The rear defroster fails which causes the heated side view mirrors to cease working as they are on the same circuit or wired in sequence. This causes an unsafe driving visibility and should be working correctly. This is a common issue with all 2009-2014 f-150's and should be a recall to be corrected. The issue can happen at anytime in the life of the vehicle.
2012 Ford F-150 visibility complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 129, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Rear window defroster is inoperative. This window has a center sliding window. Replacing my 4th rear window. 47000 miles on vehicle. This is a common problem for f150 trucks that ford won't recognize. Fog, high humidity, freezing rain/snow stick to the window and cannot be removed causing a safety hazard. Cannot see out of my rear window. This will happen while driving or sitting stationary. The problem has happened 4 times over the course of 7 and a half years.
Brakes make scrapping noise wiper motor. Speed of wipers does not change after 2nd advance
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the passenger's side rear window shattered. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was repaired at an autoglass facility. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.
Driving down the road early this morning when I hear a sudden *pop* and my rear glass shattered. Car was going approximately 45 MPH and in a straight line, with no other vehicles or objects near. The car was sitting in the shade in front of my house over night. Frost had been on the windows, so naturally the heat and defrosters were on. No impact. No other signs of concern whatsoever. The only thing holding it together is the window tint film.
The right rear glass in the rear window of my 2012 ford f150 suddenly shattered as I was pulling into my driveway after a trip to the store. Nothing appeared to hit it; it just made a loud pop and shattered. This is a safety concern for me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. The contact stated that the rear passenger window fractured. The contact stated that the window was not struck by a foreign object. There were no injuries. The contact stated that the rear window defroster was previously being used prior to the fracture. Pundmann ford (2727 w clay st, st charles, mo 63301, (636) 946-6611) was contacted by phone and informed of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000. *ln
I remote started my truck in the morning to take the kids to school, and noticed my driver's side back windshield shattered. There was no impact to the window what so ever. The back defrost was on because it is 4 degrees outside and there was frost on the windows. My vehicle was stationary in my driveway. When looking it up via the internet it seems there are multiple f150 owners in the same situation as I am in.
The windshield wipers will come on without being activated by the switch. (this is on the non-rain sensing model). They seem to be stuck on the lowest intermittent setting. I've come across forums online that state this is a common problem with the multifunction switch needing replaced. T
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. The contact took the vehicle to byers ford (1101 columbus pike, delaware, oh 43015, (888) 350-4405) where it was repaired per the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v075000 (power train). While leaving the dealer, the contact noticed that the gear shifting was different and it would slowly shift into gear. The contact also noticed that the brake pedal felt spongy and difficult to depress. The vehicle failed to respond when the brake pedal was depressed. Within the past three months, the contact had to add four bottles of antifreeze to the transmission and the engine overheated. In addition, the service brake, engine hot, and transmission hot warning indicators illuminated. Occasionally, when the vehicle was stopped or idling, the air conditioner blew hot air and the windows failed to function. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and was informed that there was a failure due to manufacturer recall number: 19s07 (power train). The repair was incomplete and the contact was informed that the vacuum pump failed and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the brakes operated intermittently. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
I was driving home from work on 5/3/19 on on a county road ( katy hockley cuttoff ) and was coming to a stop behind a school bus that was stopped and picking up someone when I heard a loud pop. After I came to a complete stop I looked back and saw the passenger side rear windshield had shattered. I did have my rear defrost on at the time and when I looked back at the A/C controls the light for the rear defrost had went out.
I was driving home from work on 5/3/19 on on a county road ( katy hockley cuttoff ) and was coming to a stop behind a school bus that was stopped and picking up someone when I heard a loud pop. After I came to a complete stop I looked back and saw the passenger side rear windshield had shattered. I did have my rear defrost on at the time and when I looked back at the A/C controls the light for the rear defrost had went out.
I was driving home from work on 5/3/19 on on a county road ( katy hockley cuttoff ) and was coming to a stop behind a school bus that was stopped and picking up someone when I heard a loud pop. After I came to a complete stop I looked back and saw the passenger side rear windshield had shattered. I did have my rear defrost on at the time and when I looked back at the A/C controls the light for the rear defrost had went out.
I was sitting at a stop light with my two kids in the car and I heard a loud bang and cracking. My infant in the back started screaming and I looked back and the whole right rear window above where my baby had completely shattered. There was absolutely no one by us so I know a rock wasn't thrown. I did have the rear defroster on. I pulled into my son's school parking lot and got out of the car to see what happened and there was just a crack on the outside but nothing that would show it was hit by anything. I will have more documents from getting our window fixed on monday.
Rear window exploded. I was driving and there were no other vehicles ahead of me or behind me. There is no indication of anything striking the window.
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.
Rear glass cracked. No previous impact.
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 federal safety agency 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.
Right rear window by the slider imploded while I was driving on a city street about 5 MPH and electric defroster on. A common issue with the ford f-150.
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?
Back window shattered for no apparent reason with rear defroster on. I was letting my truck warm up in my driveway not in motion
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. After the rear defroster was activated, the rear passenger window shattered. The contact stated that the insurance company was called and an appointment was made with bergstrom ford of oshkosh (located at 3355 jackson st, oshkosh, wi 54901, (920) 966-0077) to have the vehicle diagnosed and repaired. The manufacturer was also notified. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.
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.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2012 Ford F-150?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history