Rear window defogger Rear Glass Exploded

[TRH62]

Well fellow Viper owners it finally happened to me. I accidentally touched my rear window defogger button driving down the road over the weekend. I was using my running lights which dimmed out my center info panel and I just happened to touch the rear defogger button. I looked in the rearview mirror and the car was filled with smoke. So I pulled over and got out and raised the rear hatch to look at the situation. It wasn't 30 seconds till the rear glass exploded into a million pieces. I wish I had known about removing the fuse for the rear defogger so that this would have not had happened to me. Why in the hell wasn't there a recall to prevent this from happening??? What am I to do now? My car is a 2013 GTS. I believe that the manufacture should repair my damaged glass since this was a known problem no matter if it's still under warranty or not. I just called and spoke with my dealership and they have no recall or anything on it. I guess I'm supposed to just replace my glass and never ever use the rear window defogger on the car. What in the hell is up with that??? Sure would like to know what others in this situation did to resolve this problem other than just pull the fuse for it. Did you take it to the dealer to be repaired or have a glass company like Safelite or Glass of America do the repair? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[ACRucrazy]

I wish you luck! This is one area of the Gen V that drives me nuts. Not because it happens, but because owners often have to fight with FCA to get it taken care of! I hope the hatch is OK and not burned.

[Steve M]

Oh man that sucks. If it were me, I'd be fighting like hell to have this covered as some sort of latent defect. I'm pretty sure there is at least a TSB out there that addresses it, so they know it was/is a problem. It was primarily limited to the earlier Gen 5s, but it cropped up in some of the later years as well.

[Old School]

Is this only a Gen5 problem?

[Steve M]

Is this only a Gen5 problem?

Yes.

[ViperTony]

This was a TSB from 2014. However, while it was for 2013 models, later models have the issue. I had my service center check tolerance and it needed to have the tape installed but I still removed the fuse. Another '16 had the glass blow out due to the issue.

44085

[Gen5snake]

Sorry to hear about this. Just add this to the long list of issues. where is the fuse? Is it fuse# 20?

[ViperSRT]

This was a TSB from 2014. However, while it was for 2013 models, later models have the issue. I had my service center check tolerance and it needed to have the tape installed but I still removed the fuse. Another '16 had the glass blow out due to the issue.

44085

There is another TSB for later years with a wing (ACR and TA2).

[TRH62]

I have filed a claim with FCA Corporate at this time. The CSR said that I should hear back from them about my issue in a few days. I'm hoping for the best. Hard to believe that this has not already been elevated by others who have had this to happen to them. We cannot sit by and let this just go unchecked. I'm not just going to replace my glass and not be able to use the rear defroster as it was designed to do.



There is another TSB for later years with a wing (ACR and TA2).

[TRH62]

I wish you luck! This is one area of the Gen V that drives me nuts. Not because it happens, but because owners often have to fight with FCA to get it taken care of! I hope the hatch is OK and not burned.


Hatch is good to go since I caught it early.

[cubeman]

First thing I did when finding out about this was head to the dealer and turn on the defroster and we waited to see if it blew up. It didn't and I was gtg but a few guys I know have had the issue while driving. I believe FCA replaced them all.

[TRH62]

First thing I did when finding out about this was head to the dealer and turn on the defroster and we waited to see if it blew up. It didn't and I was gtg but a few guys I know have had the issue while driving. I believe FCA replaced them all.

Glad to hear that on both accounts. Just hope they will cover mine now.

[BSLSK]

Don't hold your breath. As I mentioned in the other thread, this is a very common issue on F-150's and Ford doesn't foot the bill. I do hope FCA makes it right for you as I agree it is a BS problem to have to deal with... Just don't get your hopes up.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

My bet is you have a very-early 2013. LOW Vin #

It was a well-documented issue and a TSB was issued for early 2013 specifc vin range.

It is an obvious issue too, EZ to see, where the CF hatch surround extends OVER the defroster wires along the forward edge. The gap barely accommodates a business card thickness, and a credit card is usually too thick. If/When the defroster is ON, and the hatch merely touches the glass, KaBOOM.

