Issue ID | 1198589 |
Internal NHTSA # | 10733409 |
Manufacurer | General Motors LLC |
Brand | CHEVROLET |
Model | EQUINOX |
Model Year | 2013 |
File date | 09/07/15 |
Component | VISIBILITY/WIPER |
Product type code | VEHICLE |
Description of the problem | Driving in left lane on i75 at 70 mph in moderate traffic. Started to rain and within seconds turned to a downpour. I switched my wipers from regular to high speed, they made 2 or 3 strokes and then quit. I couldn't see a thing. Most scared i've ever been in a vehicle. Luckily, no one in front of me braked suddenly, so i flipped on my flashers and gradually slowed and edged across the right lane onto the shoulder. Turns out the wiper transmission has several plastic ball/socket pieces, and one failed, separating the motor from the linkage. This could have caused a terrible multicar wreck. I work in the automotive industry, and am an ase master tech. I know a little about cars. In a safety-critical system like wipers, why, other than a small cost, why couldn't the linkage be designed not to separate when the ball/socket fails? A secondary connection or improved design that would allow the wipers to operate, even poorly, until a vehicle can get off the road. I could have been injured (along with others) by the failure of a small piece of plastic that is never inspected when an auto is serviced. |
Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 80000 |
Number of Occurences | |
Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
City and State | FISHERS, IN |
VIN pattern | 2GNALDEKXD6XXXXXX |
Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
Was incedent reported to police? | N |
Was medical attention required? | N |
Was part original equipment? | |
No. of injured persons | 0 |
No. of fatalities | 0 |
Date of purchase | 29/06/24 |
Was original owner? | N |
Anti-lock brakes | N |
Cruise control | N |
Number of cylinders | |
Drive train type | |
Transmission type | |
Vehicle speed | 70 |
DoT tire identifier | |
Tire size | |
Location of tire code | |
Type of tire failure code | |
Was defective tire repaired? | |
Date of manufacture | |
Type of child seat code | |
Type of restraint | |
Dealer's name | |
Dealer's telephone number | |
Dealer's city | |
Dealer's state code | |
Dealer's ZIP code |