Was on the interstate with the windshield wipers on because of the very heavy rain. Then out of no where the windshield wipers quit working and were completely stuck straight up and down causing very unsafe driving conditions as I was not able to hardly see at all and had no where to safely pull off to the side at.
2011 GMC Terrain visibility complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 35 of 35, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Last summer (july 2019) our wipers stopped in the up position during a heavy thunderstorm on the highway while we traveling over 60 MPH. It was very scary and we are lucky we did not crash. We replaced the wiper blade transmission. Now during an ice storm the blades quit again. I find that there are several complaints regarding issues with the wiper blades and that canada has a recall on them due to the safety issue. Why do we not have recall for this in the us?
Sudden downpours, when I activated the wipers there was a mechanical noise and both wipers stopped working, while in motion on freeway. Forced to drive with near zero visibility until next safe stopping point with my kids in the car. Stopped, checked fuse which was ok, checked wipers and found the transmission must have failed at the motor or drive as both wipes were connected to each other but otherwise free to move by hand.
On june 20, 2019 aprx 3:20 pm I was traveling the nj turnpike in a heavy downpour the wipers just stopped working in the middle of the storm. Heavy heavy rain and traffic on the turnpike made for a very dangerous situation. I was forced to find my way to the shoulder of the road and almost caused an accident in doing so because I could not see properly. I had to stay put until the rain stopped so I could proceed home. Gmc knows about the problem with the wipers yet has not recalled my vehicle. The recalled the 2013 models yet most modesl from 2010 and up have the same defective part (ball joints in the wipers transmission / motor are defective.
Driving on a busy highway during a rainstorm and the windshield wipers stopped in the up position. I had to slow down quickly and find my way onto the shoulder since visibility went to zero and there was traffic all around me. You could still hear the wiper motor turning but the wipers wouldn't move from the up position. I had to wait over an hour and a half for the rain to stop before I was able to drive home. Due to traffic on the highway and the rain on the pavement, I was only able to drive at a speed of 25-30 MPH, since traffic was lifting the rain off of the pavement and onto my windshield. This could have been a terrible situation where a severe accident almost occurred due to the windshield wiper motor and linkage system failed. I have called my local dealership and found that a recall hasn't been issued for this problem but that there have been thousands of reports to this faulty issue. I have also found that there is a recall for this issue in canada but not in the united states, which is concerning.
During heavy rain storm wipers stopped working while driving on hwy. We were unable to see the road. Dealership is saying the wiper module failed.
During a driving rain, going 65 MPH on the highway, when I put my wipers on high, they stopped working altogether. I had been in the passing lane, had to avoid crashing, and get over 2 lanes and get myself to the nearest exit. A white knuckle experience, to say the least. We had to replace the entire wiper motor at our expense and inconvenience.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. While driving approximately 50 MPH in the rain, the windshield wipers stopped operating without warning. The contact exited the freeway, pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road, and waited for the rain to stop. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 117,100.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. While driving approximately 55 MPH in the rain, the windshield wipers stopped functioning. The contact stated that there was zero visibility to view the road. The vehicle was taken to sun buick pontiac gmc (4230 birney ave, moosic, pa 18507, (570) 456-6828) where it was diagnosed that the transmission for the wipers failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency. The approximate failure mileage was 108,975.
I was on my way home on the interstate driving 55 in the pouring rain when my windshield wipers stopped working!! My boyfriend got my vehicle home and determined what the problem is. Easy fix. But that is not the point! I was put in an extremely hazardous situation. From the research I have done this happens all the time! I called gm and they said "well at least no one was injured" which, yes I am thankful no one was injured.. However, this is an ongoing issue that they care nothing about! It needs to be handled...
As I was driving home from work this evening on a highway at approximately 6:15pm it started to pour down rain. Due to the rain I was going about 45 MPH. I turned my wipers on the highest speed possible. After about 5 minutes they instantly stopped working and were stuck in the vertical position. The wipers would not move in my attempts to cut them on and off again. It was truly terrifying. Between the rain, thunder, lightning and not being able to see I was really in a dangerous situation. I was able to pull off the road without injuring myself or someone else fortunately. I had to sit there and wait for it to stop raining before I could go home. After doing some research online it appears that this is a problem that you are aware of. This is a serious problem that gmc, in my opinion, is responsible for. I'm shocked that when I searched online regarding this issue that I saw numerous complaints. I can not stress enough how dangerous this issue is. I truly feel that all terrain owners need to be made aware of this. I also feel that this is serious enough that your department needs to conduct a thorough investigation and there needs to be a recall initiated since there is apparently a recall on these same vehicles in canada. Thank you in advance for your time regarding this dangerous issue.
