2008 Dodge Caliber Visibility & Wipers Problems

DRIVING IN A RAINSTORM, THE WIPERS QUIT WORKING. PULLED OVER AND RE-STARTED CAR, WIPERS WORKED. GOT BACK ON THE ROAD AND IT HAPPENED NUMEROUS MORE TIMES. FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH FUSES, WIRING, OR WIPER MOTOR. VERY DANGEROUS.LOTS MORE COMPLAINTS ON INTERNET SEARCH RESULTS.

I AM REPORTING A "POSSIBLE" SAFETY RELATED PROBLEM. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, UPON ENTERING THE VEHICLE AND STARTING THE CAR TO DRIVE, I NOTICED THE LOSS OF CONTROL / POWER TO THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: LEFT AND RIGHT TURN SIGNAL ACTIVATION, FRONT AND REAR WIPER ACTIVATION, FRONT AND REAR WIDOW WASH, CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATION, PARK, AND INTERIOR LIGHT ACTIVATION. (NOTE: HEAD LIGHTS DID ACTIVATE.) ALL ACTIVATION LEVERS / SWITCHES ARE LOCATED ON THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN. PROBLEM WAS UNAFFECTED BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE, THE MOVEMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL, OR THE MOVEMENT OF THE COLUMN POSITION. PROBLEM DISAPPEARED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND THE KEY REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. UPON RE-ENTERING THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTING THE CAR THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED. PROBLEM IS NOT CURRENTLY PRESENT FOR EXAMINATION. *TR

DURING A SEVERE RAINSTORM IN MY AREA, I WAS LEAVING AN EVENT PARKING LOT TO DRIVE HOME. WHILE WAITING AT THE STOP LIGHT I ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE RAIN. THEY FAILED TO START. WHILE SITTING AT THE LIGHT I RESTARTED MY CAR HOPING THAT WOULD ALLEVIATE THE APPARENT 'SHORT' IN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, BUT IT DID NOT. AS THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I WAS FORCED TO MOVE FORWARD. WHILE DRIVING SLOW, I ROLLED MY WINDOW DOWN AND ATTEMPTED TO GUIDE THE CAR TO A SAFE SPOT TO PULL OVER. I COULDN'T IDENTIFY A PLACE THROUGH ALL OF THE RAIN, AND ALSO I WAS DRIVING IN BUSY DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC. I STARTED TO SLOW DOWN MORE BUT LOOKED FORWARD AND ALL I COULD SEE WERE TREES COMING UP QUICKLY THROUGH THE BLURRY WINDSHIELD; I IMMEDIATELY JOLTED TO A STOP AS I HIT AN ISLAND/MEDIAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. MY CAR WAS SCRAPED BY TREES AND PARKING CONES WHICH WERE LAYING IN THE MEDIAN. I HEARD SCRAPING AND A LARGE THUD AS MY CAR CAME TO A STOP. STILL IN THE RAIN, I PUT MY HAZARDS ON AND WAITED UNTIL THE POLICE ARRIVED. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND I AM EXTREMELY IRRITATED THAT MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING IN A TERRIBLE RAINSTORM. THIS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. MY VEHICLE IS 6 YEARS OLD; AT THE 5 YEAR MARK I TOOK IT IN FOR A FULL-SYSTEM MAINTENANCE WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT EVERYTHING WAS WORKING FINE. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN MY CHOICE IN PURCHASING DODGE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AT 60 MILES PER HOUR AT NIGHT IN A HEAVY RAIN, MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. I COULD NOT SEE BUT I LUCKILY STOPPED ON THE SHOULDER. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES THE WIPERS STARTED UP. I TRAVELED 20-30 MINUTES AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. AFTER PULLING OVER AND WAITING SEVERAL MINUTES, THEY RESTARTED. I DROVE OFF AND SOON IT HAPPENED FOR A THIRD TIME. AFTER WAITING SEVERAL MINUTES, THE RAIN STOPPED AND I TRAVELED HOME. THIS FAILURE IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE CAUSE LISTED IN THE 2008 JEEP LIBERTY RECALL DUE TO A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR. I AM BEING CHARGED $343 BY A DEALER TO REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR. *TR