I bought a kit made by Permatex at Advance Auto Parts. The part number was 09117. It cost about 15 bucks. The connector tab on the driver side had popped off. I also had about 14 grid line breaks due to someone who had tint on the read window that had removed it with a f****ing razor blade! Anyway, this kit comes with the stuff you need to fix both problems. Just read the directions and BE PATIENT. You will also need some masking tape if you have more than one grid line break.
Here is the link to the part.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_complete-

Here is the video on youtube showing how to do it.
rear-window-defogger-repair-kit-permatex_7160063-p

Hope this helps someone. Mine works great now.

Jason I just saw this and i'v been trying to take apart that fuse block to get inside it and look for a bad connection that is shorting out my radio circuit.... as you well know this ended in me being very sad :( definently gonna come back to this when I get red back though.

Big question was did the light on the controller on and the system still didn't function? Mine is on and the rear defroster does not work.

Yes, the light will be on, but the grid all have no power to it. GM did not design the light on the HVAC controls to indicate the grid is active, it is simply an indicator that some one in the car pushed the button.

Can you tell me how much voltage is suppose to be on the grid so I can check it please?

TYIA

Tom

My 06 rear defroster does not work. Connectors seem ok. Same situation w circuit breaker? Same spot?

The '06 Monte is wired differently then the '00-'05.
Two things to check....
#1 - In the passenger side foot well is access to a fuse panel. Open that up. WIth the battery disconnected on the car, separate the big connector/harness in that compartment. You will probably find a pin chared in there (I believe goes to a purple wire). That pin is the defroster. People have fixed it by cutting that wire free from the harness and splicing it together (one guy recommended a 30 amp fuse in line with it as a safety).
#2 - With the car running, have someone with a test light check for power at the terminals on the glass, have another guy wiggle the relay for the defroster found in the fuse panel under the hood. If that does it, GM claims there is no serviceable parts in the fuse panel, BUT, you can remove the panel, dis-assemble it and find the forks that contact the relay have separated (just squeeze them together). Take pics of the panel before removing the fuses and relays (to make it quicker to re-assemble). Process takes about an hour to do.

Hope that helps!!

The rear defroster on my 05 isn't working either. Light is on when I push the button so 12V got there. When I remove the relay, I got 12V on one pin (button puhsed or not), but when I push the button, there should be a 2nd pin with 12v right? I only have one. So that would means the breaker is bad, am I testing this correctly?

If I recall, the relay has to have 12v constant. When you push the button it's to trigger the relay and pass the 12v to the rest of the circuit. When you push the button, you should here the relay click.
Odds are your circuit breaker is bad.

I tried another breaker i had but it didn't worked. It was 25A instead of 30A, but I thought it should have worked if that was the problem. I also tried another relay with no luck.