NHTSA Complaint #11326596 — 2015 GMC TERRAIN

WHILE DRIVING ON A CROWDED FREEWAY AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE AND UNEXPECTED TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. TRAFFIC SLOWED TO ABOUT 60 AND I PUT MY WIPERS ON HIGHEST SPEED. VISIBILITY WAS STILL TERRIBLE. AS I DROVE, THE WIPERS MADE A SUDDEN MOVE TO THE LEFT AND STOPPED. I COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING, BUT WAS STILL TRAVELING WITH A PACK OF TRAFFIC. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY, BUT DID NOT HAVE MUCH SPACE BETWEEN ME AND THE TRUCKS WHO WERE PASSING CLOSE TO ME, PROBABLY BECAUSE MY CAR COULDN'T BE SEEN BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY RAIN AND BECAUSE I WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF A HILL. I SAT THERE, HAVING THE CAR SHAKE AND MOVE WHILE BEING PASSED BY TRUCKS. WHEN THE RAIN SLOWED, I KNEW I NEEDED TO GET OUT OF THAT SPOT AND OFF THE FREEWAY. I DROVE A FEW MILES IN THE RAIN, WHILE HOLDING MY LEFT HAND OUT THE WINDOW AND MANUALLY MOVING THE WIPERS BACK AND FORTH FOR THE FEW INCHES THAT I COULD REACH. I PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND TRAVELED VERY SLOWLY TO THE NEXT EXIT. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE WIPER ASSEMBLY HAD BROKEN APART. I CHECKED INTO THIS AND SEE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS HAPPENING. I FEEL IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO PEOPLE NUMEROUS TIMES, EVEN AFTER REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENT. I CAN'T BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE HELPLESS FEELING OF BEING IN A PACK OF TRAFFIC THAT IS TRAVELING AT A HIGH SPEED AND NOT BEING ABLE TO EVEN SEE THE FRONT OF MY OWN CAR. THIS COULD HAVE HAD A TERRIBLE OUTCOME. *TR