Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The rear-window defroster over heated on the passenger side causing that window to chatter. At one spot at the bottom, the rubber frame around the glass started to melt and burn just before the window chattered. If I had not been standing close to see what was happening, and turn the control off, I believe this could have started a fire that could have burned the entire truck and areas around it threating people and property. This is also a safety concern for anyone sitting in the back seat at the time of window chattering, as small shards of glass could hit passengers possibly causing eye and other injuries. Due to my incident, I did research on YouTube an other Ford forums that document many others being a victim of this same problem over several years including 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and maybe more. …
Wipers will not turn off, they will continue to wipe while driving for days even in the off position, had to pull the fuse in order to stop the intermittent wipe, when it rains i have to re install the fuse. After months of dealing with this problem I drilled a hole in the dash, mounted a switch and ran a wire to the fuse box so I didn't have to open the hood just to get the morning doo off, the switch works great.
Passenger side rear windshield explosion and small fire when rear defroster was engaged. Vehicle was idle in school carpool line when white smoke appeared to be forming near rear window. The vehicle behind me started beeping and pointing to my rear window. Suddenly the window exploded with a sound like a rifle report and the glass spiderwebbed on the window. I immediately turned off all climate controls and inspected the damage. The trim was smoldering from the electrical fire and after getting home I took photos and started to investigate the problem as well as contact the dealer. The dealer said there were no recalls and the repairs would likely be out of pocket or via insurance claim. There have been numerous reports involving this issue and the malfunctioning rear defroster system. There is a TSB on the faulty system. …
Was driving vehicle at 55mph heard a loud bang. Sounded like an explosion! The sound startled me almost causing an accident. The rear window had shattered. Pulled over and got out, the bottom right corner of the window was on fire. Not realizing what was happening I attempted to pour water on it. It continued to burn, then I quickly took a rag from inside the truck and began to try an put out the fire. Between that water ,rag and a screw driver the fire was finally out. The fire that was burning was very odd in nature nothing I had ever seen before. I immediately looked the incident up online and saw that this has happened hundreds of times Ford motor company is fully aware but will not cover it unless entire vehicle is still under warranty. This is totally a danger to society! This almost caused an awful accident.
Incident occurred on Saturday 2-21-15 at or about 3:30 pm. The vehicle was traveling at about 30mph when a very loud bang was heard inside vehicle. After pulling over a quick glance around inside the vehicle revealed that the drivers side portion of the 3 piece rear glass of the cab has shattered. The glass remains in place but had "spiderwebed" and is completely shattered. Upon inspection on the outside, no signs of impact are visible and the point of origin of the cracks appears to be the upper right hand corner where the glass is covered by the rubber molding. When this happened it was about 25 degrees outside and snowing, all snow had been removed from vehicle prior to driving and the rear de-frost/de-fogger had been run and turned off about 10 mins prior to the incident. …
On February 19 2015 I remote started my f150 in the driveway to warm it up. I got in the vehicle and put on the rear defroster to clear the mirrors and rear window. I heard a loud noise after about 30 seconds like an explosion inside vehicle. I looked around and noticed the drivers side rear glass was shattered. There was no external damage to the glass. Previously this vehicle was taken to a Ford dealer on March 27 2014 for an inoperative rear defroster system. The dealer diagnosed it as an open in the resister in the defroster grid and the whole rear window assembly was replaced. Ford corporate told the dealer that the window couldn't shatter by turning on the defroster and would not replace the unit. I called the Ford corporate number and lodged a complaint and was given a claim number. They had the dealer send them pictures of the shattered glass. …
I remote started my f-150 supercrew in the morning, it was approximately 22 degrees f outside. I drove to the corner store (0.1 miles away) to grab a bite to eat. I turned my truck off, went in, then started my truck back up to head to the gas station (0.2 miles away) & fueled up. I turned my truck back on and hit the rear defrost button to clear some ice on the rear window. After driving for about 3-4 minutes (roughly 3 miles), while on the freeway, I heard a loud "pop". I noticed that the rear window had shattered. It was the window pane located behind the driver seat. There was no impact to the window and would've been extremely unlikely since I was driving. Must be an electrical issue (a short, a surge, or something). My truck is out of the 3 year warranty window, but has just under 22,000 miles on it. The dealership would not pay a penny to replace my window. …
I got in my truck about 7:40 pm to leave for an appointment last night. I was parked in my driveway and started it to warm it up (outside temp was 29 degrees f). I tuned on the rear defroster and 2 minutes later I heard a loud pop (sounded like a gunshot) from the back of my truck. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the right hand side of my rear window was shattered. There was nothing behind my vehicle except my closed garage and nothing struck the vehicle. This was caused by the rear defroster heating the cold glass too rapidly causing it to expand and shatter. This glass should be tempered and not shatter like this. A quick google search reveled thousands of similar complaints from other Ford f150 owners over the last 8 years. I'm grateful I was sitting in my driveway and not far from home or driving down the road when this happened. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Ford f-150. The contact took the vehicle to byers Ford (1101 columbus pike, delaware, oh 43015, [phone]) where it was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 19V075000 (power train). While leaving the dealer, the contact noticed that the gear shifting was different and it would slowly shift into gear. The contact also noticed that the brake pedal felt spongy and difficult to depress. The vehicle failed to respond when the brake pedal was depressed. Within the past three months, the contact had to add four bottles of antifreeze to the transmission and the engine overheated. In addition, the service brake, engine hot, and transmission hot warning indicators illuminated. Occasionally, when the vehicle was stopped or idling, the air conditioner blew hot air and the windows failed to function. …
The rear defroster has not worked in a couple of years. I have read on the internet that there is a known problem with these from 2009-2014 and that it is not worth fixing because it will just break again. With a pushbutton rather than a toggle switch it is not clear if it is turned on or off. Driving one rainy day, it sounded like it was dripping rain inside the truck at the back window, but I could not see any water coming in. I then noticed the light was on for the rear defrost. I recalled what I had read about these defrosters shorting out and causing the window to shatter. I realized that was the sound of electrical arcing rather than water. I quickly pushed the button to the off position and within one second, boom, the window was shattered. With the large volume of comments and articles on the internet, why is Ford not recalling this? …
Window & Wiper complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2012 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 114 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2012 Ford F-150, 6% of the model year's 1,783 complaints. The component named most often is glass, side/rear (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Ford F-150 window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2012 Ford F-150, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Ford F-150 window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 57,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 4 fires and 1 injury to windows, wipers & sunroof problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.