Action 9: Woman says her rear windshield exploded

Kelley Smith said she heard something that sounded like a bomb going off inside her 2003 Chevy Tahoe. The rear windshield had exploded, shattering glass everywhere.

“This was literally like someone took a mortar and blew off the entire back of my Tahoe,” Smith said.

According to Kelley, mechanics at a local GM dealership thought the rear defroster caused it. But her warranty had expired years ago.

“They can't help me,” she said. “There's nothing they can do.”

Other Tahoe drivers have contacted federal regulators about the same problem, claiming their windshields blew out. Mechanics blamed a defroster that malfunctioned.

At least three drivers complained to NHTSA. One wrote, “It sounded like a shotgun blast.”

Channel 9’s sister station in Orlando found out that Chevrolet had issued a service bulletin about Tahoe defrosters that can malfunction.

A repair expert said if a defroster fails to shut off, the glass overheats and may explode. He said it happened in many vehicles.

“Ford has had some issues, Toyota, Volvo -- most all the manufacturers at one time or another, have been the subject of this problem,” Jay Zembower said.

Smith’s insurance covered most of the $1,500 repair. But the bigger issue for the mother of five is telling others it can happen. One of her daughters usually sits in the backseat.

“She would have had shards of glass blown into the back of her head, realistically,” Smith said. “She would have been covered in glass.”

WSOC