I got in the truck this morning and left the house, turned on rear defroster, and about 3 minutes later I heard a loud "pop"! I stopped and looked around but didn't find any since it was still dark out but once the sun came out I saw my rear passenger window, right above my daughter's child seat was shattered. Luckily she was not in there. I have spoke with dealership and they have denied any knowledge of this happening, but a simple search here and on the ford forums show plenty of consumers having this problem. This should be a recall!
2010 Ford F-150 visibility complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 193, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While I was driving I turned my rear defroster on and about 5 min later I heard a load bang, looked around to see what it was and saw the passenger portion of the rear window was completely shattered. There was no impact on the window are clue to why it shattered. So I looked online and found this to be a common issue with the 2010 f150 trucks with power rear sliders. My daughter's car seat is directly under that window! Ford denied any knowledge of this issue and insisted they were not responsible and wouldn't cover repairs. I then learned that ford has changed the wiring design for this window, a design that keeps electrical surges from over heating the defroster. My concern is that a shattering window poses a huge safety issue and ford should be held accountable for their failure to keep their customers and more importantly the children of those customers safe!
I started my 2010 f150 super crew this morning to let it warm up, it was approx. 45 degrees outside and the windows were fogged. I turned on my rear defroster for my power sliding rear window, when I re-entered the truck about 5 minutes after starting the truck, I was sitting there for a minute and I heard a loud pop sound, I looked back to see the right side of my rear 3-piece window shattered and there was smoke coming from the inside of the rear glass at the bottom where the heater element was, there was no fire just a small amount of smoke. There had been no impact to the glass and it has become apparent to me that this was a malfunction of the rear defroster element overheating the glass. I got out to inspect the damage and found small "sliver" type shards of glass on my seat. This is especially a problem for me because had my wife not had off today I would have had my 8 month old daughter in her car seat directly under the window which would have for sure caused potentially severe injury. After doing a simple google search for this problem it is obvious this is a very large issue with thousands of documented cases of the exact same incident occurring to the right rear window of the power sliding defrosting window of 2010 ford f150's. I contacted ford and they would not cover the defect and I was less then pleased with their customer service. I have contacted my insurance company and they are going to replace the window, my expense being the deductible.
I turned on my rear window defrost, I after a few minutes I heard a sizzling and the passenger side rear window had shattered.
I was sitting in my car with the rear window defroster on (60 or 70 degrees outside) and heard a very loud pop. When I looked at the back window it had exploded (shattered completely with no spider web cracks) and no one driving nearby, cutting grass, walking, etc - there was no one around, nothing next to the truck or in the bed that could have hit the window. I looked it up online in multiple forums and found that a very large number of complaints described the exact same thing happening to 2010 f-150s with rear defroster on. The window replacement company in town also stated they had replaced 3 or 4 windows that had the same thing happen. I'm lucky no one was sitting next to the window because small shards of glass fell into the seat and interior of the truck.
My husband and I just purchased a 2010 ford f150 lariat super crew on 9/7/13. On 9/15/13, when he left for work at 5 am he put on the rear defroster. He drove 2 1/2 miles to work and as soon as he shut off the truck, he heard a loud pop. The passenger side of the rear window shattered.
This morning I switched on my rear defroster. Outside temperature was around 50 degrees. With a few minutes I heard a loud pop. Inspecting the glass of the vehicle I found the driver's side rear window broken (spider webbed). The dealer is telling me that glass is not covered under the extended warranty.
While driving I put my rear defroster on and I heard a very loud popping sound. When I looked in my rear view mirror I noticed the back window shattered.
I was driving and heard a very loud bang. Then I heard the rear window crackling and looked back and noticed the rear passenger side window had exploded and shattered. It was only being held together by the factory tint but there were glass shards throughout the back seat where my children sit. The window is a power sliding rear window with defrost. I also had the rear defrost on during the time which may have contributed to the window shattering.
On a ~50 degree morning, I turned on my rear defrost when my rear window (passenger side) shattered about 5 minutes after I turned it on. This is a 3 piece window as the middle is a slider on the pickup, only the passenger side broke. I was driving with no other cars around as there must be a short or faulty wiring in the rear defrost. This was not covered under warranty by ford and seems to be a common problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH with the rear defroster activated, he noticed smoke coming from the rear passenger's side window. After coming to a stop and inspecting the vehicle, he noticed there was a small hole burned through the window. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the power window would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000.
