Where are the rear defroster vents?

Hi Guys,

I was trying to find the vents for the rear defroster, but I could not quite feel where, or if any, air was coming out. I turned on the car fully using the break pedal then turned on the Fan and pressed the rear defroster button. Then I went back out the car and opened the hatch back. I could not feel any air coming out.

I did see two black rubber hoses hooking into the hatch back from the main cabin's body. What are these hoses for? Is it the electricity that warms up the rear window in the hatch back? or is it air?

Actually, I'm not quite sure how the rear defroster works. Does it blow air? Or is it strictly the heating elements on the window in the hatch back heating up?

I also noticed that you could turn on the rear window defroster button with out turning on the fan. This leads me to wonder if it is strictly heating only and not air being blown.

Actually, are there any air vents in the back of the leaf where the cargo area is located? I'm wondering if there are any because I was thinking on taking the leaf out to a little camping spot and sleeping in the back where the cargo area is at. Passenger seats folded over obviously with some boxes to make a flat bench in total.

Does the leaf only have air vents at the front and none at the back? :mrgreen:

What rear defroster vents?

NissanLeafCamper said:

Actually, I'm not quite sure how the rear defroster works. Does it blow air? Or is it strictly the heating elements on the window in the hatch back heating up?

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Yes, it's almost certainly only the heating elements on the rear window.

Have you never owned a vehicle w/the similar setup? I've never had a car w/rear defroster vents (I doubt this is common either), only heating elements on the rear window.

I think it is the same as every other car I have heard of with rear defrost, it is the electric element on the rear window itself. I have never heard of a rear defrost vent or cargo heating in any passenger car (except for combined cargo/third row seating), and I have owned quite a few.

I had a Mercury version of a Ford Maverick once, and it had an optional rear defroster/blower mounted in the rear shelf. It made lots of noise, and was slightly more effective than the electric elements of the era. I think a few import cars also came with a ducted rear "defogger" that just directed unheated outside air onto the glass.

Rear defrost is the electric gridlines on the rear window, and it works fine.

There is air ducting for rear-seat heat at floor level; maybe that is where the confusion started.

Nubo said:

Rear defrost is the electric gridlines on the rear window, and it works fine.

There is air ducting for rear-seat heat at floor level; maybe that is where the confusion started.

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Hi There Nubo,

The air ducts are at the very floor level? I see a few vent like openings on the cargo side. I wonder if that is only for looks, music, or air? These are very close to the hatch door, but within the body of the car.

The air ducts you speak off... are they right at the floor? I'd like to know if there are any air ducts for the rear area or if it is only at the front.

Thanks sorry for all the confusion !

There are no heat ducts in the cargo area. The rear heat ducts he spoke of are under the front seats and vent out toward the back seat passengers feet. The vents you saw in the cargo area, may be the vents to atmosphere, when you have fresh air coming in, the "old" air has somewhere to go, also for when shutting doors, etc.

Firetruck41 said:

There are no heat ducts in the cargo area. The rear heat ducts he spoke of are under the front seats and vent out toward the back seat passengers feet. The vents you saw in the cargo area, may be the vents to atmosphere, when you have fresh air coming in, the "old" air has somewhere to go, also for when shutting doors, etc.

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So they are for venting out only? I guess that covering up the cargo area with a lot of things would not be wise since it would prevent those vents from working? I thought for a second those were a type 'rear ac' of sorts for the leaf....