Wipers not working

[adamcar]

Wife went to go to work one frosty morning and of course the wipers do not work AT ALL. I verified ignition was on and the squirters worked. Wipers were not stuck to the glass (she remembered to check that!). She drove another car to work.

Came home that evening and checked again and they worked! Anyone else experience this or have a fix before the dealer tells me they cant replicate it!

 

[adamcar]

I thought I had figured out that the top of the windshield for the rain sensor needed to be cleared of ice/snow because that "fixed" it the second time it happened. Well it just happened to my wife again while driving. No wipers. She used the squirter and there was a big delay to actually wipe the fluid off the windshield.

The other morning, I had the car running and pulled the stalk down for a wipe. No wiper action, but the lights on indicator on the dash illuminated whenever I would hold down the stalk. WTF is going on here? I then got out and made sure the top of the windshield was clear of ice and snow, and then they worked.

I may try a battery disconnect and see if that "resets" anything.

 

[adamcar]

Update: wife was driving this morning and used the front windshield washer and guess what: NO WIPERS! This is a huge safety issue and will be taking it to the dealer asap. She even got video of it this time for proof:

 

[adamcar]

Happened again this morning. I took video of the light indicator coming on and off as I move the stalk.

 

[Steveyo]

It is a safety issue. Apart from going to a dealer, I would suggest taking another close look at the owner's manual wiper settings, and if you have Rainsense, see if any other settings conflict with it. Perhaps enabling or disabling INT on the wipers might bring some luck. The battery disconnect/rebooting is a worth a try.

 

[adamcar]

It is a safety issue. Apart from going to a dealer, I would suggest taking another close look at the owner's manual wiper settings, and if you have Rainsense, see if any other settings conflict with it. Perhaps enabling or disabling INT on the wipers might bring some luck. The battery disconnect/rebooting is a worth a try.

This was after a night of battery disconnect, happens again the very next morning.

I looked around all the settings and I can not enable or disable rainsense. Here is a bulletin saying the manual is wrong about being able to do that:

 

[Steveyo]

Oh-- my 2019 is correct and odes not mention enabling or disabling "Rainsence". I was referring to enabling or disabling "INT", which my manual does mention: ""INT: When enabled, move the windshield wiper lever to INT. Turn the adj. wheel INT band on the wiper lever to adjust the sensitivity."

On the pdf you provided, I'm not sure how to interpret what was meant in this statement:
"Correction: move the windshield wiper lever out of the INT position to deactivate Rainsense" Is this what the owner's manual said that was incorrect? In any case, the only other thing my manual says to do if one has Rainsense:
"If equipped with Rainsense, a
sensor near the top center of the
windshield detects the amount of
water on the windshield and
controls the frequency of the
windshield wiper.
Keep the sensor free from debris to
allow for best system performance."

Wish someone had the answer. A trip to the dealer looks like the best bet.

 

[adamcar]

The bulletin is saying my owner manual says there is an option to turn rainsense on or off. I do not have that option, as supported by the bulletin.
The fact that the wipers do not even activate when spraying the washers tells me it probably is not a rainsense problem. Going to the dealer in the morning...

 

[Steveyo]

Good luck. Please let us know the outcome in case someone encounters the same problem in the future.

 

[adamcar]

Dealer is ordering a new wiper motor. Will update further when repair is completed hopefully tomorrow. I do have a courtesy Enclave to drive. Thing is huge! Feels bigger than my Town and Country.

 

[adamcar]

They fixed the vehicle today and seems to be working fine. Replaced the wiper motor part 42333714 and 6 retainers 11546904

Notes say some internal part of the wiper motor would not operate all the time. Will update if we have any more wiper problems!

 

[Steveyo]

They fixed the vehicle today and seems to be working fine. Replaced the wiper motor part 42333714 and 6 retainers 11546904

Notes say some internal part of the wiper motor would not operate all the time. Will update if we have any more wiper problems!

Thanks for the update, and good to know if anyone one encounters the problem in the future.

 

[G-603683]

Wife went to go to work one frosty morning and of course the wipers do not work AT ALL. I verified ignition was on and the squirters worked. Wipers were not stuck to the glass (she remembered to check that!). She drove another car to work.

Came home that evening and checked again and they worked! Anyone else experience this or have a fix before the dealer tells me they cant replicate it!

Yes I am having an issue and they cant get it to do it!!!

 

[DCOxendine]

They fixed the vehicle today and seems to be working fine. Replaced the wiper motor part 42333714 and 6 retainers 11546904

Notes say some internal part of the wiper motor would not operate all the time. Will update if we have any more wiper problems!

Did GM cover the costs of repair?

 

[G-614757]

Update: wife was driving this morning and used the front windshield washer and guess what: NO WIPERS! This is a huge safety issue and will be taking it to the dealer asap. She even got video of it this time for proof:

I almost had a accide t in bad traffic when my wipers died .

 

[Dgray]

Helpful article. I had to call a tow truck because I could not see to drive. Thanks for the info, did buick cover the repair?

 

[Caitmont13]

Helpful article. I had to call a tow truck because I could not see to drive. Thanks for the info, did buick cover the repair?

Just had this happen to me today, 2017 encore… just wondering if and what they had to fix/change?

 

[Heather1973]

Thanks for the update, and good to know if anyone one encounters the problem in the future.

Hey im having same the same issue, plz did you find an answer?

 

[david3709]

I had the same problem as "adamcar" on my 2017 buick encore. Is it the wiper motor problem? if it is, why i use wiper switch, the light signal on?

 

[G-608700]

Good luck. Please let us know the outcome in case someone encounters the same problem in the future.

Hello. I have a 2017 Encore and my wipers are doing the same thing!! It was so dangerous today as it happened when it was raining!! I need help!