2010 Ford Escape Window & Wiper Problems

Which parts fail

• Glass, side/rear
  30
• Sun/moon roof assembly
  3
• Windshield
  3
• Power window devices and controls
  2
• Rear window wiper/washer
  1

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

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  2836%
• 25k–50k
  2026%
• 50k–75k
  1215%
• 75k–100k
  1114%
• 100k–150k
  56%
• 150k+
  23%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the front driver's side and passenger's side windows and the driver's and passenger's side rear windows had rolled down while the vehicle was turned off. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the cables on the window regulators were fractured and the regulator and motor assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failures reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact the vehicle was not under recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 82,703.

I sent this email to Ford in September 2014 I was in an auto accident where by another vehicle hit a deer which landed on the driver side window which shattered into thousands of tiny shards of glass. For over 2 years, I have being dealing with thousands of tiny shards embedded through out my body (face, lips, hands, arms, legs, neck, chest) which over time are working their way out. It is very painful and leaving scars and disrupting my sleep on a regular basis. When the vehicle was repaired, I turned on the heat for the first time and hundreds of shards of glass blew out the heater vents. My vehicle VIN number is [redacted]. I think you should test the windshields of similar cars from that lot to make sure the safety glass was properly kilned or whatever treatment process so that others do not potentially experience the same incident. …

I drove a short distance to a nearby park, parked the vehicle, took my dog out of the back, and closed the the rear liftgate/hatchback in a normal fashion. We were just walking away from the car when the rear window exploded. It was a loud explosion with flying glass. The whole window blew out. It was so extreme that other people in the parking lot jumped out of their cars in alarm and came over to see what had happened. Nothing had hit the window. Nothing was touching the window. The temperature was not extreme--cool and damp but not cold. There was no apparent cause for this and it was very dangerous because of the flying glass. If it had happened seconds earlier I could have been injured or my pet could have been injured, or both. …

The rear window of the car suddenly exploded. I closed the tailgate, and a moment later, the rear window exploded without provocation. More of the shattered glass went into the car than went outside it. It did not injure me, fortunately, but hundreds of shards of glass went everywhere. The most ridiculous thing was that there was no seeming cause. Nothing was touching the window. The temperature was chilly but moderate (40's). There was no indication that anything was amiss; the window just exploded. Looking online, it seems that this problem has been reported in 2010 and some 2011 Ford escapes, and there was even an inconclusive investigation in 2011 by the ntsb. But at this point, there is no recall on the window.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after loading groceries into the rear cargo area of the vehicle, the hatch door was closed and the rear hatch window shattered. There was glass on the contact and inside of the vehicle. The contact was not injured by the shattered glass. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle for the failure that was experienced. The contact was referred to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear passenger window dropped down without the window button being pressed. The contact stated that the motor to move the window back up stopped working. The contact stated that the rear driver side window previously experienced the same failure. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there were no recalls. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000. * updated 11/9/18

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. While closing the rear hatch door, the window on the door shattered. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the plastic hinges on the door were also cracked. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 90,000.

The vehicle was parked in a driveway on a fairly cold day (temperatures in the low 30s). After loading the rear of the vehicle and upon closing the liftgate, the rear window shattered. Prior to this happening, there were no signs of a chipped/damaged window. The liftgate was not slammed harder than usual and there were no items blocking it from closing.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. While parking and attempting to close the hatch door, the glass shattered. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the wiper motor and the glass needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,297.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear driver and passenger side power windows released independently due to faulty springs. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where both power window regulators were replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.

Window & Wiper complaints in other Escape years