2004 Ford Escape Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems

“I have a 2004 Ford Escape the rear window blew out while the car was parked. This is the second time on the Escape that this has happened to me personally. I have numerous friends that have had the same problem with these rear windows. I wonder if there is a design flaw with the rear window? Very dangerous. I have the window company coming to replace another window.”

“I was driving on the expressway. The roads were clear, flat, and smooth. Outside temp was in the 20's. I have been driving for about 30 minutes, after letting the vehicle warm up for 15 minutes, when the rear window exploded for no reason on the express way. There were no bridges or overpasses for anything to fall on it. The rear window defogger had been on for about 15 minutes prior. I recently purchased the vehicle used from a private party. I had driven it less than 200 miles since my purchase. Approximate time of incident 16:36.”

“As I was sitting in my car with my 9 year old in the backseat, in park, with the engine on, waiting for my older son, we heard a loud explosion and the back windshield had shattered into a million pieces. I thought someone had shot or thrown something at the car but once I got outside and looked at it I could tell by the way the glass had blown outward (for the most part) that something that I could not explain must have happened/malfunctioned with the windshield. It was very scary and, as I was a half hour from home and it was raining, pretty inconvenient. …”

“Reporting an exploding back window issue on a 2004 Ford Escape. Once in 2005 and now again in 2009. The only thing both times had in common was the running of the rear window defroster. Ford has no recalls or bulletins and will not pay for second repair as it is out of warranty. I am concerned for the safety of people driving these vehicles and passengers they may have. There is no reason for this to happen once but twice is not acceptable. I was given nothing for my trouble and they are not researching this defect. Oh wait, I got a free oil change. …”

“My wife and I were commuting home when the rear windshield in our 2004 Escape shattered on its own; we were traveling approximately 70mph. We took it to the dealer and they informed us it's not covered under warranty saying, well...you guys must have hit something or something must have hit it because glass just doesn't shatter like that. Upon further insistance that it does, the dealer still refused to repair it under warranty and we can't believe this repair isn't covered (we just passed the 12,000 mile mark).”