Later glass has a smaller 'footprint' of the defroster wires and is NOT be an issue. Wires Cant possibly touch the CF.

[ViperSRT]

Attached is a link to the TSB for 2015-2017 and supercedes the earlier TSB.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10168432-9999.pdf

[bluesrt]

what a bs deal

[Old School]

It's interesting that it might be the least used feature on these cars, yet it still has a high failure rate.

[Steve-Indy]

Interestingly, I recall asking a dealership if they tested this function on the early cars that had taken in on trade. The answer was that they carefully inspected the back glass as per the first TSB...but, as to testing the switch, the answer was a firm NO.

[Gen5snake]

so back to removing the fuse....is it fuse# 20?

[Cantdrivestick]

I would like to know too, fuse #20? (2014 gts)

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

TRH62, can you please confirm [or negate] that your VIN # is Low-Low? There is no reason NOT to share the last 4 digits of your vin, please, but at least what block of numbers? ie 0060s ? 0090s? 0120s ? Thanks

The original TSB was indicative of a low-series of Early Vins. And the 'anti-squeek-tape' solution of the later TSB will certainly work. But I truly believe that "G5 Masses Dont Have To be Concerned" unless very early 2013. The newer glass truly has a smaller footprint of defroster 'wires' and cannot hit the hatch......

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Interestingly, I recall asking a dealership if they tested this function on the early cars that had taken in on trade. The answer was that they carefully inspected the back glass as per the first TSB...but, as to testing the switch, the answer was a firm NO.

PEMBERTON QUESTION?:

I suspect that Dealers still got paid good "PDI" money (Pre-Delivery-Inspection) to have some minimum-wager check-off a list of 100+ items or so. This includes checking the defroster function..... they probably just look for the indicator glow. Not Enuf Time.

The explosion is not instant..... the duration is under 1 minute from ON to Kabloooie. The contact point heats up HOT.

[Meteoro]

how much is the rear glass?

[ViperSRT]

TRH62, can you please confirm [or negate] that your VIN # is Low-Low? There is no reason NOT to share the last 4 digits of your vin, please, but at least what block of numbers? ie 0060s ? 0090s? 0120s ? Thanks

The original TSB was indicative of a low-series of Vins. And the 'anti-squeek-tape' solution of the later TSB will certainly work. But I truly believe that "G5 Masses Dont Have To be Concerned" unless very early 2013. The newer glass truly has a smaller footprint of defroster 'wires' and cannot hit the hatch......

Except those with a wing. The later TSB was directed toward winged cars with the reinforced hatch.

[Sniper]

Last 4 of my VIN is 0050.
2013 SRT Viper.
Here’s recalls that have been done.
Am I affected by this?
44116

[swexlin]

My VIN is 00028! April 2013 build. Since I've owned the car (bought with 7200 miles in Oct 2014) the defroster button was only every pushed once, by a passenger. It was only one for a couple seconds before I pushed it off, and told the passenger why! Nothing happened...maybe it wasn't on long enough. But I'm not pushing that button again....

[TRH62]

Last 5 of my vin#: 00359


TRH62, can you please confirm [or negate] that your VIN # is Low-Low? There is no reason NOT to share the last 4 digits of your vin, please, but at least what block of numbers? ie 0060s ? 0090s? 0120s ? Thanks

The original TSB was indicative of a low-series of Vins. And the 'anti-squeek-tape' solution of the later TSB will certainly work. But I truly believe that "G5 Masses Dont Have To be Concerned" unless very early 2013. The newer glass truly has a smaller footprint of defroster 'wires' and cannot hit the hatch......

[StrokerAce]

I drove with mine on this AM for probably 20 minutes. Yikes!!!

[Bruce H.]

TRH62, are you the original owner and do you have the car regularly serviced at a Dodge dealer with a Viper tech? I would have thought that TSB's would be investigated on applicable cars when they were in for service.

