2005 Ford Escape Window & Wiper Problems

Which parts fail

• Glass, side/rear
  12
• Rear window wiper/washer
  4
• Sun/moon roof assembly
  3
• Power window devices and controls
  1

Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  27%
• 25k–50k
  827%
• 50k–75k
  723%
• 75k–100k
  517%
• 100k–150k
  723%
• 150k+
  13%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The rear window of my 2005 Ford Escape xls just exploded today around 2:30 p.m. I had arrived about 2:15 p.m.at mcdonalds restaurant. I was sitting with a friend when an employee came into lobby looking for the owner of the gray Ford Escape in their parking lot. I said, "yes it is my car." employee then came and told me that the "rear window of my car was broken all over the parking lot. I went and saw what happened. I have not opened the rear gate or window in over a week. All I did was park it and in 15 minutes of being inside of mcdonalds the windshield exploded. I have read where other people with escapes & mariners have been having this problem for year. Years older than my 2005 and as new as 2014 & 2015. Is their a recall that Ford is fixing this problem, as they obviously have known about it for years. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the air conditioning unit only blew out hot air. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air conditioning compressor was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. The VIN was not provided.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. While parked, the rear passenger side window became detached from the vehicle. The glass did not shatter, but the contact was unable to utilize the window as it became detached from the hinge. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 72,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear window hatch bolts were corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

The rear glass hatch imploded just after exiting an interstate highway. Most of the glass was confined to the cargo area, a little glass reached the second row of seats and only a few shards reach the driver front seat area. Conditions at the time we 32 degrees with snow and rain, requiring the use of the rear window heater to keep off icing and use of windshield fluid to permit viewing while in heavy traffic in the cincinnati ohio area. The only indication of a problem prior to the explosion was a low hissing sound coming from the rear just moments before it happened. Repairs the next day found no problems with wiper, wiper motor or shorts in the electrical harness to the window defroster elements of the glass. No injuries were caused to my 2 passengers by the flying glass. …

I was traveling about 30 MPH and was the only one on the road. The roads were covered with a light dusting of fluffy snow, and it was chilly.. About 21 degrees. The defroster had been on, but I had physically turned the defroster off about 5 minutes before the 'explosion'. I heard a horrible noise and was completely shocked to see there was very little of my rear window left. What?!!?! How could such things happen? And what a mess! There was glass everywhere, paint had been chipped, the shocks were hanging out, the wiper and motor were at an awkward angle...things were dangling everywhere. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday and nothing was open to help with the repair until Monday. So far, my insurance company has been somewhat helpful, but I've still had to pay out of pocket to get my vehicle repaired. Why do I even need to pay anything for something I did not cause?? …

The rear hatch window on my 2005 Ford Escape exploded outwardly while parked in the lot where I work. Glass blew out in a radium of 15-20 feet and it was just luck that no vehicles were parked behind mine or that anyone was walking behind the vehicle. The window blew out with such force that it damaged the interior and the hatch itself and required that interior panels be replaced and the hatch repainted in addition to replacing the glass. The glass shop where I took the vehicle for repair noted that this was a common problems for 2004-2006 escapes. Thankfully, my insurance carrier paid for all repair and replacement minus the deductible. However, the internet is full of similar reports and a tv station in my city did a report on a similar incident on an Escape parked in a garage about two weeks before my window blew. Obviously, there is a major problem that Ford refuses to recognize. …

This is the second time the rear window has exploded! The first rear window exploded 12.11.07 on a mild (55') rainy day while driving aprox 65 miles per hour on the highway with no other traffic. Yesterday (2.11.08), the same window gave way on a side street at aprox 35 MPH with no other traffic. Yesterday makes the third window I have replaced in less than 12 mos. The first window (rear right passenger) exploded in while entering a freeway ramp with no traffic on the right side of the car. Most people go a life time with never having an exploding window while I have had 3 ! The glass repair shop I was referred to by the Ford dealership has stated that by observing the broken window, they are confident that at neither time was the defrost mechanism to blame. If I had not been close to my office on all three occasions..........I am confident that nobody would ever believe my stories!

The rear window in our 2005 Ford Escape spontaneously exploded as I was driving along the road. The temperature was about 5 degrees celsius and it was raining. I was using the window defogger and the rear wiper. The explosion sounded like a shotgun blast and a large amount of glass flew into the vehicle. There was also glass on the rear bumper. My daughter and two of her friends were in the back seat when this happened, and glass flew in toward them. I maintained control of the vehicle, but was quite startled by the loud explosion! The driver's side hydraulic lift was hanging outside of the vehicle and the passenger side lift was still attached to a chunk of glass and in place in the frame of the window. My guess is that the hydraulic lift failed, exerted pressure on the window, and caused the explosion.

2005 Ford Escape was parked inside a secured garage overnight. At some point overnight, the rear window spontaneously shattered. No one was in the car or garage when this occurred, and the garage was still secure in the morning. Pea-size glass pieces were found up to 10 feet away from the car, and a large amount of glass went into the rear cargo area of the Escape. The pieces of the glass were manually cleaned up from the vehicle and the garage floor. The window was replaced with a new identical part at a local auto glass repair shop. The owner of the Escape paid for this new window completely with his own money. Due to the fully random nature of this event, I believe it to be vehicle defect with the rear window glass or some part supporting the glass. I will be contacting Ford directly as well.

Window & Wiper complaints in other Escape years