was having birthday supper for husband and neighbor knocked on the door and said we better go look at our truck. She was outside when this happened and said it just exploded. We went to view our vehicle and the back liftgate window was all over the ground in pieces. There was nobody around, it just exploded. It was not even that cold outside. For Canadian complaints please look up a vin decoder and find out where your vehicle was made. I bought mine in Ontario Canada however my truck was made in the missouri plant.

Have not had window fixed yet, as I do believe this should be fords responsibility not ours. I do not feel it matters whether it is warranty or not it is obviously a defect of some kind....one ford dealership had actually heard of this happening, and had one repaired as little as two weeks ago, and he said it was a interior cabin pressure issue. Again this would be a flaw in the design and a ford problem not a customer problem.

Still waiting but it is looking like I may have to go to a lawyer! :(

Update from Feb 7, 2013: so just to update my situation.....from Dec 6,2012 to date Feb.8,2013 my back window is still in plastic, and ford telling me not their problem so it looks like a lawsuit to me as this is not somthing that I feel should be a customer issue. Will keep you updated as it changes

Update from Feb 7, 2013: so just to update my situation.....from Dec 6,2012 to date Feb.8,2013 my back window is still in plastic, and ford telling me not their problem so it looks like a lawsuit to me as this is not somthing that I feel should be a customer issue. Will keep you updated as it changes

Update from Feb 8, 2013: OK...so now I am just done with Ford. This was my first Ford and I really loved my Escape, now I just want to take it back to the dealership and blow it up. I would not of course do this, but am so frustrated. So 2 months after window exploding, still not fixed, Ford I believe stalled til I was out of warrenty as I was close when this happened, and now having electrical issues with truck not holding a charge. Have had to be boosted 3 times now this week with new battery, and twice last week. What the hell is ford doing? I have looked back and these have been ongoing issues....this law suit just keeps getting bigger by the day....this is BS....I am done....I will NEVER buy another Ford again....not even if they give it to me would I take one again. I went with a Ford in 2010 as I needed a new vehicle, and toyota had so many recalls and the recession had hit others soooo bad I thought well Ford has stood true through it all....now wonder if they were sacrificing on bad parts to stay on top....hate to think that but what the hell are they doing, really....I have had 15 year old vehicles that I have never had to replace a starter or alternator much less have the window blow out on me and I drive for a living....REALLY FORD? And you tell customers out of warrenty that it is their problem....bad on you ford....gonna loose a lot of customers.....I personally am going to papers with this as well as law suit....someone needs to teach them they cannot push around customers just because they are the Big guys! BAD BAD BAD FOR BUSINESS FORD!!!!!!!

Pulled the truck into the garage for the night and opened the back door hatch to remove our purchases. When I shut the back door hatch there was an explosion and glass all over the garage. The hydraulic window arms are now sticking out where the window used to be; it was like they did not slide up and literally shattered the window when I tried to close the hatch, which is weird, because I never use that window.

Sure glad my dogs weren't in the car when the glass went -- would have scared them half to death.

Was about - 5C out. Car had been running for about 10 minutes to warm up. Heater was on and so was front defroster. Car was blowing warm air from heater. I put the window and rear defroster on, as well as my seat warmer as I sat in the car waiting for my husband. I was sitting in the car for at least 5 minutes minding my own business, when suddenly the back window EXPLODED for no reason. It wasn't like it just shattered, it exploded, mostly outward with pieces reaching at least 3 feet. It was hard to see them all in the dark and the snow. Will try to get them all gathered up today because my horses walk this path and the last thing I need is glass in a hoof. Ford is closed today for New Years holiday, but thanks to this website, and all the complaints I've printed off, I plan on NOT PAYING for this repair. I'll update it when it's fixed.

After getting groceries last night, I gently closed my tailgate. (NOT the glass, the tailgate). As soon as the gate latched, the back glass exploded inwards like it just got shot. My vehicle is 15 months old.

After taking it to our local Ford dealership this morning, the service manager said this was not covered under warranty and despite the fact that it is clearly a MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT, I now had to file an insurance claim. Hardly seems like my insurance should go up just because I closed my tailgate........Way to go, Ford!

