2013 Ford F-150 Visibility Problems

Was running the rear defrost and the passenger side of the rear window made a loud popping noise and shattered on the inside. Window stayed in one piece but cracked everywhere.

NHTSA ID

11724097

Incident

Mar 13, 2026

Turned on my rear defroster to melt ice and snow. As I was sitting in a drive-thru, just 15 minutes later, I saw smoke coming from the bottom edge of the rear window. At first I thought it was the exhaust but then realized that it was too thick. Within 30 seconds there was a pop, like a gunshot. The rear glass had shattered both inside and out. I pulled the truck over to the side and I could see smoke residue on the glass that was still being held in by the moulding. Then I noticed part of the moulding had actually melted. I went online to research and saw this was a problem with this model. Some people have actually lost their trucks to fire when using remote start. Ford should be held responsible to pay for this issue as this is a SAFETY HAZARD both due to fire risk and secondly due to the hazard of shattering glass in the back seat. How many children in the back seat need to be killed or maimed in order for a recall? How many fires must occur before FORD takes responsibility for this design flaw? And, it is a design flaw, as many have had the glass replaced only for it to happen again. The solution of having the back window replaced and unplugging the defroster should not be the burden of the consumer; the onus should be on Ford.

NHTSA ID

11704923

Incident

Dec 12, 2025

Rear view mirror camera system. The camera continuously will turn on then go to a blue screen while in reverse. It may show the rear of the truck at times but again turns back to a blue screen while reversing. It is a safety concern while reversing the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11694173

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Driving to work this morning after remote starting my truck due to cold weather. 10 minutes into driving, the driver side of the 3-piece power slide rear glass shattered with no impact or any other damage. Online searching indicates it is a frequent problem and likely caused by the rear glass defroster.

NHTSA ID

11625029

Incident

Nov 13, 2024

2013 Ford F150 crew cab back window shatters when defroster activated. When I pushed the defrost button the window on the back drivers side shattered. This is a major safety concern.

NHTSA ID

11557059

Incident

Nov 27, 2023

On my way to work I turned on the rear defrost and heard a loud bang after 15 minutes. I pulled over to see what had happened and the read driver side windshield pain had shattered. it remained in the laminate but I got a replacement quote and its almost $1000 dollars. After doing research this is a major problem with the defrost mechanism on these trucks with no known fix. I'm glad it stayed in take but the glass is continuously cracking as I drive and i cannot get the repair done until Thursday and the dealer said they can do nothing except replace the glass and hope it doesn't happen again.

NHTSA ID

11511239

Incident

Mar 10, 2023

The rear glass on the drivers side shattered for no reason.

NHTSA ID

11507791

Incident

Feb 16, 2023

Driver side rear window shattered with no impact. Vehicle had been remote started with rear defroster on. Approximately 30 seconds after driving, I heard a loud pop and stopped vehicle. After inspecting, the driver side rear glass of the vehicle had “spider webbed” and shattered.

NHTSA ID

11506959

Incident

Feb 11, 2023

Sunroof / moonroof went to a 3rd party company in business for over 50 years and have had several ford f-150 vehicles with same sunroof issues that come in weekly. Ford specialist was able to give me a description of the issue and due to pricing shopped around and found out I am not the only one having this sunroof issue with screws coming off and sun roof getting Stuck all the time.

NHTSA ID

11505815

Incident

Feb 6, 2023

rear window shattered while parked.. big bang and shattered window... ive seen many other reports with the same problem. due to maybe rear window defrost.

NHTSA ID

11499519

Incident

Dec 30, 2022

sitting in truck that was off and heard a loud crack. looked around and the rear drivers side window was shattered. nothing hit it and defrost was not on. just shattered for no reason. 30 degree F out

NHTSA ID

11498022

Incident

Dec 16, 2022

This morning I was driving down the road and I heard a pop from the rear window. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the right side of the rear window was shattered. I thought it might have been something from the road, however I didn't see and visible evidence of something hitting the window. Not long before this happened I did turn on the rear defrost. After a Google search, I see the rear defrost has been a common problem for these trucks. Not cool because the window is $1000 to replace now!

