My new 2013 Prius started having really loud grinding noise about 2 years after I bought it. I took it in for repair and was told wiper motors were not covered in the warrantee. The noise stopped for a couple years. Now 6 years later my wipers are temperamental. I can’t tell when they might work and when they won’t. They might start and a couple miles down the road stop or possibly when lucky continue to work until I shut them off, one never knows. I can’t seem to correlate it with anything such as weather or amount of moisture on the windshield. When I first took it in they told me it would be $800+ to replace windshield motor. I said I will tolerate the noise but now it is dangerous to drive with no dependable wipers. Has anyone had this issue? Thank you in advance.
Perhaps the service adviser was confused or inexperienced. Wiper blades are never covered by a warranty, but the motor should be.
But, that doesn't matter today, she is out of warranty. Perhaps she could have pressed the issue while within the 3/36,000 period, not now.
There was no misunderstanding about blades or motor. They knew it was the motor because we discussed labor and the fact they didn’t have a motor in the shop and it would need to be ordered. Bottom line I won’t purchase another Toyota. This was my third and I love them but obviously their integrity is at question. I was just curious if anyone else had issues with this. I live in Washington and you cant go too long without wipers!
You can purchase a wiper motor assembly on eBay for cheap ($50-$80). If I were you, I would find an independent shop that is willing to help you out with the installation. It’s pretty much a repair that any shop can perform with a minimum of difficulty. J
New wiper motor is $145 (plus shipping) here: 2010-2014 Toyota Wiper Motor 85110-47240 | McGeorge Toyota Parts If you watch @NutzAboutBolts video on spark plug change (pinned at top of 3rd gen maintenance forum), he removes the wiper motors and linkage in the process.
I’m assuming that when you first reported this problem, your car WAS in warranty. If you have or the dealer has your initial visit documented, you may contest their interpretation of warranty coverage. If this is the case, I would pursue a claim with a different dealer by explaining the situation. You never know unless you try. As a last resort, contacting Toyota directly might be worth the effort. After all, this is a safety issue that they should not have dismissed so absolute .
