Rear Window Shattered from Defective Rear Defogger

[migyb]

Hey everyone,

So like a lot of people, the tab of my defogger fell off. It was disconnected for awhile as I didn't bother taking it to the dealership since it was summer where I am.

A month ago, I decided to get it "fixed" by a dealership. I believe they used the conductive epoxy kit that the TSB recommends, rather than replacing the entire back glass. Made sense to me at that time... Quick fix, why not?

So fast forward to the present. I am on my break at work, my Jeep parked in the gated underground parking (which is for staff accessible). I went to get my lunch in my Jeep, and then got curious to try and see if the defogger worked (never tried it since the repair). I press the defogger button and went to the back to feel if the glass got warm - it did.

I thought awesome, it works again. I go back to the drivers seat to turn it off - I started to smell smoke/something burning. Next thing you know, all you hear is a big POP and glass falling onto the ground. Not a crack - just a clean instant shatter

Glass in thousands of pieces spontaneously - only pieces that stayed was because of some stickers I had on the window...

I took a video right away of the time and just voiced what happened just in case the dealership tries to be sneaky on me, as well as pictures.


Long story short, for those with tabs that have come off - I suggest to demand for a new rear window replacement/defogger unit. Do not take the risk of them using the epoxy kit, or attempt it yourself.

I would rather have a rear window with a broken tab than have no window at all!

Just thought I should post about it - Could be bad if it shatters near someone's face or while on the road..

Anyways - What should I say to the dealership? I just want to cover my bases - they might come back at me saying it was due to impact or theft (which is impossible from what happened).

Thanks guys!

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[chevymitchell]

Hey everyone,

So like a lot of people, the tab of my defogger fell off. It was disconnected for awhile as I didn't bother taking it to the dealership since it was summer where I am.

A month ago, I decided to get it "fixed" by a dealership. I believe they used the conductive epoxy kit that the TSB recommends, rather than replacing the entire back glass. Made sense to me at that time... Quick fix, why not?

So fast forward to the present. I am on my break at work, my Jeep parked in the gated underground parking (which is for staff accessible). I went to get my lunch in my Jeep, and then got curious to try and see if the defogger worked (never tried it since the repair). I press the defogger button and went to the back to feel if the glass got warm - it did.

I thought awesome, it works again. I go back to the drivers seat to turn it off - I started to smell smoke/something burning. Next thing you know, all you hear is a big POP and glass falling onto the ground. Not a crack - just a clean instant shatter

Glass in thousands of pieces spontaneously - only pieces that stayed was because of some stickers I had on the window...

I took a video right away of the time and just voiced what happened just in case the dealership tries to be sneaky on me, as well as pictures.


Long story short, for those with tabs that have come off - I suggest to demand for a new rear window replacement/defogger unit. Do not take the risk of them using the epoxy kit, or attempt it yourself.

I would rather have a rear window with a broken tab than have no window at all!

Just thought I should post about it - Could be bad if it shatters near someone's face or while on the road..

Anyways - What should I say to the dealership? I just want to cover my bases - they might come back at me saying it was due to impact or theft (which is impossible from what happened).

Thanks guys!

Start here: @JeepCares

 

[JeepCares]

Hey everyone,

So like a lot of people, the tab of my defogger fell off. It was disconnected for awhile as I didn't bother taking it to the dealership since it was summer where I am.

A month ago, I decided to get it "fixed" by a dealership. I believe they used the conductive epoxy kit that the TSB recommends, rather than replacing the entire back glass. Made sense to me at that time... Quick fix, why not?

So fast forward to the present. I am on my break at work, my Jeep parked in the gated underground parking (which is for staff accessible). I went to get my lunch in my Jeep, and then got curious to try and see if the defogger worked (never tried it since the repair). I press the defogger button and went to the back to feel if the glass got warm - it did.

I thought awesome, it works again. I go back to the drivers seat to turn it off - I started to smell smoke/something burning. Next thing you know, all you hear is a big POP and glass falling onto the ground. Not a crack - just a clean instant shatter

Glass in thousands of pieces spontaneously - only pieces that stayed was because of some stickers I had on the window...

I took a video right away of the time and just voiced what happened just in case the dealership tries to be sneaky on me, as well as pictures.


Long story short, for those with tabs that have come off - I suggest to demand for a new rear window replacement/defogger unit. Do not take the risk of them using the epoxy kit, or attempt it yourself.

I would rather have a rear window with a broken tab than have no window at all!

Just thought I should post about it - Could be bad if it shatters near someone's face or while on the road..

Anyways - What should I say to the dealership? I just want to cover my bases - they might come back at me saying it was due to impact or theft (which is impossible from what happened).

Thanks guys!

Hello there, we are terribly sorry to see that this happened! As our team is only able to assist customers within the United States, we recommend reaching out to Canadian Customer Care by calling 1-800-465-2001 for additional support. Thank you,

Kathryn
JeepCares

 

[JoeMarTitans]

Hey everyone,

So like a lot of people, the tab of my defogger fell off. It was disconnected for awhile as I didn't bother taking it to the dealership since it was summer where I am.

A month ago, I decided to get it "fixed" by a dealership. I believe they used the conductive epoxy kit that the TSB recommends, rather than replacing the entire back glass. Made sense to me at that time... Quick fix, why not?

So fast forward to the present. I am on my break at work, my Jeep parked in the gated underground parking (which is for staff accessible). I went to get my lunch in my Jeep, and then got curious to try and see if the defogger worked (never tried it since the repair). I press the defogger button and went to the back to feel if the glass got warm - it did.

