[11lifted]

So i decided to tackle this today. Only took me about an hour to do the whole process. Do this at your own risk. Make sure your truck is is already wired up and that the switch for the heated mirrors gives power to the rear on too. My truck is a 2011 silverado 1500 crew cab. First of all, you will need to get a new window that is heated. Since i own an auto glass shop i have easy access to those. Before doing anything i checked and found out my truck came pre-wired for rear defroster. Connectors are located on both sides hidden behind the plastic where the back seatbelt runs from. Wiring is about half way down kinda tied together with a bunch of other wiring. It had a rubber connector that looked like it was connected to something but it wasnt. Easiest way of doing this is to remove the seats and completely remove the side plastic panels. I did not do that (too much work) all i did was unscrew a screw and pull the plastic away. You will need a flashlight to see anything. It is a plug and play kind of thing. My truck comes with heated side mirrors and the back defroster runs off the same switch. Below is some pictures of the process. I tested it and it works so far. Hope with helps!

 

[JSDelaware]

Very cool.
I have had several of these trucks with heated mirrors but no heated rear window,
and I always wondered if they were wired for it anyway.
Is yours an LT?
I know the LTs are prewired for some features that W/T and LS models are not.
For instance my last truck, an '11 LT was prewired for the auto dimming rear view mirror, but my '12 LS
was not.

Again, very cool.

Joe

 

[1phatse]

I just did this change on my 2013 LT Z71. The wiring was buried and taped in the corner of the cab and was a real pain to locate. Once I finally found it, all was good.

 

[qwikz74]

Mine came with the defroster from the factory as most cars and trucks do here in Canada for obvious reasons.
The wires on my truck stick out just like yours,so your factory looking

 

[CobraAviTek]

I've wanted to this for a long time. My 2003 Silverado had this option and it was great. Within 2-3 minutes of hitting the button I could see out the back on a frosty morning. When I bought the new 2012, all the dealer had on the lot was rear sliding windows! I have the heated side mirrors and have always wondered if the plug is there for the defogger. I might have to check that when I get home today. If it is there, I've contemplated switching it out. I don't understand why they didn't include the rear slider with defogger. They obviously had the ability to do it. Ford has had it, Toyota has had it, and now the new 2014's have it. It drives me nuts! I wish they made a rear slider with that option now as a replacement part that would fit this truck. I'd swap it out in a heartbeat.

 

[scubawes626]

What is the cost of one of those windows?

 

[shakinz71]

My 08 has the factory rear defrost and I cant use it. When I first got the truck, I was "poking" around under the hood. I noticed a missing fuse. I looked it up, and it was the rear defrost fuse. Put in a new fuse, and whala! it worked. The problem was, it worked all the time, even with the key off and in my pocket! It drains the battery dead in no time. Cant find where the problem is or why it wont turn off

 

[millerthyme]

maybe a defective relay (contacts stuck closed?)
I'm not familiar with the electrical layout on these trucks - maybe someone else here can elaborate
Hopefully a simple fix will get your defrost working again

 

[CobraAviTek]

Yeah on something like that I would first check the relay. If you can find it, tap it with a wrench and see if the you hear the contacts click off. If that doesn't work then I would check the power source for the relay itself and make sure it's getting cut off or on (whichever it needs to be). Some relays work by getting power which closes the contacts completing the circuit (Normally Open) and others work by getting power and breaking contacts to break the circuit (Normally Closed). Not sure what the one in this truck is. From the way it operates, it sounds like there is a delay also. If the truck is on and the defrost is still working, I'd could definitely be the relay.

 

[turbomonte]

I have a 2011 ls with heated mirrors do you think it has the wiring for the back glass also?

 

[skier46er]

Can you explain more on how you removed the rear glass?