2016 Ford Edge: windshield wiper failure

Filed Apr 15, 2026 · Visibility · MI

Saw there was a recall for wiper motor defects for Ford Explorer and Escape, per the federal safety agency Campaign Number 26V117. We had intermittent wiper failure with our 2016 Ford Edge Sport years back, which resulted in Ford repurchasing the vehicle back through the BBB (back in 2019). If carry-over parts / design are similar between the Explorer/Escape & Edge, then you may want to investigate incase the scope of this recall needs to be expanded. Please give me a call if you have any questions. (I'd like to stay anonymous as I am a Ford employee) I think we still have videos of this that we can share too.

Filed Nov 11, 2025 · Visibility · WI

The rear window spontaneously shattered/exploded. The rear defrosted was on as well as the rear wiper. It was 30 degrees outside.

Filed May 27, 2025 · Visibility · MI

On [XXX], around 7 PM, while my 2016 Ford Edge SEL was parked in front of my apartment, I used the remote start feature to start the vehicle. After activation, the rear window shattered unexpectedly. I could hear the crackling sounds, and the rear window was falling apart. There were no external impacts or visible damage to the window prior to this incident. The vehicle was stationary, and the weather conditions were normal at the time. I went to Elder Ford of Rochester Hills. The manager informed me that they could not do anything and that I should fix the car before returning it at the end of the lease period. I mentioned that there was Technical Bulletin FSA# 17B39 for the 2016 Ford Edge in Canada, but the manager informed me that it was only valid for Canada. He advised me to keep the receipt in case Ford USA issues a similar recall. FSA# 17B39 informs that war and salt can weep through the rear wiper motor shaft grommet. The residues in the rear defroster and cause uneven heat in glass and cause it to break or shatter. I live in Michigan so this is a common situation of salt/water during winter. It is unacceptable that this issue was not addressed. I had to pay $397 to fix a problem that was not caused by me. There are numerous complaints in forums about this same issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 26, 2022 · NY

i have had my back windshield implode twice now on my Ford Edge in the last 8 months. Nothing hits the window. First time I was backing out of the driveway and had my back windshield wiper on and it just imploded. Had to go thru the hassle of getting the spoiler removed and the glass company out to fix it. Fine for 8 months until last night. Came home from errands, unloaded car, closed the hatch. Came back out about an hour later and the windshield was imploded again. There is something wrong for this to happen twice in 8 months. I found a recall for the back wiper motor but the recall is for Canada only. There should be a recall in the US also. I dont have the funds to keep replacing the windshield every 8 months. Especially when it isnt a simple fix with the glass company coming out to fix it. It has to be taken to a dealership first to get the spoiler removed then the glass company will fix it. Please get this fixed.

Filed Jan 24, 2021 · Visibility · 68,048 miles · OH

I was driving down the road approximately 55mph and heard a loud pop that sounded like glass breaking. It was dark so I couldn't tell what happened until I got home. I found the back hatch glass had shattered. I had been using the rear wiper and defrost. I read on the internet that canada had a recall 17b39 for this concern. It was approximately 29 degrees out with light snow when it happened

Filed Apr 20, 2020 · Visibility · 50,000 miles · VA

While driving in moderate to heavy rain the passenger side wiper throws the water in front of the drivers main field of vision; the end of the passenger side wiper passes directly in front of the driver as it is wiping the windshield and the excess water from the passenger side wiper is thrown in the middle of the drivers front/direct field of vision making it very hard to see during the rain creating an extreme safety hazard; this could easily be remedied with a shorter wiper arm mechanism on the passenger side.

Filed Jan 13, 2020 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 63,500 miles · AR

While driving the vehicle on the interstate, three different times it suddenly, without warning, lost all power and shutdown the car. No power, lights, power steering, etc. I had to coast to a stop on a major interstate. Once I was stopped, turned off the car and it restarted like nothing happened. These events were very dangerous. Once was when it was raining so when the car lost power, the wipers stopped at 70 MPH so I had to navigate to the shoulder without being able to see. A second time was at night driving 70 MPH, when it shutdown, I lost headlights and I couldn't see. It was terrifying as I was in a remote area of I-49 without any lighting to navigate to the shoulder. Again, once stopped and put in park, it restarted immediately. Please note, I'm not the owner of this car. I was driving it as a loaner from a used car dealership. This problem was so serious I am reporting directly to the federal safety agency as this car had no recalls to address. Someone is going to get injuries or die. I was terrified.

Filed Apr 18, 2019 · Visibility · TN

Wipers lock on each other & stops, making for very dangerous conditions when raining very much. In motion, every time it rains !!!

Filed Nov 1, 2018 · Visibility · 28,000 miles · NC

If driving in a very slight drizzle or mist, the wipers do not operate properly in the intermittent mode or single swipe operation. The wipers wipe the moisture off, then stick, or stutter and jump on the return. At highway speed wind gets under the wiper when it jumps and causes a hard slap against the windshield. This is dangerous as visibility is impaired - particularly dangerous at night in a slight rain. Uploaded is record of repair visit. More serious events on long road trip 09/25-10/14/2018.

Filed Sep 10, 2018 · Visibility · 19,202 miles · FL

6 months ago I had my wiper blades replaced as recommended by dealer. Wver since then if its raining mildly the drivers wiper blde gets stuck and it was while I was traveling on a trip. Felt unsafe. Ford has replaced these blades twics and even the motor for wipers. It is still happening. I think quality of the blades are not good. This always happened while driving and if it was not heavily raining just regular rain. I must say however tht ford dealer has tried their very best and have always been wonderful. I just fear that wiper blades are not of good quality

Filed Nov 24, 2017 · Visibility · 30,000 miles · NH

First malfunction experience (november 2, 2017): I was driving on local streets at around 40 MPH in steady but light rain. While using the windshield wipers in manual mode (pushing down on the multi-function stalk), the wipers stopped working. I tried several times without any success, so I tried pushing the stalk up to use the wipers on intermittent or faster speeds. That did not work either. I pulled off to the side of the road at my earliest possibility, turned the car off and turned it back on and the wipers started working properly. Second malfunction experience (november 13, 2017): less than one week we had the same issue with the windshield wipers. Traveling on the highway at around 60 MPH in light rain. We were using the wipers in manual mode when they stopped responding. The wipers stopped responding to manual activation or intermittent or faster speed modes. The rain did not prevent us from continuing to drive and it was about four minutes before we tried them again in high speed mode and they responded. During the time we were experiencing the problem with the front wipers, the rear wiper functioned properly.

Filed Mar 18, 2017 · Visibility · 15,000 miles · FL

Windshield wipers stop randomly while being used or when turning them on. Moving the lever up and down on the steering wheel sometimes gets them working again. Other times the car has to be turned off and restarted.