WHAT CAN GO WRONG WITH A WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR

The wiper motor is an electrical part, and a failure usually only appears in a few different ways:  

• The wipers stop moving altogether. If the motor quits completely, the wipers simply won’t activate when you turn the switch on. The motor can fail with the wipers parked or while they’re in motion, so they might be partially up if it goes. 

• The wiper motor fuse blows often. A wiper motor that’s failing could still operate at times, but with any load on it like snow or wiper friction against a dry windshield, the circuit could be drawing more power than normal. The fuse burns out to protect the circuit, but it indicates early failure. 

• The wipers move slower than usual. The wiper motor can have extra resistance from dirt or debris clogging the moving parts, or the electrical components could be in suboptimal condition, causing slower speeds. 

• They park in an incorrect position. The wipers are meant to part at the bottom of their sweep. If that’s not happening, there’s often a problem with the electrical side of the wiper motor. 

Causes of failure range from simply a defective part to trying to operate the wipers with too much load on them. It’s often seen in northern areas with an abundance of heavy snow, and the operator turns on the wipers without sweeping the bulk of the white stuff off first. Typically, wiper motors last more than 10 years, and often outlast the rest of the vehicle. But if it fails, there’s no other long-lasting or safe correction than replacing the motor with a new one.