2 Door Hardtop Rear Defroster Connector Broken Off

[DubZuc]

So the left rear defroster connector broke off / separated from the rear glass. Ford says the entire rear glass must be replaced, which they will do under warranty. My rear glass is tinted and they are telling me they won’t pay to re-tint the glass since that isn’t related to the warranty issue. It was my understanding they must make me “whole” again which would mean they should re-tint the glass.

I’m trying to find out if their decision is correct or if I should fight this or just pay to re-tint myself?

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[noliveaxle]

They are not required to make you whole. Be glad they didn’t blame the tint shop for breaking the connection off.

 

[Poppavein]

How did it break?

 

[DubZuc]

How did it break?

Just popped off

 

[Redflag59]

Take it to Ford. They have the adhesive to reattach it. Mine came off also. No biggie.

 

[Catmandu1999]

Strange they want to replace the whole thing, mine also was re-attached (soldered, I thought) under warranty.

 

[Roger123]

Mine was soldered back on under warranty.

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

After you get it fixed, you can purchase a protective cover for those off Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B5DHM2P9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Searchdawg]

So the left rear defroster connector broke off / separated from the rear glass. Ford says the entire rear glass must be replaced, which they will do under warranty. My rear glass is tinted and they are telling me they won’t pay to re-tint the glass since that isn’t related to the warranty issue. It was my understanding they must make me “whole” again which would mean they should re-tint the glass.

I’m trying to find out if their decision is correct or if I should fight this or just pay to re-tint myself?

I just had the same thing happen a few weeks ago on my ‘23 Badlands rear glass. I initially tried the Permatex 21351 Electrically Conductive Rear Window Defogger Tab Adhesive. Followed the directions to a T. Only held for two weeks. Decided to call the dealer. The first service tech I spoke with told me the same thing you were told…they would have to replace the entire rear glass, which I thought was absolutely absurd. They said to bring it in for warranty photos so they could place order. When I took it in, the service manager took the photos and said Ford has a repair kit, no need to order new glass. Repair using the repair kit (a different adhesive) was made. The tab is on correctly and thus far, no issues.

 

[Bill K]

I just had the same thing happen a few weeks ago on my ‘23 Badlands rear glass. I initially tried the Permatex 21351 Electrically Conductive Rear Window Defogger Tab Adhesive. Followed the directions to a T. Only held for two weeks. Decided to call the dealer. The first service tech I spoke with told me the same thing you were told…they would have to replace the entire rear glass, which I thought was absolutely absurd. They said to bring it in for warranty photos so they could place order. When I took it in, the service manager took the photos and said Ford has a repair kit, no need to order new glass. Repair using the repair kit (a different adhesive) was made. The tab is on correctly and thus far, no issues.

Seems like silver epoxy would fix. We used to use this at work for required conductive attachments in the RF world. Best to let the dealer handle this under warranty though...

 

[dgorsett]

I used the Permatex adhesive on mine, it took 2 tries, but it has held for a year now.

 

[CelticCactus]

Mine has broken recently as well. Grateful to see this thread before it goes to the shop next wk. Maybe they should do a recall since so many are breaking

 

[DubZuc]

They told me they used to repair, but Ford now requires they replace the entire rear glass

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

They told me they used to repair, but Ford now requires they replace the entire rear glass

I think it really depends upon the dealership and the advisor. If you dig through here a bit you can find older threads with the same topic - connector breaks off, cust visits dealer, dealer says replace whole glass, glass BO'd for months . . . cust goes DIY route with mixed success . . . customers start to report that *some* dealers begin opting for "fix" also with mixed success.

Sounds like it never really got resolved. 2 DR HT here so continue to follow with some interest.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

So the left rear defroster connector broke off / separated from the rear glass. Ford says the entire rear glass must be replaced, which they will do under warranty. My rear glass is tinted and they are telling me they won’t pay to re-tint the glass since that isn’t related to the warranty issue. It was my understanding they must make me “whole” again which would mean they should re-tint the glass.

I’m trying to find out if their decision is correct or if I should fight this or just pay to re-tint myself?

Can you send over a message with your VIN and the name/location of the Ford dealer you have been working with? I would like to take a closer look into this on my end.

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