Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | |||||
| PIC-4816 | 07/01/2008 | 10026106 | Gmc: the windshield wiper washers turn on by themselves. *pe | 09/30/2008 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | ||||||
| EA08010 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/12/2008 | 09/08/2008 | NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES | 08V441000 | |
| In a letter dated august 27, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall (nhtsa recall number 08v-441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population. according to gm, a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the windshield washer fluid heater module may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. this may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke and in rare cases it may cause a fire.as a remedy, gm dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse. in addition to the subject vehicles, several other gm models with the heated windshield washer fluid option are included in recall 08v-441: my 2006-2008 buick lucerne (manufactured august 2005 through november 2007); my 2008 buick enclave (manufactured february 2007 through april 2007); my 2006-2008 cadillac dts (manufactured may 2007 through november 2007); my 2007-2008 saturn outlook (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007); and my 2007-2008 gmc acadia (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007) vehicles.gm is instructing owners to take their vehicle to a dealer for service if they experience symptoms of windshield washer heater module short circuits. gm's recall resolves the safety defect concerns pursued by this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. | ||||||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - SWITCH/WIRING | ||||||
| EA08010 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/12/2008 | 09/08/2008 | NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES | 08V441000 | |
| In a letter dated august 27, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall (nhtsa recall number 08v-441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population. according to gm, a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the windshield washer fluid heater module may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. this may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke and in rare cases it may cause a fire.as a remedy, gm dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse. in addition to the subject vehicles, several other gm models with the heated windshield washer fluid option are included in recall 08v-441: my 2006-2008 buick lucerne (manufactured august 2005 through november 2007); my 2008 buick enclave (manufactured february 2007 through april 2007); my 2006-2008 cadillac dts (manufactured may 2007 through november 2007); my 2007-2008 saturn outlook (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007); and my 2007-2008 gmc acadia (manufactured august 2006 through april 2007) vehicles.gm is instructing owners to take their vehicle to a dealer for service if they experience symptoms of windshield washer heater module short circuits. gm's recall resolves the safety defect concerns pursued by this investigation.this engineering analysis is closed. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 12/14/2010 | 16000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 buick lucerne cxl. the contact noticed that the windshield washer was inoperable. the dealer was informed who advised the contact to put the car in his garage. the manufacture was notified who offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileages was approximately 16,000. bw | |||
| 12/21/2009 | |||
| This complaint is an exact copy of another one because we experience the exact same issue. during freezing rain or snow conditions there is a build-up of ice at the base of the windshield below the point of the defrosters. heat from the defroster system cannot reach the area of build-up causing the wipers to constantly pass over the ice and become clogged with ice which is then dragged across the windshield causing poor visibility and a potential driving hazard. in just a few miles of driving it was necessary to pull over and scrape the windshield and clear the ice from the wipers in order to have adequate visibility. this is a potential safety condition due to the limiting of visibility and the repeated stops to clear the ice. | |||
| 12/17/2008 | 3000 | 1 | |
| During freezing rain or snow conditions there is a build-up of ice at the base of the windshield below the point of the defrosters. heat from the defroster system cannot reach the area of build-up causing the wipers to constantly pass over the ice and become clogged with ice which is then dragged across the windshield causing poor visibility and a potential driving hazard. in just a few miles of driving it was necessary to pull over and scrape the windshield and clear the ice from the wipers in order to have adequate visibility. this is a potential safety condition due to the limiting of visibility and the repeated stops to clear the ice. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2009 | 18600 | 1 | |
| Defroster vents improperly positioned to keep front windshield clear in near zero conditions. window wiper blades park in an area below the heated portion of the windshield. wipers froze to the window, during the delay in the interrupted operation, while driving in a snow storm at 3 deg. temp. window actually became totally frozen over and visibility became impossible. on the passenger side, ice accumulated in the wiper pave in the lower right corner, about 3 x 6 x 1/4 thick and the wiper had to navigate up and over this frozen mass. *tr | |||
| 06/21/2008 | 1 | ||
| This is a report of a design flaw that might result in a safety issue. i recently took delivery of a 2008 buick lucerne cxl. i purchased the optional six-passenger version which means that the gearshift lever is mounted on the steering column instead of on a floor console, like most other cars. when the gearshift lever is in the drive position, the view of the radio display is obscured, causing me to move my head to look around the gearshift lever to view the display. as a result, my attention to the road is much more distracted than if i had an unobstructed view of the radio display. this could lead to an accident. *tr | |||