This morning I was loading up our vehicle to take my husband to work and our 8 month old daughter was already fastened in her car seat in the back. My husband pulled her stroller outside for me and ran inside to get my sunglasses. I turned the car on, as it rained during the night, so I could run the wipers on the front and back windows.

I noticed that there was water on the inside of the back window and I was really annoyed because this had been already "fixed" by the dealership only a couple months prior. I jumped out, opened the back and touched the window....Yup, sure enough the seal was broken again!

I loaded the stroller in the back and shut the hatch and just as it closed there was a very loud explosion and I had glass flying at me! It went all over our parking lot, all over me and all over the inside of the trunk area. I rushed to my baby and luckily the glass never made it that far into the vehicle. It took my husband a hour to clean up all the glass from the parking lot and off our stroller, still have to vacuum that though.

After securing a babysitter I took the car to the dealership where they took photos and told me they would have to contact Ford to get approval to fix the window. Only just over 3 hours laters the service department called me to tell me that they had approved repair but would be end of the next day. I asked if we would get a loaner car and was told no because the car is still drivable...in our rainy season.....I AM NOT DRIVING THAT AND RUINING MY INTERIOR!

I was transferred to my sales rep who sold the car to us and he is setting up a demo for us to drive until the car is fixed. He said this is the 2nd car in the last month that this has happened to and that he is shocked they approved the repair so fast, so clearly Ford knows there is a problem. He will be looking into it further just so he knows about it. If Ford knows about this, why no recall on these windows yet, HUH HUH HUH.......

Are they going to wait until a child is seriously injured before they do something to change how these vehicles are being built

I drove my daughter and 3 yr old twin grandsons over to our property on the Olympic Peninsula from Seattle, taking the Bremerton Ferry so we would have less drive time. It was a beautiful, sunny 70 degree day and we arrived at 7:30pm. After unpacking the Escape, I close the back hatch and it exploded into a million pieces with glass flying 10 feet in all directions. The twins were standing close by and for some miraculous reason, none of us were hit by the the flying glass. There wasn't any reason for this to happen and we were shocked beyond belief! Glass was all over the back of the vehicle, in the pebbled driveway and bushes and still hanging from the window frame. The struts were just hanging outside the vehicle as well and it looked like a bomb had gone off in there! It took my daughter and I hours to clean up all the glass and it it still all over my property and a real safety hazard now. I am calling my lawyer tomorrow and will then decide on the right action to take after reading all of the complaints regarding this issue.

Saturday, December 4, 2010 - Visiting my folks in Quebec City alone with my 2 young kids and the minute I got there and emptied the trunk, the rear window exploded in a million pieces when I closed the rear latch. Of course it was Saturday afternoon and Ford dealers don't work on week-ends. I came back to Montreal with my 2 kids (250 km away) on the highway with a new found air conditioner....and it's WINTER!!!!! Kids had had and gloves on the entire ride.

Thank you to everyone to take the time to post this....hope Ford sees that this is a real problem and does a recall.

We had snow in my area, and I went down to clear off my car. I turned it on to melt some of the snow, and opened my tailgate to grab my snowbrush. When I closed the hatch, the rear window exploded. It took me a minute just to absorb what had happened; I couldn't believe it! A mess of glass everywhere, and now I have no rear windshield in the middle of winter. I contacted the dealer, who needs to check to find out if it's covered by the warranty (the car is only 8 months old). If they make me pay for it or tell me to go through insurance, so help me I will follow it up to the president of the company. Absolutely ridiculous.

Update from Jan 24, 2011: The dealer is fixing the car at no charge and gave me a rental - apparently there's a service bulletin out on this problem. I suppose I should be grateful given others' experiences, but I have now had to drive a subcompact during the worst 2 weeks of winter we've had since I moved to NH while I make payments on the car that I bought for the sole purpose of driving in the snow. To say I'm displeased with Ford would be a substantial understatement.

