Woke up to SHATTERED rear window in my 2017

[HolyDiver]

WTH!!! was cold and humid the night before so I turned on the front and rear defroster for the first time.

A burnt ceramic smell seeped into the cabin. I assumed since its the first time turning on the defrosters, that the smell was remnants from the CCB burnishing procedure I performed when I first received the car.

I leave, do my thing, returned and parked. The next day, around noon, I find the window in this state!

Any ideas on what happened? How do I prevent this? I would have guessed the difference in temp from night to day (cold moist night, transitioning to a hot windless day), but my car has spent many days under the sun before without a tarp and no such disaster happened.

My guess is the rear defroster had something to do with it, since it was the only variable that changed.

30765

[Voice of Reason]

Do a search of defroster here and contact your dealer. The defroster shorted out against the carbon fiber and the shattered window is the result.

[Bruce H.]

Several first year Gen V's experienced the same. Cause was rear hatch CF touching and shorting the defroster wires. Fix was to make sure during build that there was enough space between CF and wires. Looks like somebody goofed on yours. Warranty is good to have.

Everybody should test by using their defrosters while they still have warranty.

Edit; Oops, VOR beat me to it. Dude, you are FAST!

[Policy Limits]

Fuse #20, still need to pull mine out. It's 30 amps. It doesn't appear anything else is tied into it. Frustrating, hope it's sorted soon. Keep us posted as the difference now is production has ceased and I'm curious on the time component to get parts for warranty work.

[HolyDiver]

Warranty wont cover, US spec, I imported mine to Abu Dhabi.

Local dealership has been very good with service and whatnot, but I'll have to get my insurance to cover.

At least my dealer said that it will guarantee the new glass and installation.

Still, if my dealer is unaware of this issue, another broken glass would be a huge bummer.

Pulling out fuse #20 you say will disable the defroster?

Scary, hope this is the last of my factory issues...

THanks for the quick replies guys!

[2016ACR]

Same happened to me last fall with my 2016 ACR. Be sure they check for burn marks on the carbon fiber. The dealer had to replace the complete rear deck, under warranty, after finding burn marks in the upper left corner of the window frame. Although fixed, I pulled the fuse for the rear window defroster, its on its own circuit. Good luck with the repair/replacement.

[HolyDiver]

Hmm.. ACR you say. I Saw another one in UAE had the same problem. Maybe the ACR removal of the trunk interior panels has something to do with it.

[Dman]

Yea this is a ‘patented’ gen5 potential issue. We’ve seen this happen for years now. A visual inspection before pressing the defroster button for the first time will avoid the issue. FCA should’ve issued a client satisfaction campaign on this since it’s just a visual inspection to avoid it, vs the alternative of the exploding rear windscreen. Any one with any year gen5, any model, should do the visual inspection to make sure a short won’t occur, or like posted above, many have just pulled the fuse. Good luck on the repair, real pain, but hey, there are worst things, so other than the time to get parts, pretty easy. Beautiful car!

[Coloviper]

We’re you rocking some Dio on the stereo? Ronnie can shatter all glass! Ha! Ha!

Seriously though, it is a known issue of a tight connection too. Yours might not have had the recall completed as there is a TSB for it. Nothing you did wrong, just a bad design. Viper isn’t the only one with these issues either. Some GMC trucks also had shattering issues. Good luck, hope it gets fixed right.

[John N]

There is a preventative fix for this that all dealers should have info on. They essentially apply an epoxy-type mix (described as similar to JB Weld consistency) to the leads up at the corner of the glass and that adds some extra insulation to the connection. Suggest asking for this service next time car is in, and yes it is covered.

[7TH_SIGN]

You didn't do anything wrong. It's a known issue with these cars unfortenitly. Sucks man.

[swexlin]

Strange that it didn't happen right away - I know some (most?) it happened within seconds of turning it on. I have know idea if mine is an issue or not. I bought the car with 7200 miles on it - I would think the first owner may have used it? I just don't use mine - a passenger turned it on briefly once, I freaked and hit the off button. Maybe 5 seconds it was on.

It has happened to some Ford Raptors as well. So it not just us....

[Scot@Prefix]

There is a TSB on it, and should be covered under warranty, the back glass is readily available.
As many Vipers as we get through the shop i have only personally seen one that had an issue.

[ACR Steve]

Welcome to the club. It was arching on the CF . Small piece of rubber tape would stop it but factory seems to have forgotten

[IHOP]

Several first year Gen V's experienced the same. Cause was rear hatch CF touching and shorting the defroster wires. Fix was to make sure during build that there was enough space between CF and wires. Looks like somebody goofed on yours. Warranty is good to have.

Everybody should test by using their defrosters while they still have warranty.


Great tip, here in Az I would have never thought to try this!

[darbgnik]

Several first year Gen V's experienced the same. Cause was rear hatch CF touching and shorting the defroster wires. Fix was to make sure during build that there was enough space between CF and wires. Looks like somebody goofed on yours. Warranty is good to have.

Everybody should test by using their defrosters while they still have warranty.

Edit; Oops, VOR beat me to it. Dude, you are FAST!

Great suggestion Bruce. Best to try to pick a time you wont need your car if you're the nervous type, the hit the rear defrost, and drive around with Rebel Rouser playing on the stereo. lol.

Or, if you're the extra nervous type, visually inspect the entire edge around the hatch for proximity. The be nervous no more!

[Mark1107]

Can someone please show me with a picture where is the fuse box, what fuse to pull? Where do you put the epoxy tape? (I’m pretty slow on the uptake)

[sharmut]

Can someone please show me with a picture where is the fuse box, what fuse to pull? Where do you put the epoxy tape? (I’m pretty slow on the uptake)

I removed mine. Fuse #20, a Pink 30 amp, located in the middle row, third from the top near the + cable. Don't recall but the owners manual might have an image of the fuse panel.

[kuishe]

I removed mine. Fuse #20, a Pink 30 amp, located in the middle row, third from the top near the + cable. Don't recall but the owners manual might have an image of the fuse panel.

Was yours super tight? Mine was when I tried so I gave up from being afraid of snapping it haha!

[pMak26]

Can someone please show me with a picture where is the fuse box, what fuse to pull? Where do you put the epoxy tape? (I’m pretty slow on the uptake)

Fuse box is under the hood. When you remove the cover to the box look on the underside, it has location of each fuse clearly marked.

[512BB]

Can someone post a picture of where the defroster can short against the carbon fiber hatch?

Much appreciated.

[AZTVR]

Can someone post a picture of where the defroster can short against the carbon fiber hatch?

Here is a link to the Technical Service Bulletin posted in another thread to download TSB 23-019-14 : https://driveviper.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26399&d=1497458223

[ayousef]

hope you're getting the issue fixed! If you ever drive to Dubai lets have a cup of coffee and talk about cars, goodluck.

[512BB]

Here is a link from another thread to download TSB 23-019-14 https://driveviper.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26399&d=1497458223

Thank you sir, you are a Gentleman and a Scholar :-)

[Jack B]

Fuse #20 is the EBL or electronic back light grid. When that fuse is pulled does that affect any of the lights in the rear.

[ViperTony]

Detailed info on the rear window defroster can be found in this thread. https://driveviper.com/forums/threads/10545-WARNING-2013-Vipers-Built-Before-08-12-13-Defroster-Issue/page2?highlight=defroster
Attached is the Technical Bulletin on the issue, it was released in 2014 for 2013 Vipers. Nonetheless, this issue has effected even 2016 Vipers. Thanks Mark Jorgensen for providing this detail.