Photo: GM
General Motors issued a voluntary recall for two popular SUVs in April. Still, the repairs cannot proceed because the parts needed to fix the problem don’t exist. More than 680,000 GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox built for the 2014-2015 model years are affected.
The NHTSA started investigating the matter as early as 2019 after complaints began piling up. The problem was with the ball joints in the windshield wiper module. They may corrode, causing one or both windshield wipers to fail, said NHTSA. In the light of NHTSA’s findings, GM issued a voluntary recall for affected vehicles. The repair was only possible by replacing the whole wiper module.
“The ball joints in the windshield wiper modules may experience high corrosion and wear that could result in the separation of one or more ball joins from the sockets during wiper operation,” said Consumer Reports regarding the recall. “If a ball joint were to separate, one or both of the windshield wipers could become inoperative.”
Now, it turns out that GM cannot fix the problem because it does not have the parts. Affected owners started complaining about the situation. Smithfield, Virginia resident John Wayne Warren told WAVY 10 On Your Side he still can’t drive his 2015 GMC Terrain in the rain for safety reasons. He raised the problem with the manufacturer but could not get a clear answer, let alone a new wiper module.
“We have announced the recall, but we are not executing it because we need to have our suppliers build the parts to begin repairs,” GMC said in a statement to WAVY 10. “We apologize for any inconvenience. We understand concerns and frustration.”
Warren’s problem is worse because his wiper module is already broken. Still, many other affected owners don’t know they might have a problem. According to GM, there is no warning sign of an imminent failure.
The GMC Terrain was a popular vehicle, just like its brother Chevrolet Equinox. Nevertheless, it has been involved in several recalls. In March, the Terrain SUVs made between 2010 and 2017 had to be recalled for a headlight brightness issue. Hopefully, this problem was fixed.
“The ball joints in the windshield wiper modules may experience high corrosion and wear that could result in the separation of one or more ball joins from the sockets during wiper operation,” said Consumer Reports regarding the recall. “If a ball joint were to separate, one or both of the windshield wipers could become inoperative.”
Now, it turns out that GM cannot fix the problem because it does not have the parts. Affected owners started complaining about the situation. Smithfield, Virginia resident John Wayne Warren told WAVY 10 On Your Side he still can’t drive his 2015 GMC Terrain in the rain for safety reasons. He raised the problem with the manufacturer but could not get a clear answer, let alone a new wiper module.
“We have announced the recall, but we are not executing it because we need to have our suppliers build the parts to begin repairs,” GMC said in a statement to WAVY 10. “We apologize for any inconvenience. We understand concerns and frustration.”
Warren’s problem is worse because his wiper module is already broken. Still, many other affected owners don’t know they might have a problem. According to GM, there is no warning sign of an imminent failure.
The GMC Terrain was a popular vehicle, just like its brother Chevrolet Equinox. Nevertheless, it has been involved in several recalls. In March, the Terrain SUVs made between 2010 and 2017 had to be recalled for a headlight brightness issue. Hopefully, this problem was fixed.
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