Problems · by component
2005 Ford Escape Hybrid visibility problems
32 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid cite visibility, 2% of all 1,584 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
32
2% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the visibility
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“My 2005 ford escape was sitting in my carport for 2 days. I went out to go to the store and the back window was shattered in a million pieces all over the driveway and back bumper. That was also glass inside the car. I called the police and they came out and looked at it and took pictures and I took pictures also they said it had not been vandalized that it must have exploded from the inside out. I read about a lot of other people having the same problem. Ford needs to have a recall on this. It could have happened while I was driving or children could have been hurt sitting in the backseat this is not like”
“THE REAR WINDOW OF MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE XLS JUST EXPLODED TODAY AROUND 2:30 P.M. I HAD ARRIVED ABOUT 2:15 P.M.AT MCDONALDS RESTAURANT. I WAS SITTING WITH A FRIEND WHEN AN EMPLOYEE CAME INTO LOBBY LOOKING FOR THE OWNER OF THE GRAY FORD ESCAPE IN THEIR PARKING LOT. I SAID, "YES IT IS MY CAR." EMPLOYEE THEN CAME AND TOLD ME THAT THE "REAR WINDOW OF MY CAR WAS BROKEN ALL OVER THE PARKING LOT. I WENT AND SAW WHAT HAPPENED. I HAVE NOT OPENED THE REAR GATE OR WINDOW IN OVER A WEEK. ALL I DID WAS PARK IT AND IN 15 MINUTES OF BEING INSIDE OF MCDONALDS THE WINDSHIELD EXPLODED. I HAVE READ WHERE OTHER PEOPLE WITH ESCAPES & MARINERS HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM FOR YEAR. YEARS OLDER THAN MY 2005 AND AS NEW AS 2014 & 2015. IS THEIR A RECALL THAT FORD IS FIXING THIS PROBLEM, AS THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR YEARS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHO I CONTACT TO BE REIMBURSED FOR MY EXPENSE OF REPLACING IT. [XXX] *TR”
“TODAY THE REAR WINDOW OF MY SUV SHATTERED COMPLETELY. NOTHING HAPPENED TO IT TO MAKE IT SHATTER, NO VANDALISM OR ROCKS HIT IT. IT WAS PARKED AND NOT BEING DRIVEN. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED WITH THIS VEHICLE. IT HAPPENED SEVERAL YEARS AGO IN A SIMILAR SITUATION. IT WAS ALSO PARKED AND IT SHATTERED ON ITS OWN. THE FIRST TIME IT WAS A WARMER SUNNY DAY. TODAY WAS A COLDER TEMPS. I STARTED TO READ ONLINE THAT MANY OWNERS ARE HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THIS. SOME WERE DRIVING AND HAD CHILDREN AND PETS IN THE CAR. LUCKILY I WAS NOT IN THE VEHICLE BOTH TIMES BUT I DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL I AM DRIVING AND THE GLASS SHATTERS AND EXPLODES EVERYWHERE LIKE IT DID WHILE IT WAS PARKED. *TR”
“THE REAR WINDOW OF MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE BLEW OUT WITH NO WARNING. I PRE-STARTED THE CAR FOR APPROX. 3 MINS, TURNING ON THE HEAT AND DEFROST. I LEFT MY DRIVEWAY AND NO MORE THAT A HALF A MILE AWAY THE REAR WINDOW EXPLODED, BLASTING GLASS THROUGHOUT THE ROADWAY AND CAR. THE ONLY INJURIES I HAD WERE TO MY NECK. PIECES OF GLASS STRUCK MY NECK CAUSING TWO MINOR LACERATIONS. *TR”
“DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH DOWN THE STREET WITH MY MOTHER AND HEARD A VERY LOUD CRASH ALMOST LIKE A TREE LIMB FALLING ONTO THE CAR. THE REAR WINDOW HAD COMPLETELY SHATTERED WHILE WE WERE DRIVING. THERE WAS SHATTERED GLASS EVERYWHERE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE TRUCK. *TR”
“THE REAR HATCH WINDOW ON MY 2005 FORD ESCAPE EXPLODED OUTWARDLY WHILE PARKED IN THE LOT WHERE I WORK. GLASS BLEW OUT IN A RADIUM OF 15-20 FEET AND IT WAS JUST LUCK THAT NO VEHICLES WERE PARKED BEHIND MINE OR THAT ANYONE WAS WALKING BEHIND THE VEHICLE. THE WINDOW BLEW OUT WITH SUCH FORCE THAT IT DAMAGED THE INTERIOR AND THE HATCH ITSELF AND REQUIRED THAT INTERIOR PANELS BE REPLACED AND THE HATCH REPAINTED IN ADDITION TO REPLACING THE GLASS. THE GLASS SHOP WHERE I TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR REPAIR NOTED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEMS FOR 2004-2006 ESCAPES. THANKFULLY, MY INSURANCE CARRIER PAID FOR ALL REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT MINUS THE DEDUCTIBLE. HOWEVER, THE INTERNET IS FULL OF SIMILAR REPORTS AND A TV STATION IN MY CITY DID A REPORT ON A SIMILAR INCIDENT ON AN ESCAPE PARKED IN A GARAGE ABOUT TWO WEEKS BEFORE MY WINDOW BLEW. OBVIOUSLY, THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT FORD REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE. IT IS AMAZING THAT NO ONE HAS OF YET BEEN REPORTED INJURED FROM FLYING GLASS. *TR”
Showing 6 of 32 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.