NHTSA Complaint #11476220 — 2012 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

I was driving home from work at approximately 6:45 pm, during a downpour with high winds. My wipers had been on their highest setting for about 30 seconds or so when they rotated beyond their usual stopping place, to the point where the driver-side wiper was actually off the windshield and resting on the body of the car, and then completely stopped working. Changing the interval settings did not have any effect. When I stopped on the side of the road I turned off the wipers, put them back onto the windshield, and tried turning on the wipers on again, but they still did not move. I did however hear the wiper motor activating at regular intervals like its trying to move the wipers(no grinding/clicking indicating resistance), and when I move one wiper manually the other moves in tandem, so I believe that one of the parts that connects the wiper motor to the wiper arm assembly (not just a single wiper) is what failed. While it wasn't dark out yet, it was raining hard enough that visibility was reduced even with the wipers on; so having them go out like they did in a high-traffic area at the end of rush-hour put the safety of myself and others at risk. Vehicle is a 2012 Equinox LTZ, 166,815 miles, nothing on the dash at the time of the failure, and no sounds/symptoms to indicate a pending failure. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone yet since it just happened today, but I am trying to see if I can visually locate the part that failed, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I don't know if any others have had this problem on a 2012 Equinox, but I am aware of a recall on components from the wiper systems on the 2014 Equinox that was just announced in May 2022, as well as a recall back in 2016 on the 2013 Equinox; both of which were due to part corrosion causing the wipers to fail.