NHTSA Complaint #10418422 — 1997 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

WINDSHIELD WIPER DEFECT: WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL TO OPERATE CORRECTLY, OR AT ALL, DURING ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. THIS EQUIPMENT FAILURE PUTS A DRIVER AND ALL PASSENGERS AT RISK OF HARM DUE TO INHIBITED VISIBILITY. HAVE HAD TO SUDDENLY CHANGE LANES ON HIGHWAY DURING HEAVY RAIN, PULL OFF, STAND ON EDGE OF DOOR TRIM WITH TRAFFIC DRIVING BY, AND PUSH THE WIPERS MANUALLY UP AND DOWN TO GET THEM WORKING AGAIN. SOMETIMES I WILL HAVE TO OPEN THE HOOD OF THE TRUCK, PUSH THE FUSE TIGHT, PUSH THE WIPERS TO START THEM, AND THEN GO. OUR 1996 CHEVY SUBURBAN WAS RECALLED DUE TO A WINDSHIELD WIPER DEFECT, THEY HAVE WORKED FINE SINCE THE WINDSHIELD WIPER COMPONENT WAS REPLACED.. I HAVE CONTACTED OUR LOCAL CHEVY DEALERSHIP TWICE TO HAVE THE WINDSHIELD WIPER DEFECT REPAIRED ON THE 1997 C1500 TRUCK. SINCE THE PREVIOUS OWNER DID NOT DO IT WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY, AND THE VIN NUMBER ON THE TRUCK DOES NOT FALL UNDER THE RECALL ( THE SERVICE MANAGER PULLED UP THE RECALL AND CHECKED THE VIN NUMBER OF OUR TRUCK AGAINST THE NUMBERS ON THEIR LIST ON 08/06/2011 AT 12:20 P.M.), THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT. THIS IS BECAUSE, AS IT IS NOW NOT UNDER WARRANTY, THEY WOULD NOT BE REIMBURSED BY GM, REGARDLESS OF MY REMINDING THEM THAT NOT REPLACING IT REMAINS A SAFETY RISK TO THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS BEGAN IN 2001. SINCE OUR SON IS GOING TO GET HIS LICENSE, AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE TRUCK, I WOULD LIKE TO ENSURE HIS VEHICLE IS A SAFE ONE. IF I HAD KNOWN WHERE TO FILE A COMPLAINT REGARDING THIS MATTER, I WOULD HAVE DONE THIS 8 YEARS AGO. THE DEALER TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO, EXCEPT REPLACE THE PART. *TR