The defect
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN MODEL-ENGINE COMBINATIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY FAIL DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT AT ALL.
The risk
IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR DURING BAD WEATHER, DRIVER VISIBILITY WOULD BE REDUCED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 19, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-462-8782, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
Components: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Astro | 1995 | 446 | 3 |
| Chevrolet Astro | 1996 | 263 | 4 |
| Chevrolet Astro | 1997 | 360 | 4 |
| Chevrolet Blazer | 1996 | 1,153 | 6 |
| Chevrolet C/k Pickups | 1994 | 52 | 1 |
| Chevrolet C/k Pickups | 1995 | 23 | 1 |
| Chevrolet C/k Pickups | 1996 | 22 | 1 |
| Chevrolet C/k Pickups | 1997 | 72 | 1 |
| Chevrolet S10 | 1996 | 665 | 7 |
| Chevrolet S10 | 1997 | 469 | 6 |
| Chevrolet Sierra PU | 1996 | 4 | 1 |
| Chevrolet Suburban | 1994 | 858 | 3 |
| Chevrolet Suburban | 1995 | 457 | 6 |
| Chevrolet Suburban | 1996 | 360 | 3 |
| Chevrolet Suburban | 1997 | 414 | 2 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 1994 | 19 | 2 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 1995 | 246 | 6 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 1996 | 283 | 3 |
| GMC C/k Series | 1994 | 0 | 1 |
| GMC C/k Series | 1995 | 2 | 1 |
| GMC C/k Series | 1996 | 4 | 1 |
| GMC C/k Series | 1997 | 3 | 1 |
| GMC Jimmy | 1996 | 407 | 6 |
| GMC Safari | 1995 | 195 | 3 |
| GMC Safari | 1996 | 139 | 4 |
| GMC Safari | 1997 | 135 | 4 |
| GMC Suburban | 1994 | 411 | 3 |
| GMC Suburban | 1995 | 227 | 6 |
| GMC Suburban | 1996 | 172 | 3 |
| GMC Suburban | 1997 | 200 | 2 |
Other visibility recalls in 2003
19 of the 527 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2003 concerned the visibility; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 03V497000 23 Dec 2003 | SETRA OF NORTH AMERICA |
| 03V461000 11 Nov 2003 | LIBERTY BUS INCORPORATED |
| 03V429000 3 Nov 2003 | MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 03V223000 16 Jun 2003 | AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. |
| 03V222000 12 Jun 2003 | FORETRAVEL, INC. |
| 03V210000 2 Jun 2003 | ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED |
| 03V191000 5 May 2003 | INDIAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY |
| 03V160000 29 Apr 2003 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2003