In recent months, quite a few automotive models have lost numerous features and/or suffered from major production and supply chain issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. One feature quickly disappearing from a number of Ford vehicles lately is the windshield wiper de-icer, which is designed to prevent the vehicle’s wipers from freezing to the windshield. However, Ford Authority has learned that the 2022 Ford Maverick will buck this trend and continue to offer the feature.
The windshield wiper de-icer will only be available in conjunction with the XLT Luxury Package and Lariat Luxury Package (full details on those packages can be found here), however. Regardless, buyers that live in colder climates will certainly welcome its presence. There, wipers commonly freeze to the windshield in the winter, which forces the driver to have to unstick them before they can be used, if a vehicle isn’t equipped with a de-icer.
Ford’s windshield wiper de-icer works much like traditional rear window defrost systems, as the base of the windshield where the wiper blades rest is equipped with a local heating element. The system is designed to clear light snow and ice from the wiper blades in under 10 minutes at minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
Owners are able to use SYNC Connect to activate the windshield wiper de-icer from their smartphone on the FordPass app and schedule a specific time to start their vehicle remotely so it will be ready to hit the road, de-iced and warmed up. The feature eliminates the need to pull wiper blades away from the vehicle when parking outside at night, and keeps streaks of water and ice from forming across the windshield when the wipers are in use.
In recent months, Ford has eliminated the windshield wiper de-icer feature from a number of its vehicles, including the 2021 Ford Expedition, as Ford Authority reported last fall, the 2021 Ford Super Duty (as reported last fall), 2021 Lincoln Nautilus (as reported last fall), and 2021 Ford Ranger (as reported last fall).
We’ll have much more on the Maverick soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Maverick news and 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
Kind of reminiscent of the Insta-Clear windshield that Ford offered as an option on the Mercury Sable and Taurus back in the day?
I remember working on those as a Ford Technician back in the day. The alternator had a tap that output 120 volts to the windshield. The whole windshield was heated (had a thin transparent metallic film embedded in it.) If you needed to replace this windshield because of a crack, you better hold on to your wallet. Most of the ones we serviced, owners would just agree to forgo the option and replace them with a standard windshield to save money.
Yes! I bought a new ‘88 Taurus LX with the Insta-Clear windshield. I called that car the rock magnet! I replaced three of those due to rock chips that cracked. Insurance finally said no more, so we parted ways! That glass was $600-700 from Ford. The glass looked like it was gold tinted from a distance. I only switched it on once, but it worked like a dream. As I recall, that hi output alternator wasn’t cheap either.
My 2017 Escape Titanium was a really nice and well equipped vehicle. When my 2 year lease ended, I again leased a 2019. I was unhappily surprised to lose the CD player, paddle shifters, wiper defroster, and maybe more that I’ve forgotten. When my lease expired this year, I looked at the 2021. Cheap-looking interior, ugly plastic door panels, dial shifter, and even deleting one of the seat-back storage pockets and the split level console. Pay more, get less!
I’ve extended my lease and been looking at the Mazda CX5 and waiting to see what comes next from Hyundai and Kia.
All the domestic manufacturers have been taking quality in the wrong direction. My 2013 F150 XLT is much nicer quality than my brother’s 2020 XLT. They also got rid of storage…
Since Ford just went full woke, I’ll never buy a new car from them again…
Yep. It’s a wtf moment when seeing midlevel vehicles with options available (such a heated wipers) that aren’t even offered on flagship models (Expeditions, etc). Ford, listen up…a LOT of your customers are going to bail on you if you keep ‘decontenting’ your vehicles. Remember this, Ford, we, the money-holders, can spend it anywhere we want and get what we want. The choice is yours as to how much do you want us customers to stay loyal, and continue spending at the Blue Oval? We await your decision….