2012 Ford F-150 visibility problems

“The rear-window defroster over heated on the passenger side causing that window to chatter. At one spot at the bottom, the rubber frame around the glass started to melt and burn just before the window chattered. If I had not been standing close to see what was happening, and turn the control off, I believe this could have started a fire that could have burned the entire truck and areas around it threating people and property. This is also a safety concern for anyone sitting in the back seat at the time of window chattering, as small shards of glass could hit passengers possibly causing eye and other injuries. Due to my incident, I did research on YouTube an other Ford forums that document many others being a victim of this same problem over several years including 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and maybe more. Owners over the years have documented and informed Ford about this problem, apparently without any trucks being recalled or getting much help from Ford about this problem. Ford and NHTSA should be concerned and Ford held accountable for this defect. Many owners were told buy the service men that replaced their back glass because of this issue,…”

“The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH with the defroster engaged, the contact heard a loud popping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the rear passenger's side window had shattered. The contact was able to continue driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.”

“There was frost on the rear window. While the car was in park and warming up I turned on the rear defroster. I started to smell a burning smell. There was a loud bang and back left window panel completely shattered. No one was injured thankfully, but if the glass would have blown out and we had our baby or passengers in the back there could have been injury. I am not only concerned about the glass shattering, but the fact that there was a burning smell. I have found several forums where people report the same issue across many years of F150s (2010-2019). Defroster is turned on and the back window shatters. I contacted Ford and they will not do anything because the vehicle is out of the warranty period. Sounds like there is something faulty that they need to fix or issue a recall. I reached out to my insurance company and after I get a few quotes I may file a claim depending on the replacement cost and my deductible amount. Only other "symptom" was the smell of burning right before the glass shattered.”

“The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated while using the defroster, the rear windshield shattered. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a glass repair shop and was informed that the rear windshield needed to be replaced. The contact called and notified the local dealer of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.”

“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.”

“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.”