Problems · by component
2011 Chevrolet Equinox visibility/wiper problems
70 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox cite visibility/wiper, 9% of all 783 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
70
9% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the visibility/wiper
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the windshield wipers failed to function as intended. The contact stated that there was a sound coming from the windshield wiper motor; however, the wiper arms had seized. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while it was raining on a busy highway. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.”
“The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while the windshield wiper was activated, the windshield wiper arms detached. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.”
“Joint on the front windshield wiper assembly failed. Was driving in a 4 lane highway doing about 70 mph while it was raining. Windshield wipers stopped halfway through the movement they sat for a moment they moved to as far as they could go towards the driver side and that’s where they stayed. The driver side one was over the edge of the vehicle. I followed tail lights turning onto a side road, pulled over safely. Moved the wipers to a down position, there was no resistance. Checked the fuse and that was fine. Waited a bit for the rain to settle a bit and drove to a safer location. Once off the highway and away from traffic when turning the windshield wipers on I could hear the motor still going so knew it was an issue with the arms. I had been on the road for about 2 hours all major highway with still over 2.5 hours left of my drive when they failed. We had to trailer it home as it was not safe to drive with the amount of rain we were getting. Replaced the motor and arm mechanism when we got it home and saw that it was one of the ball joints that broke. There were no warning lights, we have the old parts if needed for inspection, this looks to be the same…”
“The windshield wipers and yes, available at anytime for inspection. I was traveling Hwy 80 and the wipers stopped working completely in a downpour of rain at 70 mph. I could not see and could not even follow the rear taillights in front of me to stay in my lane. I put my right blinker on and slowly moved to the slow lane in order to take the next exit off the highway. Had to travel over the highway on the overpass and needed to turn right. Couldn’t see detail so ended up running over yellow barriers then made it to the right turn and was barely able to make out a driveway which was a Starbucks. Stopped to confirm wipers would not work and to move wipers by hand to clear windshield. Every 4 or 5 blocks had to stop and get out to physically move wipers by hand to clear rain water from windshield in order to drive further. It was so dangerous, I could of easily caused accidents for others and myself and also could have been fatal! Next time you’re on the highway, close your eyes and keep driving-it was the same and scared me to the point that I was shaking!!! Thank God I didn’t have my grandkids with me!!”
“The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH in the rain, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact pulled over and waited until the rain stopped falling before continuing to drive. The dealer was contacted and stated that an unstated bushing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 114,000.”
“Driving on the highway while it was raining and I had my wipers on and all of a sudden they stopped working. Wipers aren’t moving at all but can hear the motor turning. Assuming it’s in the wiper trans/linkage assembly.”
Showing 6 of 70 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.