I'd recommend everyone learn how to check your hatch glass clearance and do the fix rather than pull the fuse or risk having an accident....which now that you know about it would no longer be an accident if you simply ignored the issue. Avoid warranty concerns...deal with it.

[ViperGeorge]

TRH62, are you the original owner and do you have the car regularly serviced at a Dodge dealer with a Viper tech? I would have thought that TSB's would be investigated on applicable cars when they were in for service.

I'd recommend everyone learn how to check your hatch glass clearance and do the fix rather than pull the fuse or risk having an accident....which now that you know about it would no longer be an accident if you simply ignored the issue. Avoid warranty concerns...deal with it.

I may be wrong but I believe dealers only check for TSBs if the customer complains about a particular issue. They don't perform TSBs like they would a recall unless the customer has a complaint solved by the TSB. Now maybe some dealers might go above and beyond but I don't think most do. In fact when I had the window water infiltration issue on my 15 TA 2.0 the dealer performed the TSB but had to send the defective parts back to FCA. They had to specifically state that the window failed due to water corrosion of the harness and door node. If I just went in with working window and said please perform the TSB they most likely would not have done so.

[TRH62]

I am the original owner and I thought the same thing thinking that they would have taken care of me on the rear defroster issue. The dealership did all my oil changes and all the recalls on the car and I find it very concerning they did not know about it. Just gonna wait to see what FCA tells me in a few days on whether they will cover me or not. I'll keep everyone posted!



TRH62, are you the original owner and do you have the car regularly serviced at a Dodge dealer with a Viper tech? I would have thought that TSB's would be investigated on applicable cars when they were in for service.

I'd recommend everyone learn how to check your hatch glass clearance and do the fix rather than pull the fuse or risk having an accident....which now that you know about it would no longer be an accident if you simply ignored the issue. Avoid warranty concerns...deal with it.

[USAFPILOT]

Ive used mine as intended and nothing happened. It's a 2015 GT

[Bruce H.]

I think you may be right about that, George. It was so routinely discussed back when they first started shattering that hopefully most on the forum at the time checked their window/hatch gap and prevented a future issue for themselves and the next owners.

TRH62...maybe you weren't on the forum when they were being regularly discussed but it was definitely a thing at the time and I may have asked my tech to check. It became a pretty rare problem after the first year or maybe more.

[Viperblasius]

My VIN is 00028! April 2013 build. Since I've owned the car (bought with 7200 miles in Oct 2014) the defroster button was only every pushed once, by a passenger. It was only one for a couple seconds before I pushed it off, and told the passenger why! Nothing happened...maybe it wasn't on long enough. But I'm not pushing that button again....

You're my Brother! Mines 00029

[uvbnbit]

and that fuse number is?.............:p0273:

[swexlin]

You're my Brother! Mines 00029

What car do you have? I think VINs don't necessarily mean build order. I know 2013s started to come down the line in Dec 2012. What is your build date )MonthDayHour on your door sticker? And, have you ever used the defroster?

[Gen5snake]

My research shows fuse #20 (30 amp pink) and the relay is #53.

[Steve-Indy]

and that fuse number is?.............:p0273:

Fuse #20

[blingnoring]

TRH62- Sorry to hear about that, I hope it works out for you. I see your in Fredericksburg, I've seen a Black gen v running around, is that you? I have the Forum Family Restaurant on Lafayette Blvd, if you get a chance stop by it would be nice to meet you. fyi, your money is no good here :)

Elias

[TRH62]

Hi Elias
Not me, mine is Red. I'll definitely stop by and meet up with you when I get a chance. See you soon.




TRH62- Sorry to hear about that, I hope it works out for you. I see your in Fredericksburg, I've seen a Black gen v running around, is that you? I have the Forum Family Restaurant on Lafayette Blvd, if you get a chance stop by it would be nice to meet you. fyi, your money is no good here :)

Elias

[Bryan Savage]

This topic is one of the most-posted about on these forums, I believe. I've seen some photos and diagrams, but does anyone have a video showing the inspection of the area where the defroster grid and the hatch might come into contact? I'm still not quite understanding it. I've got a good 5mm between my grid and hatch all the way around.