Turned on the rear window defogger and after about 2 minutes the passenger side of the rear window exploded.
I had my truck parked outside during a heavy snowfall day at work. I went out and started it to let it warm up and turned on the rear defrost. When I got in to leave I noticed my passenger side rear window was shattered. I had no idea what had happened, not in an area where vandalism is possible. After reading the online posts about others with this problem I realized this is exactly what happened.
2010 ford f-150. Outside temperature approximately 28 degrees. Started vehicle and turned on rear window defroster. Drove about 1 mile and was waiting alone stopped at a light. Heard very loud bang noise consistent to a crash or muffled small caliber bullet being fired. Stepped out of my vehicle to confirm I was alone on road and wasn't in an accident. (I was completely alone at 6am with no other cars in site). I noticed the right (passenger) side rear window had spider webbed and completed shattered. Rear window is 3 panes, right middle, left. Right side window that shattered was extremely hot to the touch compared to middle and left (driver) side. Contacting ford as I believe this to be a manufactures defect as it has happened to many 2010 f150s with tri rear windows.
Right panel (passenger side) rear window shattered. Window is tinted (factory) with power slider and rear defroster. 03/25/2013 electrical burning smell but could not determine the cause (rear defroster in use). 03/26/2013 truck was parked and not running, went to get in truck and discovered right panel rear window was shattered, but still in the frame.
Outside temp was 22, while warming up truck, turned on rear window defroster & within 5 minutes; the passenger side rear window shattered. *tr updated 03/27/13
Cpsc: i1310446a. 2010 ford f150. Consumer stated his rear window exploded after turning on the rear defrost. *ln...updated 03/20/13
I was driving and the rear window popped, smelled like an electrical fire. Truck is still at the shop they cannot id the issue I fear that if only the glass is replaced that this issue will reoccur.
I was driving home on the highway. I had the rear defrost running as it was cold overnight and the windows had frosted over. As I was driving, I heard a loud pop and saw that the rear passenger side window had been shattered in a spider web pattern. I got home and was finally able to inspect the windshield. I observed the "spider web" effect starting in the lower left hand corner of the glass. There was a fluid seeping out from the bottom of the glass at the point of origin. The glass also has a discoloration as if it had been heated. I was able to search online and find numerous other people with the same problem. I also found several accounts where the pop had caused a fire and melted portions of the window and its framing.
Last week I started my morning commute @ 5am. 5 minutes after departure - I heard the equivalent of a 22 caliber gun being fired in the cab of my 2010 ford f150 platinum. Alarmed by the sound I swerved into the adjacent lane, thankfully there were not many other drivers on the road. I exited the vehicle and began a visual inspection, immediately, I saw my passenger rear window shattered and smoldering in the lower left corner. After a closer look, this appeared to be where the defrosting mechanism was located in the glass. There was a metal substance being leaked in between the cab and the bed of the truck. I hope this was not lead or mercury, in my curiosity I touched and then thought about the old thermometers in grade school.
I went out too warm up my truck the other morning before work. I started the vehicle, turned on heat and the front and rear defroster. Came back outside to leave about 10 minutes later, as I started to pull out of my driveway I heard a loud pop. I got out of my truck to inspect my tires, which I thought was the problem at first. They were fine. I was not sure what the noise was, so I got back into the vehicle. As I proceeded to back out of my driveway again I looked on my rearview mirror and noticed my back glass was shattered. I had my rear defroster on, which for some reason shattered my passenger side rear window. I took my truck into the dealership and they told me there is no issue and ford is not responsible for the glass. After doing some research there seems to be an issue with the rear defroster in this vehicle. I believe ford needs to fix this issue before some child is in the back seat of one of these vehicles and gets injured.
