Back glass and rear windows

Rear Windshield Replacement in Grand Junction, CO

Signature Windshield of Grand Junction replaces rear windshields and back glass on cars, SUVs, hatchbacks, minivans and pickups. Back glass is tempered, so it fails all at once, and it carries more parts than people expect: the defroster grid and its two power tabs, a printed radio antenna, and on many lift gates a rear wiper and a third brake light. We order the exact part by VIN, set bonded glass in urethane, reconnect every tab and test the heated grid before we leave. Pickup back glass, fixed or sliding, is a regular job for us.

Signature Windshield of Grand Junction provides rear window and heated back glass replacement to Grand Junction and surrounding Colorado towns, including Fruita, Clifton, Palisade, Orchard Mesa, the Redlands, Loma, Delta, Montrose, Parachute and Rifle. We come to your driveway or workplace, finish most installs in about an hour, vacuum out the broken glass and back the work with a lifetime workmanship warranty against leaks and wind noise for as long as you own the vehicle.

Updated October 2026

Frosted rear windshield on a hatchback, the glass a rear windshield replacement swaps out

Rear glass we replace

Types of Rear Window and Back Glass Replacement

Every back glass looks simple from outside. The part number depends on the body style, the heater, the antenna and what is mounted to it.

Sedan and Coupe Rear Windshield Replacement
Most sedans and coupes use a single piece of tempered back glass bonded to the body with urethane, with a defroster grid printed on the inside face. We cut out what is left of the old bead, clean the pinchweld, prime any bare metal and set the new glass with fresh urethane. Before we leave we connect both defroster tabs and the antenna lead and check that the grid warms evenly.
SUV and Hatchback Lift-Gate Glass
Lift-gate glass on SUVs, hatchbacks and minivans is the busiest back glass we replace. On many models the rear wiper shaft passes through a hole in the glass, and the gate carries the defroster wiring, a washer line and sometimes a camera or brake light nearby.
Pickup Truck Back Glass
Fixed back glass on a pickup takes hits from rocks thrown by other trucks and from loads in the bed: a ladder that slides forward, a strap that snaps, a cooler that tips. We replace back glass on half-ton through heavy-duty trucks, including Ford, Chevrolet, Ram, Toyota and Nissan, and we match privacy tint and the heated option where the truck had one from the factory.
Sliding Rear Window Replacement
A sliding rear window on a pickup is a framed assembly: two fixed side panes, a center slider, the track, latch and drain channels, all bonded to the cab as one unit. Power sliders add a motor and switch wiring, and heated sliders add a grid. We replace the whole assembly with the correct version for your cab, so the latch locks and water drains out instead of into the cab.
Heated Back Glass and Defroster Grid Repair
The defroster grid is a set of thin printed lines fed by two tabs, one on each side of the glass. When only part of the glass clears, a line is usually broken, and a small break can be bridged with conductive paint. If the grid is scratched across many lines, new heated glass is the fix.
Rear Wiper, Third Brake Light and Antenna
On many cars the AM/FM antenna is printed into the back glass, and the third brake light sits on or just above it. A rear wiper arm comes off the shaft before the glass can move. We move each of these to the new glass, fit new grommets where the wiper passes through, and test the radio, the brake light and the wiper before handing back the keys.
Privacy Tint and OEM Back Glass
Back glass carries an AS2 or AS3 mark in the corner. AS2 glass can go anywhere in the vehicle except the windshield, and AS3 is the deep privacy tint common on SUVs and vans. We match the mark, tint and heater of your original, and quote either OEM glass with the carmaker logo or OEM-equivalent glass from makers such as Pilkington, AGC or Fuyao.
Broken Glass Cleanup
Tempered glass breaks into thousands of small cubes, and they end up in the seats, the cargo carpet, the spare tire well, the lift-gate trim and the weatherstrip channels. We remove the trim panels where pieces collect, vacuum the cargo area and cab, and clear the old glass from the pinchweld so nothing rattles or scratches the new back glass later.

Can a Rear Window Be Repaired, or Does It Have to Be Replaced?

A broken rear window has to be replaced. Back glass is tempered, which means it was heat treated to break into small blunt pieces instead of sharp shards, and tempered glass cannot be repaired. Once it cracks, the stress inside the glass releases and the whole pane usually comes apart within seconds or hours.

That is why back glass rarely sits cracked for weeks the way a windshield can. A rock, a slammed lift gate, a bent hinge or a frame twist on a loaded truck sends the pane down into the cargo area or truck bed in one go. If it happens, tape plastic over the opening and send us the year, make and model.