I thought awesome, it works again. I go back to the drivers seat to turn it off - I started to smell smoke/something burning. Next thing you know, all you hear is a big POP and glass falling onto the ground. Not a crack - just a clean instant shatter

Glass in thousands of pieces spontaneously - only pieces that stayed was because of some stickers I had on the window...

I took a video right away of the time and just voiced what happened just in case the dealership tries to be sneaky on me, as well as pictures.


Long story short, for those with tabs that have come off - I suggest to demand for a new rear window replacement/defogger unit. Do not take the risk of them using the epoxy kit, or attempt it yourself.

I would rather have a rear window with a broken tab than have no window at all!

Just thought I should post about it - Could be bad if it shatters near someone's face or while on the road..

Anyways - What should I say to the dealership? I just want to cover my bases - they might come back at me saying it was due to impact or theft (which is impossible from what happened).

Thanks guys!

This exact same thing just happened to me yesterday.
Defogger tab was disconnected. Took to dealership for a fix and drive home - this was two weeks ago. Yesterday, I drive home and hit the defrost with foot heat. Get home and go inside. Shortly after, my father in law asks me what happened to my back window. Go outside and it is shattered into thousands of pieces. I like for a brick or anything g that would or could explain it - nothing. Then found your post. It was like I was reading my own incident.
Forward to today: go to dealership who says they won’t fix it because it’s past 12,000 mile warranty for window/glass bs. Called Chrysler and opened a claim. They escalated and have sent it to a manager. Chrysler told me to take it to the dealer and let them take pics so they (dealer) can file a claim. Dealer complied but said now it’s outta their hands. I would rather never have a defrost and keep the window. What a show.
I’m probably more upset about my stickers thank the broken glass. Dealer ordered the glass and said it should be 5-10 days before they can fix it. WTH!

 

[migyb]

Man that sucks. Sorry to hear that!
I hope that Chrysler covers it - it’s stupid how easy that tab comes off and it’s even more stupid that they can’t just replace the glass but the entire back assembly!

lucky for you, you only have to wait 5-10 days. To this day, I still haven’t received my replacement.. (though it’s covered)

it’s been 5 months.. first shipment came from Mexico and broke on its way here to Canada. Now I am hoping this second shipment doesn’t break! Dealer has no clue when it will arrive

 

[Gadgettr1]

Hello there, we are terribly sorry to see that this happened! As our team is only able to assist customers within the United States, we recommend reaching out to Canadian Customer Care by calling 1-800-465-2001 for additional support. Thank you,

Kathryn
JeepCares

My rear defrost has been fixed by the dealership once already. Today I just noticed that the wire is hanging again from the window. I do not want to end up with a broken rear window as this seems to be becoming a common event. This time of year in the Northeast (and without a garage), I do not want to risk a broken rear window. I plan on telling my dealership they need to replace the whole rear window. I have about 9100 miles on my 2020 JLUR plus I have the Mopar enhanced extended warranty. Is this going to be an issue?

 

[neil]

Man that sucks, mine works well, sure they will get it fixed.

But yea, those windows did get permanently defogged.

 

[migyb]

My rear defrost has been fixed by the dealership once already. Today I just noticed that the wire is hanging again from the window. I do not want to end up with a broken rear window as this seems to be becoming a common event. This time of year in the Northeast (and without a garage), I do not want to risk a broken rear window. I plan on telling my dealership they need to replace the whole rear window. I have about 9100 miles on my 2020 JLUR plus I have the Mopar enhanced extended warranty. Is this going to be an issue?

Yeah, not worth the risk to turn that defogger on!!

 

[Gadgettr1]

This is what it currently looks like....

 

[migyb]

This is what it currently looks like....

Yup, just like mine. If they connect it and they don’t do a good job, high chance that it will over heat and shatter the window

 

[JeepCares]

This is what it currently looks like....

Sorry to hear this! If you would like our assistance working with the dealer toward repairs, please reach out.

Kate
Jeep Cares

 

[Gadgettr1]

Sorry to hear this! If you would like our assistance working with the dealer toward repairs, please reach out.

Kate
Jeep Cares

The dealer has repaired it once already. After seeing how others have shattered I hope it'd just be replaced this time. Is that something you can assist with when I bring it back to the dealer if they just try to say they're going to repair it again? How do I contact you/have you contact the dealer to make that happen?

Chip

 

[JeepCares]

The dealer has repaired it once already. After seeing how others have shattered I hope it'd just be replaced this time. Is that something you can assist with when I bring it back to the dealer if they just try to say they're going to repair it again? How do I contact you/have you contact the dealer to make that happen?

Chip

Hey, Gadgettr1. Unfortunately, our team is not comprised of trained technicians so we do not provide repair suggestions to our dealer teams. That said, if you do visit, feel free to let them know which route you would prefer and see if they can accommodate. To contact us once you visit, just send a private message with any additional details. From there, we can create and escalate a case to a specialist for assistance. We will keep an eye out for your follow up!

Kate
Jeep Cares

 

[Crusifix]

Crazy. My passenger side plug is broken off. I noticed it over the weekend. At this point I am probably just going to not get it fixed. It isn't worth the hassle of the dealership screwing it up. I don't even trust them to install a new back glass. I may check with Safelite to see if they have a fix for it. At least they will back up their work.

 

[huyfishin]

My service advisor at my dealership is awesome. Before I even knew my defrost line popped off he ordered me a new back window right off the bat. Unfortunately it popped off on the new window as well. I don't think I will bother changing the window again. I drive forward and I don't look backwards. I use my mirrors and backup camera to back up anyways.

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