2002 Mazda Protege

DRIVING CAR IN POURING TROPICAL RAINSTORM AT ABOUT 40MPH IN HEAVY SOUTHBOUND THREE LANE TRAFFIC. WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE RUNNING ON LOW. TURNED WIPERS TO HIGH, THEY RAN FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE, THEN STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. HAD TO IMMEDIATELY PULL INTO CENTER LANE U-TURN TURNAROUND AND SIT THERE WITH FLASHERS ON UNTIL RAIN SUBSIDED (THIS IN ITSELF IS DANGEROUS). WIPERS WOULD NOT RUN AT ALL AFTER THAT. THERE WERE 1 ADULT AND 3 CHILDREN IN THE CAR. RETURNED HOME. CHECKED FUSE AND IT WAS OK. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD MOTOR REVEALED THAT THE GROUND WIRE HAD BROKEN OFF AT THE LOOP WHERE IT HELD IN PLACE BY THE WIPER MOTOR MOUNTING BOLT (WITH WASHERS). I SUSPECT THAT THE SHARP EDGES OF THE STEEL WASHERS HAD CUT THE BRASS GROUND WIRE LOOP OVER TIME. I ALSO SUSPECT THAT THIS LOOP HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND THAT WHEN THE WIPERS ARE TURNED ON HIGH, THAT THE MOTOR VIBRATES IN THE RUBBER MOUNT BUSHING, AND THE BRASS GROUND LOOP SHANK JITTERS OFF OF THE LOOP (WHERE IT IS NORMALLY JUST LYING UPON DUE TO GRAVITY), THUS CAUSING THE MOTOR'S GOUND CIRCUIT TO OPEN, AND THE WIPERS TO FAIL. THE CAR HAS ABOUT 69,000 MILES ON IT. THE IS A 5 CENT PART THAT HAS PUT OUT FAMILY IN HARMS WAY TWICE NOW. IF THIS IS NOT JUST AN ISOLATED INCIDENT ON MY VEHICLE, I PREDICT THAT THERE WILL BE DEATHS AND INJURIES CAUSED WHEN DRIVERS CANNOT SEE WHERE THEY ARE DRIVING. *TR

DRIVING ON FL TURNPIKE AT NIGHT IN HEAVY RAIN, BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC, WIPERS WERE ON HIGH, SWITCHED THEM TO LOW (NOT INTERMITTENT) AND THE WIPERS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. TRYING TO MAKE IT TO THE RIGHT HAND LANE WITH MY HEAD OUT THE WINDOW SO I CAN SEE, AND THEY JUST CAME BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY. MADE IT HOME, KEEPING THEM ON LOW. THAT WAS 7/17/07. YESTERDAY (8/1/07) IN MEDIUM RAIN IN DAYLIGHT, WENT TO LOCAL STORE. AS A TEST, I PUT WIPERS ON LOW A MINUTE OR SO, THEN HIGH, THEN BACK TO LOW, THEN THEY STOPPED MID WINDOW AGAIN (ALL THIS IN ABOUT 4 MINUTES). TURNING THEM OFF/ON WOULD NOT MAKE THEM COME ON AGAIN. I PUT THEM BACK ON LOW HOPING THEY WOULD COME BACK ON. TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGED AND I HAD TO DRIVE ACROSS FOUR LANES TO STORE WITH NO WIPERS. WIPERS CAME BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY WHEN I PULLED UP TO THE STORE (MAYBE 3 MINUTES AFTER THE WIPERS POWERED OFF). THE CAR HAS ABOUT 60,050 MILES, ORIGINAL OWNER, NO ACCIDENTS OR OTHER MISHAPS. IT APPEARS THAT I CAN REPRODUCE THIS BEHAVIOR. *JB

I BOUGHT A NEW 2002 PROTG LX IN JUNE 2002 AND HAD NO PROBLEMS FOR 6 MONTHS. EARLY JANUARY 2003, BLOWER MOTOR WOULD NOT WORK ON SPEEDS 1, 2, AND 3. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER AND THEIR REPORT WAS THAT BLOWER MOTOR AND RESISTOR WERE DEFECTIVE. IT HAPPENED AGAIN LESS THAN A WEEK LATER AND DEALER STATED AGAIN THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A DEFECTIVE BLOWER MOTOR AND RESISTOR. THE PROBLEM HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS ALL WITH THE DEALER STATING THAT THE BLOWER MOTOR AND RESISTOR WERE DEFECTIVE. THE PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR AGAIN UNTIL OCTOBER 2003. SOMETIMES NONE OF THE SPEEDS WOULD WORK, AND SOMETIMES JUST THE 4TH SPEED. SOMETIMES THE PROBLEM WOULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING OR OVER NIGHT, AND SOMETIMES THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY. THE BLOWER MOTOR AND RESISTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 5 TIMES BY DEALER AND TO NO AVAIL. THIS CAR IS CLEARLY A LEMON AND A HAZARD TO DRIVE WHEN NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD BECAUSE OF NO HEAT TO DEFROST OR DEFOGGER THE WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING. *LA

CONSUMER STATES THAT FRONT WINDSHIELD IS TOO THIN, OR DEFECTIVE BECAUSE A SMALL PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND CAUSED MAJOR DAMAGE.*JBSOMETHING SMALL HIT THE VEHICLES WINDSHIELD WHEN CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING 55 MPH. IT RESULTED IN A STAR SHAPED MARK, THEN TURNING INTO AN 8 INCH CRACK OPVERNIGHT. CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS TO BE A SUB-STANDARD OR DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD. *JG