NHTSA probes shattering liftgate glass on Ford SUVs

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating about 200,000 copies of the 2010 and 2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs for liftgate glass that reportedly shatters.

There have been 18 complaints of the liftgate window breaking, four resulting in injuries. The models involved were built on or before Oct. 10, 2010. The investigation started on April 27.

According to complaints in the report, the glass spontaneously shattered when opening or closing the liftgate. NHTSA said many of the incidents happened in cold temperatures.

Ford informed dealers of the problem in November, saying they should replace the liftgate window after ruling out that any impact or external damage caused the problem.

This isn't Ford's first recall involving liftgate glass. About 955,000 copies of 2002-03 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs were inspected in September 2004 for faulty strut brackets and hinges that could loosen. NHTSA documented 165 reports of injuries from the breaking glass resulting from loose components, and almost 5,000 complaints.

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