NHTSA Complaint #732295 — 1996 EAGLE VISION

TWO SEPARATE PROBLEMS OCCURRED WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPER ASSEMBLY. FIRST, ON A YEARLY BASIS THE RUBBER ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS PEELS OFF THE WIPER BLADES WHILE IN USE. SECOND, JULY 2000 THE WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING IN A STORM. I CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE OF MAJOR CONCERN BECAUSE THE WIPER ARM ASSEMBLY CONTAINS A SMALL PLASTIC PART WHICH WORE OUT. THIS PLASTIC PART IS HIDDEN UNDER THE EXTERIOR WINDSHIELD TRIM OF THE CAR. THERE IS NO WAY TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE PART WITHOUT REMOVING THE TRIM AND BECAUSE THE PART STOPS WORKING DURING USE IN BAD WEATHER WITH NO WARNING TO THE DRIVER...THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SERIOUS DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURER'S DESIGN. WHEN THE WIPERS STOP WORKING DURING A STORM IT IS MOST LIKELY A DRIVER COULD HAVE A HEAD-ON COLLISION IN WHICH THE WINDSHIELD AREA WOULD BE SMASHED. THIS WOULD RESULT IN THE WIPER ASSEMBLY BEING DESTROYED AND NOT BEING IDENTIFIED AS THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH. I THINK THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS CONCERN, ESPECIALLY DUE TO THE AGE OF AUTOMOBILES AND THE POSSIBLE WEARING OUT OF THIS PART. ALSO, A CONCERN EXISITS BECAUSE OTHER CAR MODELS MAY HAVE THIS SAME DESIGN IN THEIR MANUFACTURED PARTS AND DUE TO DAMAGE IN HEAD-ON COLLISIONS IT IS NOT SHOWING UP AS THE CAUSE. *AK