NHTSA Complaint #10096511 — 1999 FORD TAURUS

I HAVE A 1999 FORD TAURUS. WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPER SWITCH IS OFF, SOMETIMES THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL COME ON FOR NO REASON. SOMETIMES THIS IS JUST ONCE THEN IT WILL STOP. SOMETIMES IT IS SEVERAL TIMES IN A ROW THEN IT WILL STOP. IT IS MOST PREVALENT DURING THE SUMMER, OR ON HOTTER DAYS. ALTHOUGH, IT HAS EVEN HAPPENED IN COLD WEATHER. I NOTICE THAT OTHERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM, BUT AS YET IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS APPARENT DEFECT IN THE DESIGN BY FORD. IT IS CLEAR TO ME THAT THE SWITCH TOLERANCES DO NOT ADEQUATELY TAKE ACCOUNT OF EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OVER THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE RANGES OF THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEMS I DESCRIBE ABOVE HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN SACRAMENTO, CA, WHICH IS NOT THE WORST PLACE IN THE U.S. FOR SEVERE TEMPERATURE CHANGES BETWEEN SEASONS. HENCE, IF IT DOESN'T WORK IN CALIFORNIA, IT PROBABLY WILL BE A PROBLEM IN MORE SEVERE CLIMATE CHANGES ALSO. HIS PROBLEM OCCURS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK DURING THE SUMMER. FORD REALLY SHOULD DO THE RIGHT THING AND DO A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. I AM AN ENGINEER AND THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN DEFECT. IF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE TO FAIL TO WORK DUE TO THIS PROBLEM DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS DEFECT COULD BE DANGEROUS.*AK