93 ford escort wagon when you turn the defroster on the air blows out the vents instead of on the the top of the dashboard?

Because it's not a defroster button! It's just the symbol for ventilating the air into the car. It shoudln't be called a defroster since defrosting is meant by heating up the coils that you see at the back of the car. I'm pretty no car has wires in the front!