If we could get a video and VIN decoder, it could be made a Sticky in the Gen V area.

[TheWessss]

PEOPLE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS VIPER!!!! PULL THE FUSE!! Tell your friends who own G5 Vipers, not doing this can cost $1000's and the person will be without their car for months likely.

[Sniper]

Does fuse #20 control anything else other than rear defroster?

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

My VIN is 00028! April 2013 build. Since I've owned the car (bought with 7200 miles in Oct 2014) the defroster button was only every pushed once, by a passenger. It was only one for a couple seconds before I pushed it off, and told the passenger why! Nothing happened...maybe it wasn't on long enough. But I'm not pushing that button again....

SEE IF YOU CAN RUN A CREDIT CARD or 2-3 BUSINESS CARDS BETWEEN THE Wired GLASS AND OVERHANGING HATCH, AT THE FRONT-LEADING EDGE. If the wire cannot touch the hatch you are safe

Later cars had a smaller wire footprint, that began maybe .25" below the CF hatch, [no overhang of CF above Wire]

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

This topic is one of the most-posted about on these forums, I believe. I've seen some photos and diagrams, but does anyone have a video showing the inspection of the area where the defroster grid and the hatch might come into contact? I'm still not quite understanding it. I've got a good 5mm between my grid and hatch all the way around.



YES! THREE HIGHLIGHTED PIX HERE:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...68432-9999.pdf (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10168432-9999.pdf)


The simplest explanation has to do with EARLY CARS whose CF hatch actually OVER-HANGS" the metal defroster wire at the forward-front of the hatch glass.

The overhang of CF over Metal is a very tight clearance: a credit card might not slide in, but a business card or 2 might slide in. The TSB suggests a non-conductive tape be used in these tight-zones shown in the photos.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

PROBABLY Affected, but NOT A RECALL.

If your hatch CF "Overhangs" the defroster wire at the top of the hatch/glass, your CF can maybe contact the wire.



Last 4 of my VIN is 0050.
2013 SRT Viper.
Here’s recalls that have been done.
Am I affected by this?
44116

[TheWessss]

Does fuse #20 control anything else other than rear defroster?

nope

[Bryan Savage]

YES! THREE HIGHLIGHTED PIX HERE:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...68432-9999.pdf (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10168432-9999.pdf)


The simplest explanation has to do with EARLY CARS whose CF hatch actually OVER-HANGS" the metal defroster wire at the forward-front of the hatch glass.

The overhang of CF over Metal is a very tight clearance: a credit card might not slide in, but a business card or 2 might slide in. The TSB suggests a non-conductive tape be used in these tight-zones shown in the photos.

Thanks Jon!

I do remember looking at this before and not being overly impressed by the visuals.

Here's the photos from the TSB. It would be great to have photos of affected cars too. Maybe there's not much to see, but again... this should be a Sticky.

44143
44144
44145

[TRH62]

I reached out to a few glass companies in my area and they say they can replace mine but will be using original equipment equivalent glass "OEE" as a replacement. Would anyone recommend going with that off-brand type of glass or replace it with original glass from Mopar #68110780AC? I heard Mopar has updated the rear glass for the Viper. Just hope that's the one I end up getting. Please let me know if anyone has used other than Mopar glass and what would the pros and cons be with using it instead.

[darbgnik]

When I first heard about the glass exploding issue, the first thing I did was go out and inspect the rear hatch, then run the defroster for a full cycle. Figured I may as well while I still have warranty......

That was before it was narrowed down to early 2013s, and then newer winged cars. Owners outside this range of cars shouldn't live in fear.

I have a 50 year old Charger where my goal is for EVERYTHING to function. I'll be damned if I'm gonna pull the fuse on an amenity of a modern car. But that's just me.

