F-150. Rear window heater was on due to dew on rear window. Outside air temperate was 42 degrees F. truck was running outside for 5 minutes. Loaded 2 children up and drove 30 seconds when I heard a loud pop. Pulled over and noticed that the rear drive'rs window was completely cracked. Small glass particles were noticed. Window frame was very hot to the touch and visibility was greatly reduced. This appears to be either a defect of the heating element, controller, or window.
Left most rear window shattered. I used the remote start to turn on the vehicle for a few min to warm it up then as I got in I sat there for a couple minutes when all of a sudden I heard a loud bang and the rear glass shattered. After that there was an electrical burning smell in the truck. I noticed burn marks on the plastic housing surrounding the glass. Truck was stationary and not a single person was around me so I knew an object didn't hit it unless it was a meteorite. I did some research online and noticed thousands others with the same issue. This has to be recalled for safety. I work at the Ford plant in buffalo and they need to take responsibility for this. I shouldn't be paying out of my pocket for these faulty defrosters.
On the morning of August 10, 2018, I was driving when I heard a loud noise coming from the inside of the truck. When I viewed the damage, the back windshield was shattered from the inside. Looking from the outside, there was no visible damage.
I was sitting idle in my Ford F-150 truck (engine running) in the drive-through at mcdonalds, not moving, when there was suddenly a loud bang inside the truck (like a gunshot). There was also an electrical burning smell. I looked around and saw that the rear quarter glass on the left side of my rear windshield had shattered. The rear screen heater was on at the time. There was nothing thrown at the truck, and nothing hit it. The glass had totally shattered across but was being held intact by the factory tint. I had to have the glass replaced at a cost of $750, as the repair was not covered under my extended warranty. The individual broken piece of glass cannot be replaced, so the whole rear screen had to be replaced. I disconnected the rear screen heater on my replacement screen to make sure this doesn't happen again. Reading online it sounds as though this is a very common issue, and an expensive fix. Moreover, all of my local Ford dealerships had sold out of the rear window and would have taken up to 16 days to order in (and at a cost of $850+ !!), which makes me think this is more common issue than Ford is letting on. Luckily I found a local company that would do it a few days later, but again, at a cost of $750 to me for a defective part which should be recalled. During the time I had to use the truck with a shattered rear window, I taped it up to prevent the glass spilling into the truck interior (can be seen in the picture).
2014 Ford F150 split/powered/heated rear window popped and cracked when using the defroster causing the driver side rear window pane to shatter (spider web). The vehicle was stationary at a red light when the window popped.
The rear window exploded for the second time, in driveway after starting car with remote starter. The first time it happened was in December 2016, when the vehicle was in a relatives driveway heating up, after being started with the remote starter.
Rear drivers side panel wwindshield shattered. Turned on rear windshield defroster and after a minute or so heard a large bang. Was driving to work. Straight. Temp wa in the low twenties. Got snow and ice in lake county Illinois.
I have an F150 super crew cab with a power sliding window in the back that is 3 separate pieces of glass. While driving on a highway at about 50 mph with the rear window defrost on, the driver's side rear window suddenly shattered (stayed mostly in tact but spiderwebed throughout). It made a loud bang like the sound of something falling on the roof or a gunshot. There is no visible damage to the outside of the vehicle and it is very aparent that this was an internal failure of either the window or the rear defrost overheating. I am afraid that this could have been a huge safety problem if my daughter had been in the carseat which is directly under it since small pieces of glass did come out. This is a 2014 model with approximately 32,000 miles. There are lots of complaints regarding this exact same issue if you do a web search for F150S ranging from 2010 to 2014.
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- Boardman, OH, USA