Second occurrence!!! Back window exploded again after it was replaced within a few weeks. I was at work talking with two other individuals and placing things in the back. I closed the whole hatch and the glass exploded in our faces with a loud bang! Startled, cut and bleeding - I was furious! The mess needed to be cleaned up all over again before I could even leave. I drove the vehicle right to Ford and demanded to meet with the manager and sales director who sold me the truck. I explained how truly upset, scared, angry, and disheartened I was with this second explosion. I didn't want to hear from them again that they "weren't sure what exactly happened" and they weren't going to cover this one. They seemed understanding, agreed it must be a defect, and said they never heard of such a thing. I stated I was afraid of the truck and I wanted a new one. They basically treated it like I was trading in my old one and were trying to put another sale in their back pockets from my misfortune. They offered me a 2011, with 66 brand new months of payments, at 100 more per month then what I was paying! I was OFFENDED. We discussed having an engineer look at my truck, repairing the back window with a "updated" replacement (they believe the problem is the striker bar) and cleaning up the mess and scratches on the inside and the outside of the vehicle. I also talked about the possibility of my giving the truck back to them and them "forgiving" the loan so I could go somewhere else - this option did not go over very well. I called my insurance agent, the insurance company, another dealership, a lawyer, and did some research online and came up with this great site. When I read the other complaints, I felt validated and relieved. The dealership is now telling me there is a service bulletin for this issue and they are trying to work with me but we disagree on what exactly should be done. More to come later I guess...

I was on my way to the YMCA with my toddler for a class. I closed the whole back hatch of the truck and the rear window just exploded with a loud bang!!! We both jumped nearly out of our skins and my toddler burst into tears. Glass (chunks and shards) were everywhere - in the driveway, in the garden, in the garage, and all inside the truck (gym bag, lunch bag, coats...) Ford explained that I needed to contact my insurance company and asked me if the heat was on in the vehicle. It was chilly but not freezing and the heat was on as I was warming the truck up. I explained that, that it really shouldn't matter and the glass should not have just exploded - I felt there was something just not right going on - like a defect. While they were replacing the glass, we went back and forth about the glass being covered by Ford, or my insurance company. Since we were sold a vehicle with "bumper to bumper" coverage and spent more money on an extended warranty, we believed Ford should have paid the 650.00 to have the glass replaced. It didn't happen. My insurance company covered it in the end. Then it happened again on December 9th with the new window - please see next complaint submitted.

We had just come home from the in-laws on Christmas day and after unloading everything for the back I closed the hatch and the window just exploded right in my face. Just called service and they said it was not covered because I closed the hatch too hard. I had a Ford Windstar for 15 years and closed it well over 1000 times, never even cracked the glass. Going to contact someone higher up as I have read over 50 cases of this on various sites and I would guess only 1 in 10 cases of this would end up on the net.

WTF.... I went to Walmart to pick up some groceries. I got in the car, put the groceries in the back seat. Turned on the car, and BOOM, the rear window just explodes out of nowhere. Scared the hell out of me! I just bought this car in April of this year, brand new off the lot. Calling the dealership first thing in the morning. Will keep you posted on dealers response.

Update from Jan 10, 2012: Sorry for the delay..... I called my insurance company and of course they said with the deductible it may has well be paid out of pocket. I called the FORD customer service office (as the dealership refused to pay or repair) that I found on the internet under corporate office. They advised they will fix the window and to take it back to the dealership. I took it the following day and Ford gave me a rental for 1 week while they waited for my new glass and repaired the window at no cost. They also advised me at the dealership that one of their showroom cars exploded right on the lot the next day after my initial call and that they had been trying to reach me to repair. This is obviously an issue with this vehicle. Do not let the dealer make you pay for it. Call the corporate office if your window explodes.