On my 2010 ford f150 4x4 truck the right side rear window chattered when I turned on the rear defroster. You can see where there was some kind of energy built up at the base of the window and it exploded out, bending the window thin aluminum outer covering and it has a charred look to it. The rear window in that section is chattered in a million pieces just waiting to crumble out. * ...updated 03-20-13
I had started my truck, turned on the rear defroster , and within 10 minutes the back passenger side glass completely shattered. It appears that there was a small electrical fire or shortage in the corner of the glass where the defrosting mechanism attaches to the window glass. The window seal does not appear to be melted, but at the time of glass breaking , there was a loud bang (something like a fire cracker exploding). *tr updated 12/04/12*lj ...updated 03/20/13
I was driving to work on a cold morning and had my rear defroster on. About 5 miles from home I heard a loud, gun shot type sound and couldn't figure out what happened. I thought it was a blown tire but when I looked in my rear view mirror I realized that the back panel in my rear window had shattered. It was totally spider-webed. I took it to the dealership and they claimed the defroster was functioning fine so they wouldn't cover it. *tr updated 11/30/12
Rear window defroster/window assembly connection defective, shorts out causing fire and glass breakage. I dropped off my daughter at preschool and five minutes later I noticed smoke coming out of the passenger side rear defroster window behind her car seat. I pulled over to find this becoming a fire. It began as smoke, then spark, and then flame. Fortunately, I had a bottle of water in my truck, which I began to pour on it to stop. It got worse with the sparks, but eventually went out. While trying to distinguish the fire, the "explosion" occurred shattering the rear window. I took this to my local ford dealer and began to research issue. I quickly found several ford forums where other people experienced the exact same issue on 2010 f150 ford trucks. Here's a link to one that helps explain the issue clearly. I posted my experience in post 38...http://www.f150forum.com/f38/rear-window-defroster-exploding-rear-window-129167/.. I see there have been no reports to you regarding this issue previously. Obviously a defective defroster/window unit causing a vehicle to catch fire is a dangerous issue. But there was no need to push issue further due to their ford dealer understanding the issue and covering the repair under warranty. I have ford's premiumcare extended warranty which should cover this but my dealer is seeing only as glass breakage and refusing to cover it under warranty. There would be no glass breakage if the defective assembly didn't cause a fire, and if I didn't have something to put out the fire there would have been far more damage..with cold weather coming, and more recent incidents posted, there will be more instances of this in the near future on 2010 ford f150 trucks. With the redesign of replacement part ford is aware that the original design is flawed. *tr updated 11/05/12 *bf updated 11/07/2012
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. The contact stated that the rear window defroster was engaged when the contact heard a loud, abnormal noise. She then noticed that the rear window was fractured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repair. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and the current mileage was 18,000.
Went out and started my vehicle to let it warm up while I walked my dog first thing in the morning before heading to work. After running for about 5 minutes I was ready to head to work. I opened my drivers door and all the sudden heard a loud "pow" very loud. I looked around and saw the back window had exploded throwing tiny shards of glass all over. It could have exploded in a child's eyes or my dogs. The window is the rear electric heated sliding glass. The passenger side is the one that blew. I took it straight to the dealership where the lady told me she has seen several of them do that. This would have been very dangerous if it happened when I was driving, because of the loud noise and because of the flying glass. Luckily there were no children in the back seat or they would have been covered with glass. Truck is being repaired, so I don't have the access VIN right now. Now I will not use my defroster for fear the window will blow, and it also defrost my mirrors. This will result in less visibility on cold or damp days when the windows are frozen or dew on them.
Upon entering and starting the truck the windshield wipers did not work at all in 4 separate cases, the 5th occurrence the drivers side wiper worked but not the passenger side. Obviously I only use the wipers in bad weather so when I need them most for safety the windshield wipers have not functioned. I have returned the truck to the dealership for repair each time and have contacted ford customer service case # 1496470901, I feel this is a huge safety issue and needs further attention as I now have no confidence at all in this vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. The contact stated that the rear passenger side window of the crew cab shattered once the defroster was activated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they advised the contact that they were unable to assist. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.
Started truck at 0700 am, outside temperature was 50 degrees. The rear window was foggy so I turned on the rear defroster. After about 15 minutes of driving along a road with no traffic I heard a loud explosion that sounded like a large rock had landed on the roof of my truck. I pulled over and inspected my roof and all exterior panels of the vehicle and did not notice any damage that could have justified the noise. I could not find any "rocks" in or around my vehicle...no pedestrians were in site. Returned to cab and as I was pulling back onto the roadway I noticed that my rear window (right panel) was shattered. Took vehicle to ford dealership that evening and was told it was not a warrantable repair. The glass remained intact and there were no visible signs of a projectile hitting the glass (I have photos). I insisted that a warranty claim be opened, and I contacted customer relations. Ford then tested the defroster and could not find a malfunction so they said they would not warranty the failure. I have photos, a case number, dealer invoice, and voice mail recordings of the 3 weeks of hell trying to get ford to do the right thing. They finally agreed to pay for half the wholesale cost of a replacement glass; I had it installed professionally on 11/15/2011. *tr updated 11/14/12 *cn updated updated 11/14/2012
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