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2004 DODGE RAM 3500 — VISIBILITY/WIPER

crash · 1375808 · 2017-05-05

Vehicle

Make
DODGE
Model
RAM 3500
Year
2004
Manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Miles at failure
98,000
Speed
70 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
Yes

Narrative

THIS COMPLAINT IS FOR WIPER MOTOR SUDDEN FAILURE ON A REMANUFACTURED PART SUPPLIED FROM OREILY AUTO PARTS. I REPLACE MY WIPER MOTOR WHEN THE ORIGINALS WIPER PARK FUNCTION BECAME FINICKY. I INSTALLED THE REBUILD MOTOR TO FACTORY SPEC AND IT FUNCTIONED PROPERLY FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS AND PROCEEDED TO FAIL IN A MAJOR RAIN STORM THE WIPERS WOULD BE RUNNING FULL SPEED THEN JUST STOP AND WOULD RESUME AFTER ABOUT 20 SECONDS THIS PROBLEM ONLY OCCURRED IN HEAVY RAINFALL ON THE HI SETTING. WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED MY VEHICLE PARTIALLY LEFT THE ROADWAY BECAUSE I MISJUDGED THE SHOULDER WIDTH FROM POOR VISIBILITY. I EXCHANGED THE FAULTY MOTOR AT OREILYS FOR ANOTHER REBUILD MOTOR WHICH LASTED ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND IT ALSO FAILED IN THE HIGH SETTING IN HEAVY RAIN IN THIS CASE IT WENT FROM WORKING JUST FINE TO MAKING A LARGE SCREECHING NOISE ON ONE WIPE AND IT QUIT COMPLETELY THIS UNIT DID NOT COME BACK TO LIFE. I AGAIN EXCHANGED IT FOR ANOTHER REBUILT UNIT FOR OREILYS AND THE NEW UNIT LASTED ABOUT A MONTH AND ALSO HAS FAILED. IT WILL WORK FINE BUT JUST STOP WORKING AT RANDOM UNTIL YOU JERK THE WIPER ARMS THEN IT WILL START WORKING AGAIN. THIS UNIT WAS RETURNED TO OREILYS AND I PURCHASED A NEW UNIT FROM DODGE. THE FACT THE QUALITY OF THE PARTS ARE SO POOR IT PUT MYSELF AND OTHERS IN THE PUBLIC AT RISK DUE TO A HIGH RATE OF FAILURE FROM A ESSENTIAL SAFETY COMPONENT TO ALLOW ME TO SEE WHERE I AM GOING. THE FAILURES OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAYS CITY STREETS WHILE IN MOTION AND AT TIMES TURNING

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10983624
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown