Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 02/14/2012 | 18000 | ||
| 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. kmj | |||
| 02/14/2012 | 18000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that when he turned his defrost on the sliding right rear window on the crew cab had shattered. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and they advised him that they were unable to assist him. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the vehicle was repaired for the window. the failure mileage was approximately 18,000. tb | |||
| 10/24/2011 | 20600 | ||
| 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 warrantee 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 warrantee 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. | |||
| 01/01/2011 | 2000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2010 ford f-150. the contact stated that the vehicle windshield wipers would not turn off. the contact mentioned that she disconnected the fuse in order to make it stop but it continue running, as a result she decided to removed the wipers completely. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnosed the failure. the manufacturer was contacted but she was unable to speak with a representative. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 19,655. pm | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - REAR WINDOW | |||
| 10/01/2012 | 40800 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 34367 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 11/16/2012 | 33000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 10/22/2012 | 51000 | 1 | |
| 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 spiderwebbed. i took it to the dealership and they claim the defroster was functioning fine so they wont cover it. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | |||
| 03/10/2011 | 12000 | 5 | |
| 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. | |||
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | |||
| 03/14/2013 | 22500 | ||
| Outside temp was 22, while warming up truck, turned on rear window defroster & within 5 minutes; the passenger side rear window shattered. | |||
| 02/12/2013 | 25000 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 01/25/2013 | 51500 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 11/12/2012 | 39500 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 11/12/2012 | 39500 | ||
| 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). | |||
| 10/22/2012 | 51000 | 1 | |
| 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 spiderwebbed. i took it to the dealership and they claim the defroster was functioning fine so they wont cover it. *tr | |||
| 10/22/2012 | 51000 | ||
| 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 couldnt 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 spiderwebbed. i took it to the dealership and they claim the defroster was functioning fine so they wont cover it. | |||
| 08/21/2012 | 18000 | ||
| 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. kmj | |||
| 08/21/2012 | 18000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2010 ford f150. the contact stated while turn on the deforest for the rear window. she hear a loud noise when she notice the rear window had broken. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and the current mileage was 18,000.jp | |||
| 05/29/2012 | 36000 | ||
| 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 childs eyes or my dogs. the window is the rear electric heated sliding glass. the passanger side is the one that blew. i took it stright to the dealership where the lady told me she has seen several of them do that. this would have been very dangerious if it happened when i was driving, becasue of the loud noise and becasue of the flying glass. luckly 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. | |||