NHTSA ID

11463686

Incident

May 6, 2022

This morning (45 degrees F) I remote-started the truck to warm it up. As I strapped in my 5 year old into his carseat (Which does not contact the rear window at any point), We were startled by a load pop as the driver's side rear window broke. I immediately walked to the back of the truck to inspect and a small amount of smoke was raising from the bottom right side of that window where it meets the frame. I believe the rear window defroster was the cause of it. This happened 6 inches from my son's head..

NHTSA ID

11446880

Incident

Jan 10, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the moon roof failed to close securely. The contact used a tarp to cover the moon roof. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the moon roof assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,861.

NHTSA ID

11443246

Incident

Aug 1, 2021

Mileage

72,861 mi

I was driving down the street around 7am, it was about 54 degrees outside and the portion of my rear window behind the driver seat exploded, sounded like a gun shot. I pulled over and I could hear sizzling and saw steam/smoke coming from a seam in the window so I got back in and turned off my rear defroster and the sizzling went away. I am concerned this will happen again after I get the window fixed or worse, I am worried my truck could go up in flames with my wife or kids in it.

NHTSA ID

11439755

Incident

Nov 7, 2021

Driving down the road at 40mph on the way to work this morning. Turned on the rear window defroster and about 2 minutes later, the driver side panel of the back tempered glass window spontaneously shattered. There is no evidence of any obvious defect to either side of the window. An impact wouldn't be possible given I was driving forward at 40 mph. I have looked online and seen message boards full of similar reports but don't see any recalls. I wanted to add my report to the numbers as this is ridiculous and I now have to pay $800 to have something replaced that definitely appears to be a known manufacturer defect.

NHTSA ID

11436491

Incident

Oct 12, 2021

The contact owns a A.R.E. Z series Truck Cap (n2497015) connected to a 2013 Ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the driver side window on the truck cap flew off. The contact mentioned two years later, the passenger side window flew off the truck cap. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the diagnosis was undetermined. The driver-side window was repaired. The manufacturer of the equipment was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11434676

Incident

Jun 5, 2019

Mileage

70,000 mi

THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER STOPPED WORKING (WINTER). IN RESEARCHING THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE REAR DEFROSTER ISSUE WE FOUND OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN COUNTLESS STORIES & POSTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY DETAILING SPECIFICALLY THE ISSUE WE WERE EXPERIENCING WITH THE DEFROSTER AND REALIZING THIS WAS A KNOW ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. THERE WERE COUNTLESS STORIES, MANY HARROWING ACCOUNTS OF BROKEN REAR WINDOWS DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE ENGINEERING TO REPAIR AS WELL AS WAY TOO MANY STORIES WITH CUSTOMERS HAVING TO DEAL WITH LOCAL AND NATIONAL FORD REPRESENTATIVES TO TRY TO ADDRESS THE OBVIOUS ENGINEERING ISSUE. WHILE I MAY AGREE THIS MAY BE A PERSONAL OBSERVATION, THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY OCCURRENCES OF THIS PROBLEM OCCURRING ACROSS MULTIPLE MODEL YEARS FOR FORD LEADERSHIP TO NOT BE CONCERNED WITH THIS ISSUE AND DOING SOMETHING TO FACILITATE THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO ADDRESS THE DEFECT.

NHTSA ID

11414784

Incident

Nov 1, 2020

Mileage

92,500 mi

FORD F150 REAR DEFROST SHATTERED REAR DRIVER SIDE WINDOW AFTER REMOTE START POSING SAFETY RISK TO VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.

NHTSA ID

11405048

Incident

Mar 17, 2021

Mileage

65,500 mi

STARTED MY TRUCK WITH AUTO START AND REAR DEFROST CRACKED MY BACK DRIVER SIDE GLASS.

NHTSA ID

11404307

Incident

Mar 22, 2021

Mileage

64,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REMOTE START WAS USED START THE VEHICLE AND ACTIVATE THE DEFROSTER HOWEVER, THE REAR WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER SHATTERED THE REAR WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT INFORMED OXMOOR FORD LINCOLN (100 OXMOOR LN, LOUISVILLE, KY 40222) OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE DEFROSTER. THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11403306