Update from Jan 10, 2012: Sorry for the delay..... I called my insurance company and of course they said with the deductible it may has well be paid out of pocket. I called the FORD customer service office (as the dealership refused to pay or repair) that I found on the internet under corporate office. They advised they will fix the window and to take it back to the dealership. I took it the following day and Ford gave me a rental for 1 week while they waited for my new glass and repaired the window at no cost. They also advised me at the dealership that one of their showroom cars exploded right on the lot the next day after my initial call and that they had been trying to reach me to repair. This is obviously an issue with this vehicle. Do not let the dealer make you pay for it. Call the corporate office if your window explodes.

Ford Corporate Headquarters: One American Road Suite 1026 Dearborn, MI 48126 Phone Number: (313) 322-3000

We were at a Thanksgiving Party and my nephew went outside to get something out of our car. When he closed the hatch the window exploded. The glass flew several feet.He was cold but not freezing. I have only had the car for 6 months. It is going to cost over 500.00 to fix it. We are in the process of finding out if it is covered under warranty.

Update from Nov 28, 2010: I took my car to the Ford dealership where I bought the car. They looked into it and told me there is a defect in the rear hatch. So I will not have to pay for the window.

The day after Thanksgiving, we were fully packed and ready to make the 200 mile journey home from my in laws. As we were standing in the driveway, the rear window just exploded. The car wasn't even on. My husband and father in law stood there in amazement. The struts were hanging out the window and the reverse light was dangling. I am very pissed as we had to take my mother in laws car home and leave mine there. The dealership is taking a look at it tomorrow and I am sure I will hear that I must pay to have it fixed. I have only owned the care 8 months. I will call every Tom, Dick and Harry I must at Ford. I'm sure nothing will happen, but I will drive them to insanity. Will report back when I hear what Ford says.

Update from Nov 29, 2010: Ford has admitted there is a flaw in the rear hatch glass. My car is at the dealership being fixed thank goodness.

Update from Dec 29, 2010: Took my car to the dealership and they seemed to not know anything about this. However, the next day I got a call from the dealer stating there is a defect in the rear glass and that Ford had to redesign it. Fortunately, Ford took care of it with no out of pocket expense to me. It did take 2 weeks to get fixed since they had to order the glass.

Upon closing the liftgate the rear glass exploded in our face (no one was hurt)...Glass flew 10 ft in and out of vehicle. My wife was closest and thought she may have a concussion, yeah it was that bad!...She took it to dealer next am, was told glass was NEVER covered by Ford and to file an ins claim. They made her stand there and file a claim by phone (on the way to work) and she was shuttled to the rental co...The dealer then called her and said not to get the car as Ford would cover it and to come back....In the interim I called the service mgr and asked him to check the TSBs, as I could not believe this wouldn't be covered...Sure enough, Ford issued a TSB on 11-9-10 for the 'exploding rear window'...He was very gracious and took care of getting my wife a vehicle (his car), and taking the revised glass and strut assy from a newly arrived Escape into my wife's car...It was done the same day...Not sure if any of this would have been resolved (certainly not this quickly!) if I hadn't hounded the svc mgr to check things more closely... He also related that another customer came into their Mercury dealership the same day with the same problem on a Mariner!..I have filed a complaint w/ NHTSA, as everyone should with this type of problem...Although the outcome of this so far is good, it did require a night of not being able to sleep, and four hours at the Ford dealer for my wife (and three calls to the svc mgr by me)...I think this is going to be a big problem for Ford, very unfortunately as this is our 5th Escape. We generally have loved these vehicles.

We were driving home, going no more than 30 mph. It was in the upper forties and calm. We didn't have the heat or rear defrost on. All of a sudden it sounded like a bomb went off in the car! We pulled over thinking some punk kid had thrown something threw the back window, but there was nothing and no one to be found. There was glass everywhere, mostly in the car, even the lifts were blown completely off the window.

I got the same reaction from the dealership that you all did. They told me it was the change in temperature (from cold to . . . ?) or there was a chip in the window. I can assure you there was no chip and no drastic change in temperatures. And, of course this is NOT a warranty issue and I had to file an insurance claim, because windows "don't just explode". The best I got out of the dealership was that they would reimburse me for my deductible.

