2017 Ford F-150 · symptom sheet
Rear window shatters or explodes
- 44owner reports
- 30,000median miles
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Aug 27, 2026 · checked Sep 29, 2026
44 of the 1,439 complaints on this car describe rear window shattering.
Tick what matches of 44 reports
Rear window shattering on other F-150 years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Owners in this group describe rear glass that shatters all at once, often with a bang, and often with nobody near it. Many say it happened while the car sat in a driveway or a parking lot.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the rear glass (41 reports) and the defroster grid (16 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on this problem covers the 2017 model year as of Sep 29, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 22,230 and 60,000 miles, from the 23 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“Entire rear window appears to have bulged outward and shattered....Outside temperature in 90s (not unusual for this time of year) ...parked in driveway...no contact with anything else...no one in vehicle”
Filed Jul 26, 2023
“Rear window exploded sitting in my closed garage. Did a lot of research on it and apparently this has been happening to numerous people dating back to 2010 on all the f series picks. FORD refuses to issue a recall. CHILDREN CAN BE HURT BY THIS. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.”
Filed Jun 22, 2023
“Driving 20mph loud noise looked back window shattered stopped looked for cause ,wasnât anything could see ,googled found out happens a lot these trucks”
Filed Dec 22, 2022
“I was sitting in the drive thru with my kids when my daughter said there was smoke from behind her. Shortly after that the back window shattered into many peices onto them inside the car. Itâs ridiculous that there has been many complaints of the same issue yet no recall issued.”
Filed Nov 19, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 44 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Timing chain or cam phaser rattles 164 reports
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 162 reports
- Engine rattles or ticks 120 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 114 reports
- Doors, latches or locks fail 101 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 99 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 81 reports
- Transmission drops into neutral or downshifts on its own 68 reports
- Transmission fails or needs replacement 58 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 54 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 47 reports
- "Service Transmission" message or wrench light comes on 45 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 44 reports
- Power steering cuts out or goes heavy 37 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 30 reports