2012 Chevrolet Malibu Visibility & Wipers Problems

THE WINDSHIELD WIPER TRANSMISSION / LINKAGE SEEMS TO HAVE A WEAK POINT IN THE PLASTIC / NYLON SNAPS. THE LINKAGE ARM DISCONNECTS AT THE SNAP FREQUENTLY DURING USE OF THE WIPERS CAUSING THEM TO BE COMPLETELY UNUSABLE, WHICH CREATES AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN DRIVING IN THE RAIN OR SNOW AS YOU CANNOT SEE SINCE THE WINDSHIELD IS NOT ABLE TO BE CLEARED. *TR

2012 CHEVY MALIBU, WINDSHIELD WIPER TRANSMISSION I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY TODAY, DURING A RAINSTORM, WHEN THE WIPERS FAILED TO OPERATE WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON MI 696. I WAS ON A 4 LANE HIGHWAY AND COULD NOT SEE AT ALL DO TO THE FAILED WIPER TRANSMISSION BUSHING. THIS NOT ONLY PUT MYSELF IN DANGER BUT OTHER DRIVERS AS WELL. I COULD NOT SEE AT ALL AND CAUSED MANY OTHER DRIVERS TO SWERVE OUT OF THEIR LANES AT 70 MPH. PLASTIC BUSHINGS ARE USED ON THE WIPER TRANSMISSION (LINKAGE) WHICH HAS BEEN A COMMONLY REPORTED EVENT. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW WHICH IS CAUSING THE WIPERS TO FAIL, MAKING VISIBILITY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER IMPOSSIBLE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. GM ONLY OFFERS A REPLACEMENT WIPER TRANSMISSION WITH THE SAME PLASTIC BUSHINGS THAT KEEP FAILING. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW THAT WOULD HAVE A MINIMAL COST IF THEY USED METAL BUSHINGS. THIS PLASTIC BUSHING MAY EVENTUALLY KILL SOMEONE FROM FAILED WIPER USAGE.

IN 2016 THE WIPER MOTOR WENT UP AND I HAD IT REPLACED AT A CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND AGAIN IN 2019 THE WIPER MOTOR WENT UP AGAIN. I CAN LOAD UP THE DOCUMENTS IF NEEDED.

BACK WINDSHIELD SHATTERED WHILE SITTING STILL.

I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS FOR OVER A YEAR. THE LINKAGE BETWEEN THE ARM THAT MOVES THE WIPERS AND THE MOTOR WILL NOT STAY CONNECTED. MY FIRST ARM FAILURE WAS DUE TO A RUBBER BUSHING DETERIORATING. DURING A HEAVY RAINSTORM IN NOV. 2016, THE WIPERS JUST STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY AND I HAD TO BE TOWED HOME. THE SECOND ARM I PURCHASED WILL NOT STAY CONNECTED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WIPER, RENDERING MY SYSTEM USELESS. I AM ABLE TO USE MY WIPERS ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES BEFORE THE ARM HAS TO BE RECONNECTED. AFTER HAVING IT FIXED 5+ TIMES PRIOR, THEY STOPPED WORKING AGAIN THIS MORNING. I WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY TRYING TO SIMPLY WASH MY WINDSHIELD BEFORE LEAVING FOR WORK. THE SYSTEM IS POORLY PUT TOGETHER AND WILL NOT STAY CONNECTED. IT SEEMS TO BE HELD TOGETHER BY ONLY TENSION WITH GRAVITY WORKING AGAINST IT. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT! LIVING IN NEW ENGLAND WITH LOTS OF EXTREME WEATHER, THIS IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE OHIO TURNPIKE IN A WET SNOW, AND MY WIPERS QUIT WORKING. SO I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER TO TRY TO GET THEM TO START UP AGAIN AND THEY WOULD NOT. SO I HAD TO CALL A TOW COMPANY BECAUSE IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, AND WAS TOWED TO A TRUCK STOP. I WAITED TILL THE SNOW STOPPED, AND I CHECKED THE WEATHER RADAR ON MY PHONE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE TO MY FINAL DESTINATION. I TOOK IT TO GET REPAIRED. THE WIPER MOTOR/TRANSMISSION QUIT WORKING. CHEVY HAS REFUSED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE TOW COST AND THE REPAIR COST. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE TO DRIVE IN THE SNOW. THE SAME WOULD'VE HAPPENED HAD IT BEEN RAINING. I REPORTED THIS IN JANUARY, BUT I BELIEVE IT IS WORTH REPORTING AGAIN. I HAVE NEVER HAD WIPERS QUIT ON ME. AND I'VE BEEN TOLD IT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER MALIBU OWNERS.

