I have a 2005 Sebring Touring Sedan and last summer my car was hit while parked in my driveway. The damage was to the passenger rear corner and they had to replace my bumper and quarter panel. Now that winter is here, I have noticed that the rear defrost is not working and also the trunk light does not work.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

I am assuming you have checked for a blown fuse.

As to the trunk light, check the bulb. The jostle from the impact could have broken the filament. The lamp itself is controlled by a switch that is built in to the decklid release solenoid. It also controls the signal that causes the word "deck" to appear in your odometer when the trunk is ajar. If you are getting that signal, then the light should also work and the bulb is the most likely cause of the problem.

As for the rear defrost, check the connections at each side of the glass. If they are disconnected, plug them back in. If the connector is broken off the glass, there are two ways to fix it.
1. If you have a soldering gun, hold the connector against the glass with the soldering gun tip and apply heat long enough to get some melting under the connector (a few seconds). Turn off the heat and when it solidifies, you can stop applying pressure and the connector should stay there and, after replacing the plug, work fine.

2. The other method requires you buy one of those little kits at the auto parts store for repairing the conducting grid of the defroster. It contains an epoxy that is electrically conductive. Mix up some of that and glue the connector back in place.

 

I just noticed today when i push the button to turn on the defrost for my rear window that all the lights on my dash go dim & the radio go off. The metal fuse looking thing thats in my fuse box gets really hot when i push the button. Can anyone help me fix this problem & get the defrost working correctly

 

Sounds like you have a short somewhere in the circuit. First off, what kind and year car are we talking about?
Second, by that "metal fuse looking thing" do you mean the rear defogger relay? If so, you might consider replacing that. It could be the source of your trouble.

Tracing down a short requires some inexpensive equipment, persistence and patience. Even if you are not particularly skilled as a mechanic, if you use your head and are patient, you can probably find it. Or you can pay a mechanic $50/hour to be logical, persistent and patient.