This was a Budget rental car. I rented it in Maui Hawaii on 5/20/10. I drove my wife and daughter to the top of the Haleakala volcano crater on a paved highway in excellent condition in Haleakala National Park at 4:30 AM to watch the sunrise. Yes, we are crazy, but so were hundreds of other people already there when we arrived. The skies were clear, but wind was howling with 50 MPH gusts at the top, and it was 36 degrees, with a wind chill in the teens. On the way up, both front and rear window defrosters were activated near sea level to eliminate the interior fog. I manually turned off the front after it cleared a minute or two later, and I assume the rear shut off after a few minutes automatically. We spent about 90 minutes on top, and then headed back down. We stopped on the way down around 7 am to take more photos at about 4000 feet. The temperature there was approximately 55 degrees, with wind gusts of about 20 MPH (gusty enough to blow down my SLR Canon 20D that was mounted on a tripod - but that's another story). After taking the photos, I put the camera gear back into the cargo area and closed the tailgate door. Virtually immediately, the rear window exploded showering me, my family who were both inside, and all our camera gear, jackets, blankets, sandwiches and other foodstuffs etc. with slivers of glass. The struts both protruded outside the vehicle, and the electric wiper motor hung outside as well. I was fortunate that I was not struck by one of the struts as it expanded. I tried to compress the struts enough to put them back inside, but was apparently not strong enough (I am a 6'4" tall 230# male in good health).

We are still pulling glass slivers out of our bodies 2 days later. The clothing, food and blankets were ruined. The cargo area was nowhere near full, and nothing touched the glass or the door on the inside to cause it to explode. We spent two hours at the Budget rental agency vacuuming glass from our bodies, clothing, and gear. Budget says it is my fault since I have no witnesses other than my family members and me, who I guess are not deemed honest enough. I have been informed by Budget that my insurance company and I must pay. I contend that it was caused by a manufacturer's defect. Stay tuned.

I pushed the button on my key to open the glass rear window and it exploded in my face..small slivers of glass cut my hands, my feet, my face, etc...one of the arms from the glass sindow ended up outise and several feet from the car....glass up to 20 feet away...called the FORD Dealership where it came from....took it to service and they spent about 3 minutes looking at it and on the phone with the ZONE service manager and told me it wasn't a warranty issue...it would have to be covered by my insurance...they noted a dent above the window area...and said that something probably hit the car theree and caused the break. I left, mad of course. On the way home, it occurred to me that that dent was probablay caused by the impact of something flying out of the car when the glass exploded...andd then I see it all over the internet...unbelievable...

I closed the tailgate of the vehicle, and by the time I was 4-5 steps away, the rear window "exploded". I suspect the pressure exerted on the glass by the gas springs made it seem like an explosion. The springs were hanging out of the opening, and the wiper motor assembly was dangling. The glass traveled 10-12 feet from the tailgate in all directions, and a few feet internally. The outside temperature was about 34 F. I had driven the car 6-7 miles after about a 5-7 minute warm up, and used the rear wiper to clean the window during the trip. The car was parked for about 2 minutes when I opened the tailgate, removed a small package, and closed the tailgate.

This would have been a much bigger problem if it were raining or snowing because there's no easy way to protect cargo. i.e. tools and electronic test equipment.

This is a fleet vehicle, one of about 50 Escapes in the area. Another driver reported a shattered rear window after a snow storm, the temperature was in the low 20's (F) and the car hadn't been driven for 2 days. I relayed both incidents to the service rep at the dealer, but he insisted there were no issues with the rear window. Although, before he heard the whole story, he immediately assumed the rear defroster was in use at the time of the failure.

Recently, when opening/closing the tail gate (not the window), I noticed the passenger's side gas spring on the tailgate would slip or stick, or at least make a strange click/pop noise. This may have caused the tailgate to flex slightly putting extra stress on the glass. When the glass broke, I had just closed the tailgate using the one hand hold on the driver's side.

Full disclosure: Since 2001, I've driven a Windstar, Freestar, Freestyle, and a 2008 Escape, each for 2 years, and minimum 45,000 miles and never had any issues with the rear window. Although not all models had a rear window that opened.