Incident

Mar 16, 2021

Mileage

180,000 mi

ON 02/20/2021 PARKED MY VEHICLE IN MY DRIVEWAY. ALL GLASS WAS FINE AND INTACT. MORNING OF 02/21/2021 I REMOTE STARTED MY TRUCK TO LEAVE. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAS CHANGED OVER NIGHT OR THE MORNING OF, TRUCK IS SITTING EXACTLY WHERE I PARKED IT. NO ADVERSE WEATHER. A FEW MINUTES LATER I AM PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND I LOOK INTO MY REVIEW MIRROR AND SEE MY DRIVER'S SIDE, BACK WINDOW GLASS COMPLETELY SHATTERED. I KNOW NOTHING HAS HIT IT FROM THE INSIDE, PLUS THE VERY LARGE HEADREST IS IN POSITION AND PROTECTS MOST OF THAT WINDOW FROM THE INSIDE. I KNOW NOTHING COULD HAVE HIT FROM THE OUTSIDE AS A I HAVE A PROPERLY FITTED CENTURY CAP ON THE BED OF THE TRUCK AND THIS PROTECTS THE GLASS FROM BEING STRUCK ON THE OUTSIDE. I LOOK UP INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET AND FIND MANY MANY COMPLAINTS OF THIS VERY ISSUE OCCURRING IN MULTIPLE YEARS OF F150'S AND MANY SIMILARLY RELATED TO REMOTE START, WINDOW DEFROSTER, ALLEGATIONS. I CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING THAT RECOGNIZES THIS AS A RECALL YET. SEVERAL ARTICLES OR VIDEOS I SAW RECOMMENDED A COMPLAINT THROUGH HERE. THIS MANY TRUCKS, SAME ISSUE, SAME MAKE, MODELS AND QUITE A YEAR SPAN. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11397203

Incident

Feb 21, 2021

Mileage

170,000 mi

I WAS TRAVELING AT 65MPH CRUISE CONTROL ON. NOT A ROUGH ROAD AND NO OTHER TRAFFIC. TURNED ON REAR DEFROST TO CLEAR SNOW ON REAR GLASS THAT WAS BLOWING UP FROM THE BED. THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR GLASS PANEL SHATTERED. THERE WAS NO VEHICLE FLEX OR IMPACT TO THE WINDOW.

NHTSA ID

11396720

Incident

Feb 17, 2021

Mileage

81,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE SLIDING REAR WINDOW PANEL LOCATED ON THE DRIVER SIDE SUDDENLY SHATTERED. DURING THE FAILURE, THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER HAD BEEN ACTIVATED AND THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS BELOW 30 DEGREES. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.*DT

NHTSA ID

11386911

Incident

Jan 7, 2021

Mileage

68,000 mi

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND A MESSAGE POPS UP ON THE SCREEN. IT SAYS "STEERING ASSIST FAULT". IT SHOULD HAVE SAID OMG DON'T PANIC AND SLOW THE TRUCK TO A COMPLETE STOP AND TRY NOT TO DIE BECAUSE YOU HAVE LOST ALL OF YOUR STEERING CAPABILITIES. I COULD NOT IMAGINE IF I WAS AROUND TOO MANY VEHICLES OR ONE OF MY CHILDREN WERE DRIVING THE TRUCK. THIS IS SUCH A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN THAT ALL F150S WITH THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL REPAIRED. WITH ALL OF THE SAFETY MEASURES AND COMPANIES SUCH AS YOU GUYS WHY ON EARTH IS THIS TRULY LIFE THREATENING ISSUE ALLOWED? APPARENTLY, THE 2013 MODEL IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM? THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS AND MANY EASILY FOUND FORUMS TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THERE HAS TO BE DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO THIS ISSUE. FOR WHAT IS WORTH THE OTHER ISSUES ARE NONLIFE-THREATENING BUT NOLESS ANNOYING AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. I HAVE TWO 2013 F150 FORDS AND BOTH HAVE HAD THEIR REAR WINDOWS REPLACED DUE TO THE DEFROST BREAKING. THE LARIAT HAS HAD IT'S REPLACED TWICE, TWICE! BOTH TRUCKS HAVE HAD THEIR SUNROOF GUTS REPLACED. ONE ALMOST FLEW OFF THE VEHICLE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. COMPLAINTS AND FORUMS GALORE TALK ABOUT ALL THREE OF THESE ISSUES.

NHTSA ID

11385471

Incident

Dec 28, 2020

Mileage

115,000 mi