NHTSA Complaint #10000512 — 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

MY 2001 CHEVROLET PICKUP TRUCK HAS 3500 MILES ON IT, AND IN THE TWO SNOW STORMS THIS WINTER(IT HAS ONLY BEEN IN TWO SNOW DRIVING SITUATIONS) BOTH TIMES THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE BECAME DISCONNECTED BELOW THE WIPER ROTATING OUTPUT SHAFT. AFTER THE FIRST SNOW STORM I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER WHO SIMPLY RECONNECTED EVERYTHING AND COMMENTED: WE HAVE HAD ABOUT 45 SIMILAR CASES JUST THIS MORNING. HE COMMENTED THAT THE WIPERS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO BE USED IN SUCH HEAVY SNOW. THE SNOW BUILT UP UNDER THE WIPER ARM, PUTTING STRESS ON THE INTERNAL LINKAGE BELOW THE SHEET METAL, AND CAUSED THE LINKAGE TO POP APART. HE SUGGESTED THAT I NOT DRIVE IN SUCH HEAVY SNOWFALL, OR THAT I KEEP THE LINKAGE CLEAR OF SNOW BUILDUP. I POINTED OUT THE OBVIOUS SAFETY CONCERN FOR PULLING OVER EVERY TEN MINUTES TO CLEAR AWAY SNOW FROM UNDER THE WIPER AND ALL HE COULD RESPOND TO THAT WAS: "FORD HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS CHEVROLET ON THESE WIPER LINKAGES COMING APART". THE SECOND STORM WAS LAST NIGHT. I CAREFULLY REMOVED ALL SNOW FROM THE HOOD, FROM AROUND THE WIPERS, FROM ON TOP OF THE ROOF (SO SNOW COULD NOT SLIDE OFF IT ONTO THE WIPERS) AND AFTER 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING, THE PASSENGER WIPER FAILED WITH A LOUD MECHANICAL NOISE. I STOPPED AND MEASURED THE SNOW THICKNESS ON THE HOOD AT LESS THAN ONE INCH. I HAPPEN TO HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA WITH ME AND TOOK SEVERAL PICTURES OF THE DEPTH OF THE SNOW IN THE DARK WITH A FLASH ATTACHMENT. I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A SAFETY DEFECT AND ONE WHICH THE NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE ON BEHALF OF ALL CHEVROLET PICKUP OWNERS. AS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER I FIND THIS KIND OF FAILURE TO BE INEXCUSABLE AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED IT IN ANY OF THE FORTY PLUS VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED IN THE PAST. I AM 52 YEARS OLD. YES, I WILL RETURN TO THE DEALER, AND AM UNHAPPY THAT PROBABLY THEY SIMPLY WILL HOOK THE LINKAGE BACK UP AND IT PROBABLY WILL FAIL AGAIN DURING THE NEXT SNOWSTORM. NOTE: YOU NEED TO UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE TO ALLOW US TO PUT IN THE YEAR 2003. TS