WHILE DRIVING IN SNOW ON 12/23/17, MY WIPERS QUIT WORKING. THE SNOW WAS LARGE FLAKES THAT TURNED TO WATER WHEN THEY HIT THE WINDSHIELD, SO IT WAS LIKE RAIN. I WAS ON THE OHIO TURNPIKE, SO RATE OF SPEED WAS FAST. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I COULDN'T GET THE WIPERS TO WORK, SO I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. AFTER THE SNOW STOPPED, I WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE MY JOURNEY. I THEN HAD THE WIPERS REPAIRED. THE WIPER TRANSMISSION FAILED. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE WIPERS CAN QUIT AT ANYTIME. ADDITIONALLY I LOOKED ONLINE AND OTHER MALIBU OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. (IN FACT THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER SAID HE HAD TOWED A MALIBU OWNER 2 WEEKS EARLIER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.) I HAVE NEVER HAD MY WIPERS FAIL WITH ANY OTHER CAR I EVER OWNED, AND I ASKED OTHERS (NON-MALIBU OWNERS) IF THEIR WIPERS EVER FAILED, AND EVERYONE I TALKED TO SAID NO. I CONTACTED GM, BUT NEVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE OTHER DAY WHILE IT WAS RAINING AND MY WIPERS STOPPED WORKING HAD IT LOOKED AT AND MY SMALL ARM ON MY LINKAGE DISCONNECTED DUE TO RUST ON THE BALL JOINT I LOOKED CONTACTED GM THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT BUT I GOOGLED IT AND IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS HAD THIS ISSUE DEFINITELY SHOULD BE A RECALL JUST LIKE 2013 TERRAIN. PARTS ARE VERY SIMILAR IF NOT THE SAME.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BALL JOINTS IN THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. ...UPDATED 03/13/17 *BF *CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE HEATING MOTOR MALFUNCTIONED, WHICH CAUSED SMOKE TO FILTER INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BLOWER MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 44,000.

ON 11/18/2015 MY WIPER BLADES STOPPED WORKING IN HEAVY DOWN POUR OF RAIN ,HAD TO TURN AROUND AND GO TO THE CLOSEST REPAIR GARAGE TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT. THEY REPLACE THE WIPER LINKAGE. SO 225.69 DOLLARS LATER I WAS ON MY WAY. THAN ON 3/10/2016 UPON DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN RAIN I HEARD A COUPLE OF BANG AND THE WIPERS STOPPED WORKING AGAIN THE SAME PROBLEM AND WIPER LINKAGE WAS REPLACE PART WAS UNDER WARRANTY THIS TIME IT ONLY COST 72.00 DOLLARS FOR THE LABOR.

WHILE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEED (70 MPH) IN A RAINSTORM IN TRAFFIC, THE WIPER INTERNAL DRIVE ASSEMBLY FAILED WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING LOSS OF WIPER FUNCTION, RESULTING IN LOSS OF VISION OF OTHER TRAFFIC REQUIRING EMERGENCY STOP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WAS ACTIVATED DUE TO THE RAIN WEATHER CONDITION AND THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE HAD DETACHED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I HAD MY REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER ON BECAUSE IT WAS A RAINY, HUMID NIGHT IT WAS ON FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND THEN MY REAR WINDOW SHATTERED. THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE CAR EXCEPT FOR THE WINDOW. *TR

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK. IT WAS 57 DEGREES OUTSIDE SO I TURNED MY REAR DEFROST ON. AFTER ABOUT 5MIN OF MY DEFROST BEING ON, MY BACK WINDOW COMPLETELY EXPLODED. IM NOT SURE IF THERE WAS A SHORT IN THE DEFROSTER OR WHAT BUT THERE WAS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO ANYTHING ON THE VEHICLE EXCEPT THE WINDOW THAT COMPLETELY SPIDERWEBBED. *TR