While driving in the pouring rain on a busy new york highway both windshield wipers stopped working. They were stopped in the middle of the windshield. Nothing would make them move. I had to quickly pull over and have the car towed. It was unsafe to continue driving in the rain when it was impossible to see. When I took it to the mechanic he said the ball joints in the windshield wiper module corroded resulting in both of the windshield wipers becoming inoperative. This issue was recalled with the 2013 model recall number 16v582000 recall date 08/04/2016 component visibility:windshield wiper/washer:motor. Gm's number for this recall is 25302 but has not been recalled as of yet in the 2011 model and it should be!
The windshield wipers quit while exiting an interstate highway ramp (I-94) in port huron, mi. We were in the middle of a torrential rain storm with very low visibility and the loss of wipers created a serious safety hazard. Upon inspection, it was determined that the wiper linkage had disengaged and fallen off. The wiper linkage/transmission required for repair is acdelco part# del 84241847. We purchased it at a cost of $66.69 and it was installed by a family member.
While driving home on the highway, it began to rain heavily. I went to turn on my windsheild wipers and they would not engage. I was terrified and could not see a thing. Because the traffic was heavy, I was not going fast, but slowed down even more to afford myself some visibility. I did some research on this problem and found recalls for the 2013 model. I also found websites where other model year owners have detailed the same terrifying default. I called gmc and was told my VIN was not under recall. A mechanic has advised that it sounds like the motor needs replacing because he hears the gears grinding, but this was not an official diagnostic. I did not purchase the extended warranty when I bought the car in december 2016. I cannot believe I have to fork over $$$ to fix an known gmc issue. I have read complaints on the link below from 2010 owners as well. I hope gmc will either making this model year part of the recall, or reimbursing the owners expenses to fix it. Thanks for the platform to be heard.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. While driving 65 MPH, the windshield wipers stopped working during a rainstorm. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,550. Updated 05/19/17*lj
While driving wipers stopped working, was told I needed and new wiper transmission. This was extremely hazardous because it was raining heavily. The mileage on the vehicle was approximately 94000.
The car is only 5 years old and now the compressor and condenser are broken and need to be replaced. Seem like gm products aren't holding up very well. I had to have freion added last year because the AC wouldn't work and again this year.
Driving down i5 during a downpour when the drivers side windshield wiper went off the side of the windshield. Skirted trafficto bring the car to the side of the road and moved the wiper back onto the windshield. Wipers would no longer work. Towed off interstate to the nearest dealership where they stated the wiper transmission was "broken" and they replaced it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the windshield wipers failed to work. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the wiper blade transmission motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated that the windshield wiper blades had to be replaced after two years. The contact felt that the blades were wearing prematurely. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 12,400.
The driver side window freezes open at 25 deg f (-4 deg c). Unknown if passenger windows freeze open at same temperature. Window opening required for presentation of identification. Hazard involves risk to occupants below freezing temperatures. // climate information - outside temperature: 27 deg f (-4 deg c); area dewpoint: 25 deg f (-4 deg c); pressure: 30.26 inches hg (1024.8 mb); weather: mist (frost build-up present on vehicle); inside temperature: "high" setting defrost and floor, level 12; window open time: 30 seconds; window up method: continuous up/down to break-free frost/freeze build up, eventually returning to up/closed position after 2 minutes; // request oem review and investigate cause for defect. Window up/down motor seems too weak to overcome freezing temperatures.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated that the windshield blade was defective and would bounce abnormal. The windshield wiper would only partially clear the windshield. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure and the dealer replaced the blades several times, but the failure was not corrected. The dealer advised the contact that they were not knowledgeable as to how to correct the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised that they would to provide the contact with a glass cleaner. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 11,000 and the current mileage was 14,000. Updated 02/01/12*lj the consumer stated from the beginning, the wiper blades would continually skip across the windshield, especially on the passenger side. The skipping would happen when the consumer used internal cleaning solution, which was the original solution installed by gm. The consumer has s ince purchased non gm wiper blades. Updated 02/10/12
Driving at night is very hard because there is a visibility problem. More than half of the windshield is blacked out.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated that the night vision on the rear view mirror was difficult to see out of. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150 and the current mileage was 793. Updated 10/14/11 *bf the consumer stated the windows are heavily tinted which makes it difficult to see at night. Updated 11/07/11
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc terrain. The contact stated the windshield was difficult to see out of when driving at night. The contact stated that there was dark tint at the top of the windshield that would obstruct his view and he would have to utilize the high beams to properly see the roadway. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 480.
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