NHTSA Complaint #10058606 — 1998 GMC YUKON

RECENTLY, MY DAUGHTER, TRACYE, A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER FOR THE DAWSON COUNTY GEORGIA SCHOOL SYSTEM, CALLED ME FOR HELP WITH HER 1998 YUKON. AT DAYS END, SHE PROCEEDED TO HER VEHICLE TO GO HOME. IT WAS RAINING HEAVILY AT THE TIME. HER WINDSHIED WIPERS WOULD NOT START. SHE CALLED ME, AND I HAD HER CHECK THE FUSE WHICH WAS OK. I THEN LEFT MY HOME TO DRIVE THE 80 MILES TO HER SCHOOL. WHILE I WAS ENROUTE, SHE CALLED AND SAID THE RAIN WAS REDUCING, AND SHE THEN DROVE THE 20 MILES TO HER HOME WITHOUT WIPERS. I CONTINUED ON TO HER HOME, SOME 90 MILES FROM MY HOME. THE NEXT MORNING, IT WAS NOT RAINING, SO I TOLD HER TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE TO SCHOOL, AND I WOULD DRIVE HER VEHICLE FOR REPAIR. I WENT TO NAPA AUTO PARTS WITH THE PROBLEM. NAPA WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM; STATING THAT GM CARS HAD A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE SOLDER CONNECTIONS BREAKING ON THE ELECTRONIC BOARD THAT CONTROLS THE WIPERS. UNFORTUNATELY, HE HAD TO ORDER THE BOARD WHICH WAS GOING TO BE DELIVERED THE NEXT MORNING. I LEFT NAPA AND WENT TO THE CHEVROLET DEALER. HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM, BUT SAID THE REPAIR COVERED BY GM WENT FROM 94 THROUGH 97 MODELS. THE NEXT MORNING, I GOT THE PART FROM NAPA AND WENT TO A NAPA REPAIR SHOP. THEY WERE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS RECURRING PROBLEM ON GM CARS. SINCE I WAS WAITING, THEY REPAIRED THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY. THE CIRCUIT BOARD WAS THE PROBLEM. I DROPPED MY DAUGHTER'S VEHICLE AT HER SCHOOL AND RETURNED HOME. I FEEL THAT THIS WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM IS A SAFETY ITEM IN THAT OCCURRENCE WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN LIKELY WOULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE A RECALL BY GM AND THE COST OF THE BOARD AND THE LABOR SHOULD BE BORNE BY GM. OWNERS SHOULD BE COVERED ALSO FOR REPAIRS/PARTS COMPLETED AT OTHER SHOPS. *AK