Heated Glass Element: Description and Operation

CAUTION: Grid lines can be damaged or scraped off with sharp instruments. Care should be taken in cleaning glass or removing foreign materials, decals or stickers. Normal glass cleaning solvents or hot water used with rags or toweling is recommended.

The rear window defogger system, also known as the electric backlight (EBL), consists of a back glass with two vertical bus bars linked by a series of grid lines fired onto the inside surface of the rear window.

Rear Window Defogger Switch:

The EBL system is turned On or Off by a control switch located in the instrument panel near the right side of the steering wheel, which sends a request signal to the rear window defogger module that operates the left and right rear window defogger relays located in the fuse/relay block under the drivers seat.

Circuit protection is provided by a 30 amp fuse also located in the fuse/relay block.

When the rear window defogger switch is pressed to the On position, current is directed through the switch to the rear window defogger module. The rear window defogger module then grounds the control side of the left and right rear window defogger (EBL) relays which allows battery current to flow to the rear window defogger grid lines. The heated grid lines heat the rear glass to help clear the rear window surfaces of fog or frost.

The electric backlight (EBL) system is controlled by the EBL timing circuity, which is integral to the rear window defogger module. A yellow indicator in the switch will illuminate to indicate when the EBL system is turned on.

NOTE: The EBL system turns off automatically after approximately 10 minutes of initial operation. Each following activation cycle of the EBL system will last approximately five minutes.

The EBL system will be automatically turned off after a programmed time interval of about ten minutes. After the initial time interval has expired, if the rear window defogger switch is pressed to the On position again during the same ignition cycle, the EBL system will automatically turn off after about five minutes.

The EBL system will automatically shut off if the ignition switch is turned to the Off position, or it can be turned off manually by pressing the defogger switch a second time.