NHTSA Complaint #10320331 — 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER

THE 2002 TRAILBLAZER HAD A RECALL ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR AND THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE THAT WATER INSIDE THE MOTOR COULD CAUSE. THE CORRECTION WAS PERFORMED BY PLUGGING A HOLE IN THE MOTOR. MY VEHICLE WAS ALSO UNDER A GMPP EXTENDED WARRANTY. SHORTLY LATER, THE WIPERS BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION WHILE ON INTERMITTENT. THEY STUTTER AND SOMETIMES STOP IN MID STROKE, UNLESS ON HIGH SPEED. I RESEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS THAT WERE CAUSED BY WATER DAMAGE THAT HAD OCCURRED. I INQUIRED AT THE DEALER ABOUT CORRECTING AND THEY STATED THAT SINCE THE RECALL HAD BEEN PERFORMED, THEY COULD REPAIR THE UNIT ONLY IF I PAID FOR THE REPAIRS. THE ESTIMATED COST WAS AROUND $350. ADDITIONAL INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE BEEN CORRECTED BY OPENING THE WIPER MOTOR AND CLEANING THE CONTACTS - A RESULT OF WATER DAMAGE, OBVIOUSLY CAUSED EVEN THOUGH THE RECALL. I BELIEVE CHEVROLET SHOULD RECALL THIS VEHICLE AND REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR RATHER THAN PLUG THE HOLE AS THEY DID ORIGINALLY. I ALSO BELIEVE CHEVROLET KNEW THEIR ORIGINAL RECALL (PLUGGING THE HOLE) WOULD NOT LAST AND MOTORS WOULD FAIL AT A LATER TIME. UPDATED 04/12/10