Rear defroster problems

[morzh]

I do onot know how common they are. I suspect they could be.

Just as my 3 years have passed (was i smart having bought an extended warranty, or what....having experience with famous Jeep reliability, I thought I had to) I found my rear defroster was not working. Unfortunately it only manifested itself when we had freezing temps which came after my regular warranty had just expired.
I started with the fuse which was OK. Today, armed with a DMM, a screwdriver and pliers, I went to investigate further, but it became a very short investigation, as as soon as I looked at the harness, I found the passenger side defroster wire, that comes to the glass, hanging loose, the solder connection between the fastener contact and the solder pad on the glass being broken. Funny thing is, the solder looks shiny and smooth which is not how a usual broken solder would look. Almost as if it heated up and desoldered itself. Except there is nothing to short there, and the fuse is OK.
I would even cancel the appointment and solder it myself, but with cold temps outside and lack of a larger than a lab Weller 40W iron, I doubt I could do a good job soldering it back in place. My extended should cover everything so, I hope, they will fix it.


How many of you have experienced defroister issues? I ifound several complaints.

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[martoaj]

This 29 page thread of people with the exact problem would indeed confirm "it's not just you"

I'm having mine fixed in a couple days. Fully expect it'll fall off again by next winter

 

[BXFXJeep]

Same thing happened with my 2018 JL, I was going to trade it in shortly, so I left it as is.

 

[Dan M.]

It is fairly common. ALso, there are reports of people trying to fix it themselves and the rear window shattering when they turn on the defroster. If you have the extended warranty, let the dealer mess with it.

 

[GtX]

Get some 37s and you won't be able to see out the window so won't need to defrost it.

Win, Win.

 

[morzh]

It is fairly common. ALso, there are reports of people trying to fix it themselves and the rear window shattering when they turn on the defroster. If you have the extended warranty, let the dealer mess with it.

Agree. I am sure they tried soldering, and created local stresses in glass.
Adhesive won't do it, but then is not as reliable as good solder (I am sure this is bad solder).
Soldering on glass requires preheating much larger area around it, and it is hard, especially during winter.

 

[morzh]

defrost

What's 37?
And....I can paint it black,, and rely on camera.

 

[58Willys]

Loctite Abelstik 3888, is an electrically conductive epoxy. I used it to fix my broken defroster wire.

 

[morzh]

The conclusion (and hopefully the end) of this story: I went to my dealership and they fixed it. Yes, for free! The extended warranty took care of it. To my question "how much I would have to pay to do it here, were it not for the extended warranty" the answer was "about $200". Well, the price I'd pay for the kit and the trouble of doing it in the winter by myself.....yes, it took 2-1/2 hrs of which 2 hrs was getting the warranty approval (I have Zurich), 10 minutes check-in and 20 minutes the repair itself. I am not going to complain.

And, yes, they do not solder, they also use metal epoxy. I guess the soldering is only possible at the factory (and they, obviously, at least at Chrysler, do not achieve stellar results in doing so). Being and electronics man myself, I think soldering would take pre-heating the whole glass pane, so not to create local stresses in the glass when soldering, and then use some soldering paste and a heat gun, to do it properly. And it would take me, with preparation and during good weather, at least as much time as it took to visit the dealership.

 

[TXWRANGLER20]

I do onot know how common they are. I suspect they could be.

Just as my 3 years have passed (was i smart having bought an extended warranty, or what....having experience with famous Jeep reliability, I thought I had to) I found my rear defroster was not working. Unfortunately it only manifested itself when we had freezing temps which came after my regular warranty had just expired.
I started with the fuse which was OK. Today, armed with a DMM, a screwdriver and pliers, I went to investigate further, but it became a very short investigation, as as soon as I looked at the harness, I found the passenger side defroster wire, that comes to the glass, hanging loose, the solder connection between the fastener contact and the solder pad on the glass being broken. Funny thing is, the solder looks shiny and smooth which is not how a usual broken solder would look. Almost as if it heated up and desoldered itself. Except there is nothing to short there, and the fuse is OK.
I would even cancel the appointment and solder it myself, but with cold temps outside and lack of a larger than a lab Weller 40W iron, I doubt I could do a good job soldering it back in place. My extended should cover everything so, I hope, they will fix it.


How many of you have experienced defroister issues? I ifound several complaints.

I had the same thing happen on my 2020, the dealer did fix it and so far, it is holding up.

 

[OldBlue]

What's 37?

37" tires.

 

[morzh]

37" tires.

Oh that....well....my purpose is to see the tree that I have to not to drive into, when backing up (I do not trust the rear cam). That tree can be viewed with pretty much any size tires, even the quarry truck ones.

 

[morzh]

Well, it is not working again. 1-1/2 month later. A frosted window, and no defrosting.
The wires seem to be attached.

I took the meter, started the car, turned the RWD on and put the leads on the exposed metal pads near the button contacts. There were some scratched places from the shop prepping them for epoxy application, so there shouldn't've been any bad connection to the leads.
The meter showed exactly 0V. I had the meter on the DC volts.

I checked the fuse (#81) - it is good.
My insurance explicitly says the RWD is covered, so it still should be free for me, but trips to the dealership are a nuisance.

Any other place I should check? A relay perhaps? I am willing only put so much effort into it, considering the service will be free, but still....

 

[OldBlue]

Loctite Abelstik 3888

That's good to know, I'll have to try it. Rear window was replaced on the wife's JLU shortly after purchase for the same issue. It's broken off again, and since it's out of warranty, maybe this epoxy will do the trick.

 

[morzh]

Well, checked once more. The resistance to GND of the heat grid is 5 ohms on one side and 4 ohms on the other, so the resistance of the grid is 1 Ohm.
The voltage is applied, it is 14.5V. So it is about 180W heater. But. It is exact same Voltage (to a millivolt) on both ends. My feeling is, the GND wire is open.
And there could be a reson for it: when I repaired it the 1st time, then in 2 weeks I had to go for a leak repair, and they had to lift the roof or part of it, and the GND wire goes in it. I wonder if the "water doctor" unmated the connector and forgot to re-mate it.

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