# Question about my non working windshield wipers..



## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Think there is a few other threads on here where people experienced the same thing, its the wiper transmission is damaged under the cowl. How many miles on your cruze? You should file a report with the NHTSA because this is a safety issue, if GM issues a recall you might get reimbursed for the current repair.


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## BowtieGuy (Jan 4, 2013)

I wonder if wiper blade choice could have an affect in these cases we are seeing? Maybe some brands of wiper blades are stressing the wiper arm linkage?

Victory, have you been using the OEM wiper blades, or aftermarket? If aftermarket, which brand?


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## VictoryRedLTRS (Mar 26, 2012)

I think there michelins, I'm really pisses that they stopped working. Was heading home from Milwaukee and my windshield was getting caked on with salt and dirty road water, had to pull into 2 gas stations to clean off the wind shield so I could see.


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## Gus_Mahn (Aug 16, 2011)

The wiper transmission is a crappy design or materials and is prone to failure. Here is the thread regarding wiper transmission failures. Read the thread and put a complaint on the Home | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website. Obviously. it's a fairly common failure of a safety system that can fail at the most inopportune time.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

VictoryRedLTRS said:


> So the other day my passenger side wiper stopped working, and now today the driver side stopped working and is now stuck vertically on my windshield....any clues on how to fix this problem? I know it's not frozen, but when I hit the lever to activate the wipers it only moves about a quarter inch up and down. Any advice is much appreciated.


Hey there,

We would be happy to look into this further for you if you decide to bring it into the dealership at all. Be sure to send us a private message with your information for additional assistance! 

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Hmmm, another potential problem I wasn't aware of. Already paranoid enough, don't need anymore.










$48.89 at rockauto.com, not as a bad markup as other automotive parts, not too long ago, manufacturing cost was less than 5 bucks. 

Milwaukee and Chicago is close to home, nothing like driving a salted slushy roads. Then to be passed by some crazy nut driving a jacked up pickup with duals on it and no mud flaps.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Here another component that if defective can make your vehicle unsafe to drive.










The blower motor, without it, your windows will fog up like crazy, and also way overpriced at $93.99. And definitely a throwaway item, only problem could be a nick broken brush. While I haven't had reason yet to pull this motor out of my Cruze. Others the case is all spot welded together, but worse yet, the blower wheel is hot stamped on. No way to remove it without breaking it.

If this isn't bad enough, if the bearing freeze up and the motor stalls, can take out the controller. 










I see they dropped the price to a more reasonable $39.79, was $113.00 last time I checked. On others, only thing on the inside of this plastic box was a 13 cent power MOSFET chip that would burn out. That I could replace with a 17 cent chip that wouldn't burn out, but blow the fuse instead. 

Ha, got a call yesterday from somebody trying to sell me a maintenance agreement. Do you cover the windshield and blower motor? Received a hesitation. Well forget about it then, then hung up. 

Here is another way overpriced item, the fuel pump. For this piece of plastic, $209.79, seen slot car motors that were made a lot better than these things selling for the third of the price.










Can't even use a piece of nicrhome wire for the fuel sender, just a baked on carbon resistor that wears out. These cost us about a third of a cent in production.


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## Gus_Mahn (Aug 16, 2011)

NickD said:


> $48.89 at rockauto.com, not as a bad markup as other automotive parts, not too long ago, manufacturing cost was less than 5 bucks.
> 
> .


Wrong Part. Transmission not motor.


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## Gus_Mahn (Aug 16, 2011)

BowtieGuy said:


> I wonder if wiper blade choice could have an affect in these cases we are seeing? Maybe some brands of wiper blades are stressing the wiper arm linkage?
> 
> Victory, have you been using the OEM wiper blades, or aftermarket? If aftermarket, which brand?


It's just a cheap crappy design IMO. The transmission should be able to handle varing loads, the occasional frozen wiper, and still last the life of the car.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Gus_Mahn said:


> It's just a cheap crappy design IMO. The transmission should be able to handle varing loads, the occasional frozen wiper, and still last the life of the car.


Exactly. I believe its the frozen down wipers that are causing the failures, I have been making sure to clean my windshiled extra good before I drive and free the wipers manually when frozen. 

Your correct though this should NEVER happen. are they using cheap plastic connections of something?


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## VictoryRedLTRS (Mar 26, 2012)

My cousins fiancé is a gm mechanic so I might just have him look at it, maybe get the part cheaper with his employee discount.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Gus_Mahn said:


> Wrong Part. Transmission not motor.


What transmission? Talking about the linkage assembly? Even cheaper than the motor, about 40 bucks worth.


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## Gus_Mahn (Aug 16, 2011)

NickD said:


> What transmission? Talking about the linkage assembly? Even cheaper than the motor, about 40 bucks worth.


yes, it's an assembly, which GM calls a transmission. They were about $80 when mine failed, but GM has lowered the price to about $40


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## Gus_Mahn (Aug 16, 2011)

spacedout said:


> Exactly. I believe its the frozen down wipers that are causing the failures, I have been making sure to clean my windshiled extra good before I drive and free the wipers manually when frozen.
> 
> Your correct though this should NEVER happen. are they using cheap plastic connections of something?


 I don't think my wipers had ever been frozen to windshield when mine failed. I think it a combination of design and materials.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

First question I ask when driving under these conditions, why am I even on the road in the first place? Answer is simple, society demands it.

What helps the most is to switch to maximum temperature with the defrosters on full blast. And pray that technology can deal with nature. During the energy crisis of the 70's, was a huge migration to the southern states of the USA. I am one of the idiots that stayed here. This is also part of the problem.

We don't have a snow removal service as they call it, more of a snow moving service, all the snow on the roads is piled up in your driveway. So have to get up two hours earlier to move it someplace, but certainly not back on the road. Would get fined for this. Then if they salt it first, if you don't get out there right away, freezes as hard as a rock, so need a pick first to break it up before you can shovel it. 

Ha, wife is from Venezuela, would move there in a second, coldest winter temps are 65*F and warmest is 85*F and all the hurricanes head north. But a very corrupt government, so can't win.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

I first starting seeing this type failure.....linkage coming off the balls, on Audi's about five/six years ago.
I was shocked to see this cheezeball arrangement on such a high zoot, supposedly first class piece.

And they fail like mad in the snowbelt.....I'm sure the result of blades stuck to the glass and cold, brittle plastic conspiring together.

For the record, I too have always either free'd the blades before getting in the car or lifting the arms off the glass the night before as a preventative measure......long before they started using plastic for this application.

So far, so good.....wifes 08 Malibu has the same cheezy setup and it lives outside......same treatment to avoid stuck blades.

But, I was doing this years ago, back when the linkage was pins inserted in oillite bushings just to keep the wiper blade lips from getting ripped off.

Rob


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## VictoryRedLTRS (Mar 26, 2012)

I try to remember to raise the wipers but I tend to forget. Lol


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

A photo would be interesting to learn exactly what broke on yours, from this photo, does appear to be fairly robust. 










Now to check on the circuit used for the motor, use to use a fast acting automatic resetting circuit breaker because the first thing to go was burning up the motor. A stalled motor would consume all the current it could get. 

Typically, the motor itself is a worm drive on a plastic gear that would break a couple of teeth off of it. So the motor would just spin. Other problems I have had over the years using a steel shaft in a bronze bushing was corrosion, either a nut or a cotter pin was used to hole the shaft in. Had to take them all apart clean off the bushings and lubricate.

Parking switch was always a problem due to burnt contacts as well as the relay contacts in the control box. Yet another problem when steel was used for the vents, was getting the rusty screws out. Shouldn't be a problem with the Cruze, all plastic with those pop rivet plastic fasteners.


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## VictoryRedLTRS (Mar 26, 2012)

Thanks nick for the pic, gonna take a look at mine in the morning. Hopefully I can get it fixed by tomorrow afternoon/evening, really blows not having wipers that work...the things we take for granted.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, as a kid growing up in this country, (USA), 80 bucks would buy a very nice car. Now 80 bucks will only buy new parts to change the complete mechanics of the windshield wiper system. A lot more if having problems with the steering wheel column control lever.

Just don't know until you look, recall one where that shaft fell of the wiper cam because of a rusted out palnut. Just got out my dies, threaded it and put a nut on it so it wouldn't fall off.


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## mcg75 (Mar 5, 2012)

VictoryRedLTRS said:


> I try to remember to raise the wipers but I tend to forget. Lol


Just remember to pull them up before you turn the wipers on. 

Raising the wiper arms up overnight stretches the tension spring that keeps the arm tight to the windshield. 

As for the wiper transmissions failing, it's not a Cruze thing at all. In the last few years I can remember replacing the wiper trannies on everything from BMW to Lexus to Kia to GM.


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## VictoryRedLTRS (Mar 26, 2012)

Thanks for the heads up on stretching of the tensioner spring...did not know this!! Lol ****, I remember when I started driving (01'-02') you could fill your gas tank, buy a pack of smokes and a value meal at mcdonalds for $20 and still have $3-$4 left over! Lol


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

mcg75 said:


> Just remember to pull them up before you turn the wipers on.
> 
> Raising the wiper arms up overnight stretches the tension spring that keeps the arm tight to the windshield.


No only that, if a big wind gust comes along the wiper arm/blade can crack the windshield when it gets slammed back into place.


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