Windshields are different. They are laminated, two glass layers bonded to a plastic interlayer, so a small chip can be filled with resin and the glass stays in service. If the damage is on the front glass, see our rock chip repair page before you plan a replacement.

Why Hire Signature Windshield for Rear Windshield Replacement

Back glass ordered by VIN with the right heater, antenna and tint
Defroster grid tested before we pack up
Wiper, brake light and antenna moved to the new glass
Cargo area, seats and door channels vacuumed clean
Pickup sliders, power sliders and heated sliders installed
Lifetime workmanship warranty against leaks and wind noise

Rear window cost

How Much Does Rear Windshield Replacement Cost in Grand Junction?

Rear windshield replacement in Grand Junction usually costs $300 to $700 installed for back glass with a defroster grid. A plain sedan back glass sits near the low end. Lift-gate glass with a wiper hole, heated pickup sliders and power sliding rear windows sit near the top, because the part itself costs more.

Back glass damage falls under comprehensive coverage. Colorado has no law requiring a zero-deductible glass benefit, so your deductible applies unless your policy adds full glass. We help you open the claim and work with your insurer on the details.

Back glass type	Unit	Low	High
Sedan or coupe back glass with defroster	Installed	$300	$500
SUV, hatchback or minivan lift-gate glass	Installed	$400	$700
Pickup fixed back glass	Installed	$300	$500
Pickup sliding rear window (manual, power or heated)	Installed	$450	$700

2026 estimates for rear windshield replacement, Grand Junction and the rest of the Grand Valley. The price moves with the part number: defroster grid, printed antenna, privacy tint, wiper hole, power slider motor, OEM or OEM-equivalent glass, and whether the gate glass opens on its own hinges. Some power sliders on newer trucks cost more.

Defrosters, Gravel and Truck Beds: Back Glass in the Grand Valley

Grand Junction winters are dry but cold, with January lows in the high teens, so the rear defroster runs most mornings from December through February. A grid with one broken line leaves a frosted stripe right where you look when backing out of the driveway. We test every grid after an install and fix single broken lines on glass that is otherwise fine.

Summer brings the opposite load. July highs reach the low 90s, and dark privacy glass in a closed car gets hot. Back glass with an edge chip can let go when a cold car wash or a slammed gate hits it on a hot afternoon, with no warning.

Pickups take the most back glass damage here. Gravel trucks on I-70 and the US 6 chip seal throw stone, and loads shift in the bed on county roads and well pad access roads. Work trucks out along the interstate get the same service, so auto glass in Rifle and Parachute is booked the same way as in town.

Rear window of a red car with white racing stripes

Rear Windshield Replacement FAQs

How much does it cost to replace a rear windshield?

Most rear windshield replacements in the Grand Valley cost $300 to $700 installed, with the defroster grid included. A sedan back glass usually lands near $300 to $500. SUV lift-gate glass and pickup sliding rear windows cost more because the part carries a wiper hole, a motor or a heater. We quote the exact part by VIN.

Does insurance cover back glass replacement in Colorado?

Yes, if you carry comprehensive coverage. Back glass broken by a rock, a break-in or a falling branch falls under it, and your deductible applies unless your policy includes full glass coverage, since Colorado law does not require a zero-deductible glass benefit. We help you open the claim and work with your insurer.

How long does back glass replacement take?

Plan on 1 to 2 hours on site. Most of that is cleanup and moving parts like the wiper, brake light and antenna, not the glass itself. Back glass set in urethane then needs its safe drive-away time, usually 30 minutes to a few hours depending on the adhesive and the weather. Gasket-set glass is ready right away.

Can you fix a rear defroster that stopped working?

Often, yes, without new glass. If one stripe stays frosted, a grid line is broken and can be bridged with conductive paint. If the whole grid is dead, a power tab has usually come loose or the fuse or relay has failed. Glass with scratches across many lines needs heated back glass replacement instead.

Is it safe to drive with a shattered back window?

For a short trip, usually yes, once the loose glass is cleared from the seats and the frame. Tempered glass breaks into small blunt pieces, but leftover shards along the edge can still cut. Open back glass lets in rain, dust and exhaust, so tape plastic over the opening and book the replacement soon. We can come to you.

Do you replace sliding rear windows on pickup trucks?

Yes. We replace manual, power and heated sliding rear windows on half-ton through heavy-duty pickups. The slider comes as a full framed assembly with the track, latch and drain channels, so we replace it as one unit and test the latch, the drains and any motor or heater before we leave.