OP, I hope they treat you right, even out of warranty. I know my local dealer covered a repair on my fiancee's SRT Jeep that for some reason wasn't covered by the extended warranty on their dime "to keep a repeat customer happy".

[TRH62]

I totally agree with you. I should not have to pull fuses either. But before anyone else tests their car to see if it will pass the test, I'd recommend putting down some plastic just encase it doesn't go to well. It took me some considerable time to clean up all that glass. I'm going to give FCA time to do the right thing with mine.



When I first heard about the glass exploding issue, the first thing I did was go out and inspect the rear hatch, then run the defroster for a full cycle. Figured I may as well while I still have warranty......

That was before it was narrowed down to early 2013s, and then newer winged cars. Owners outside this range of cars shouldn't live in fear.

I have a 50 year old Charger where my goal is for EVERYTHING to function. I'll be damned if I'm gonna pull the fuse on an amenity of a modern car. But that's just me.

OP, I hope they treat you right, even out of warranty. I know my local dealer covered a repair on my fiancee's SRT Jeep that for some reason wasn't covered by the extended warranty on their dime "to keep a repeat customer happy".

[Bruce H.]

I totally agree with you. I should not have to pull fuses either. But before anyone else tests their car to see if it will pass the test, I'd recommend putting down some plastic just encase it doesn't go to well. It took me some considerable time to clean up all that glass. I'm going to give FCA time to do the right thing with mine.

Forget the plastic sheet and hope-for-the-best test. Check the clearance using the photos posted above and know it won't blow.

[SRT_BluByU]

Better still have the dealer check it and add the tape from the tsb anyway and then have them test it.. should be good to go then

[RT SERPENT]

I had the dealer perform the TSB a few weeks ago. Then we agreed to wait until fall to "test" it.
... just in case for some reason it decides to blow.

Then they have all winter (while the car is in storage) to source the back glass.

[darbgnik]

I had the dealer perform the TSB a few weeks ago. Then we agreed to wait until fall to "test" it.
... just in case for some reason it decides to blow.

Then they have all winter (while the car is in storage) to source the back glass.

I don't know about availability, but online pricing of the back glass isn't as expensive as I thought it would be.

[Coloviper]

I had the dealer perform the TSB a few weeks ago. Then we agreed to wait until fall to "test" it.
... just in case for some reason it decides to blow.

Then they have all winter (while the car is in storage) to source the back glass.

Hey you added the 2017 ACR-E! Good job buddy!

As far as the OP, you are the original owner of the car so I do not think it will be an issue for Dodge to take care of it, especially if they have been doing all the work from day one and had ample time to correct the TSB while in their possession. Not like a car on it's 5th owner.

As far as a modern car and taking a stance on pulling fuses, hell the first thing an Aston Martin owner does is pull the damn exhaust dampening fuse so the car sounds better. It's a fuse, cheap insurance to remove in my opinion even if just from a hassle standpoint of fixing.

[darbgnik]

As far as a modern car and taking a stance on pulling fuses, hell the first thing an Aston Martin owner does is pull the damn exhaust dampening fuse so the car sounds better. It's a fuse, cheap insurance to remove in my opinion even if just from a hassle standpoint of fixing.

Pulling the exhaust fuse in an Aston to annoy your neighbors isn't the same as neutering a convenience feature in a modern car out of fear.

Maybe I like living on the edge...….. by using the defroster, lol!

[TRH62]

The CSR with FCA Corporate called and stated they will not be covering my claim for damages since there is no recall on the issue. Not happy about it one bit but I'm done dealing with it. I truly appreciate everyone's input on the matter. :mad:

[Gen5snake]

I'll pull the fuse...I'll never use it.

[TRH62]

Trust me as I'll be doing the same. FYI: I was able to buy the OEM glass for $1102.00 at my dealership. Had to ask for the best price to get it at that cost.



I'll pull the fuse...I'll never use it.

[ViperSRT]

Sometime before my extended warranty runs out I will try the defrost button. Sometime ...

[99RT10]

Bump, Extremely important to PULL fuse #20