Chevrolet Visibility: Windshield Wiper/Washer

Chevrolet is recalling about 581,394 vehicles over a problem with the visibility. Depending on the occurrence and weather situation, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a crash.

Campaign
04V046000
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Reported
4 February 2004
Vehicles
581,394
Built between
Oct 2000 – Nov 2002
Models
5
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
6 July 2004
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between October 2000 and November 2002. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2002-2003 Chevrolet TrailblazerBuilt October 2000 to November 2002
  • 2002-2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXTBuilt October 2000 to November 2002
  • 2002-2003 GMC EnvoyBuilt October 2000 to November 2002
  • 2002-2003 GMC Envoy XLBuilt October 2000 to November 2002
  • 2002-2003 Oldsmobile BravadaBuilt October 2000 to November 2002

What the defect is

Certain sport utility vehicles have windshield wiper systems that will not turn on, cease operation while in use, fail to turn off/on by themselves (moisture sensitive wiper system), or have continuous windshield washer pump operation because the presence of water within the wiper modules can either cause a short circuit or can lead to the corrosion of components within the module.

What could happen

Depending on the occurrence and weather situation, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL COVER THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE VENT HOLE WITH A PATCH. ALSO, THE WIPER MOTOR, CIRCUIT BOARD, AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WILL BE INSPECTED TO SIGNS OF WATER INTRUSION AND/OR CORROSION AND BE REPLACED AS REQUIRED. THE RECALL BEGAN JULY 6, 2004.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtOctober 2000 to November 2002
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA4 February 2004
  3. Owners notified6 July 2004

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 4 February 2004.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or gmc at 1-866-996-9463.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
04005
Recalling manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Recall initiated by
ODI

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

GM recall no. 04005.CUSTOMERS can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand