Thor Miramar Wiper Blades

[LDRider]

Hello Everyone

I am heading home and have developed a problem for a 2nd time. For reference the wiper blade under question is the right one when sitting in the drivers seat.

When I turn the wipers on after a few minutes the right one goes past the point of no return and gets stuck on the rubber, thereby leaving me driving in the rain with no wipers. I have had the entire mechanism replaced once under warranty but I still have the issue. It is a really issue as I have to find a spot on the highway to pull over quickly.

Interestingly when I am stopped trying to figure out what is wrong, the wipers go back and forth like I am the crazy one.

Any ideas? Any one experience this problem? Is this considered a Ford problem or a Thor problem?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[ctpres]

PLEASE contact Larry! I posted following on about seven RV forums. If possible take picture of wipers in failed position and study wiper assembly to see what is problem. He also is interested in weather and driving conditions at time of failure. BTW Thor is "Now Aware" of this problem> Phil Houser is "working on it." I bet he would like to hear from you. Not always at desk and may a couple days before he returns call. 574-584-2122

"One of our forum members has opened the door for a potential recall by contacting NHTSA about the serious windshield wiper failure we all have experienced. So far there are several Thor products with the same problem: Challenger, Outlaw, Hurricane, Windsport and Miramar spanning product years 2013 to 2016. Some have even reported same problem with a replacement wiper assembly. So it looks like Thor is just getting rid of existing bad stock and not really fixing the problem.
Please call or write Larry Long - your life may depend on it."


NHTSA Contact:*

Larry Long
Safety Defects Investigator
Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicles Division
Office of Defects Investigation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NEF-140, Rm W48-214
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE.
Washington DC 20590
202-366-6281
--

[Tomas]

I am so glad that I found the Thor forum because I am experiencing the exact problem LDRider describes. My wife and I drove in light rain using the wipers in delay mode for several hours with no problem. Suddenly the right side wiper went beyond the point of no return (as described by LDRider) and stuck. We pulled over, then limped into an RV repair we were lucky to find. The mechanic discovered the motor bracket was loose we thought the problem was solved. We hadn't gone 5 miles until the exact thing happened again. We waited out the rain and are now in Florida with no solution. I checked yesterday and everything connected to the wiper system appears to be locked in place. We have a 2015 Challenger. I saw ctpres's comment below and will definitely make the contact he suggests. Any other ideas will be most appreciated. Tomas

Originally Posted by LDRider

Hello Everyone

I am heading home and have developed a problem for a 2nd time. For reference the wiper blade under question is the right one when sitting in the drivers seat.

When I turn the wipers on after a few minutes the right one goes past the point of no return and gets stuck on the rubber, thereby leaving me driving in the rain with no wipers. I have had the entire mechanism replaced once under warranty but I still have the issue. It is a really issue as I have to find a spot on the highway to pull over quickly.

Interestingly when I am stopped trying to figure out what is wrong, the wipers go back and forth like I am the crazy one.

Any ideas? Any one experience this problem? Is this considered a Ford problem or a Thor problem?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[ctpres]

Emergency repair - !. Rain X applied to windshield will make driving in light rain possible without wipers. 2. Try removing passenger side wiper arm. In my case drivers side wiper continued to work till we found a shop that would handle Thor wty without waiting weeks or months.

[Tomas]

Originally Posted by ctpres

Emergency repair - !. Rain X applied to windshield will make driving in light rain possible without wipers. 2. Try removing passenger side wiper arm. In my case drivers side wiper continued to work till we found a shop that would handle Thor wty without waiting weeks or months.

Thanks ctpres for the quick reply and the 2 good suggestions. I had considered taking the right wiper off to see if the left one would continue to work. The windshield is so huge and the wipers are so long, that would sure provide a temp. fix. I am curious what Thor was able to do to remedy the problem?? We are no longer under warranty, but the fix would be the same. Again, appreciate your sharing. Tomas

[ctpres]

Originally Posted by Tomas

Thanks ctpres for the quick reply and the 2 good suggestions. I had considered taking the right wiper off to see if the left one would continue to work. The windshield is so huge and the wipers are so long, that would sure provide a temp. fix. I am curious what Thor was able to do to remedy the problem?? We are no longer under warranty, but the fix would be the same. Again, appreciate your sharing. Tomas

Out of wty - I think there is a VERY good chance Thor will cover you - try. AND call Thor contact posted above. Others have reported coverage out of wty. I am sure Thor would like to solve this problem before it ends up a recall. But if they don't - reporting your problem to NHTSA is the only way to protect yourself. Imagine have to fork out hundreds every couple years for replacement. Not to mention Life Safety issues that can result from wiper failure at the worst possible time.

[Budman]

I have not had this issue so far on a 14 Hurricane but very good info to know and watch for. Thx.

[gmc]

Occasionally the srivers side wiper on our 2014 Hurricane seemed to go just past the edge of the windshield - though most of the time it worked fine.

On our way to FL back in Sept... during a strong rainstorm of course - the wipers went across the windshield and continued out of sight... I quickly pulled over and found both wipers hanging straight down... attached to each other - but nothing else.

We limped slowly to the next truck stop - bought and applied some Rain-X and finished the drive (with fortunately no more heavy rain).

The RV has been parked in FL since - and I recently got back to the issue - and found the metal bracket (1/4" steel?) that connects the wiper motor to the wiper assembly broken/sheared...
Attached are some pics. Now the fun to find a replacement.

Not something I would expect to break on a 2-3 year old rig...

[Budman]

I'm like the gentlemen earlier. Out of warranty or not I'd address this issue w Thor first. The wipers appear to be a weak spot and definitely a BIG TIME safety issue.
I am sure they do not want the government involved and should be very cooperative and helpful. Thx, Dennis.

[SuperD]

GMC, before going to the trouble of finding that bracket I would find someone to weld what you have back together, weld joint will be stronger than the original. A welder probably won't charge much for that small of a piece, might even do it for free if you throw in a sob story!

[LDRider]

So I thought I would update my original post.

I called Thor and explained what happened. Told them I had it replaced in March of 2016 and it had gone out again. Technically I am out of warranty.

The immediately gave me a reference number for a warranty claim and a recommendation for a different dealer. The new dealer replaced the entire system (including the actual wiper arms) and I picked it up this morning - 100% covered.

There is a clear difference between what was factory installed, what was replaced the first time and what I have now. Just by looking at the wiper blades you can see it is higher quality, and stronger parts. The new dealer took the time to position the blades correctly and test the whole assembly while spraying the windshield with water.

My recommendation is to call Thor and explain the issue - they reacted very well.

[Mel556180]

We have had this same issue with our 2016 Miramar 34.3 for over a year.

After working properly for 10-20 minutes the right passenger wiper will suddenly continue its sweep and disappear below the windshield jammed against the driver wiper. The wiper will start swinging further to the left than normal just before it jams.

Two Thor recalls and several visits to dealers on the road have failed to fix the problem. I’ve been reluctant to run the wipers, and have been pulling the passenger wiper forward off the windshield during rain. The problem is with the crank assembly going over center and jamming the wiper-not the wiper arm itself.

My local Camping World has wrestled Thor into covering a whole new motor wiper crank assembly, and repair the damaged paint below the driver wiper arm.

I dropped our rig off today and am keeping my fingers crossed that this will finally solve the problem and let us enjoy driving without fearing rain.

[The Gritz Carlton]

gmc...in that first picture you can see it has also been hitting on the bolt head just below it. Also...ditto on the Rain-X...it works great and they also have the washer fluid that has it in it as well. Amazing how you can run 70MPH in the rain and not even have wipers on!! Plus, it extends the life of the blades.


Welding option...I'm sure that's an alloy or zinc infused metal that can't be welded.

[kwilliams]

Originally Posted by Mel556180

We have had this same issue with our 2016 Miramar 34.3 for over a year.

After working properly for 10-20 minutes the right passenger wiper will suddenly continue its sweep and disappear below the windshield jammed against the driver wiper. The wiper will start swinging further to the left than normal just before it jams.

Two Thor recalls and several visits to dealers on the road have failed to fix the problem. I’ve been reluctant to run the wipers, and have been pulling the passenger wiper forward off the windshield during rain. The problem is with the crank assembly going over center and jamming the wiper-not the wiper arm itself.

My local Camping World has wrestled Thor into covering a whole new motor wiper crank assembly, and repair the damaged paint below the driver wiper arm.

I dropped our rig off today and am keeping my fingers crossed that this will finally solve the problem and let us enjoy driving without fearing rain.

Identical issue on passenger side wiper with Miramar occurred the past week on my return trip from Florida. In driving rain, I had to pull over several times till the rain stopped. I think the wording on the original recall is not specific, as it alludes to the tightening of the nut for the wiper. The issue goes beyond the nut, and more to the plastic gear the arm slips on to...which is seen once you slip off the wiper. Ken

[brucev]

I had the same problem last year with my Hurricane. Thor refused to do anything about it, all Thor will repair under the recall is tighten the bolt. I no longer use the wipers on anything but low setting as I can't afford to replace them again.

[Maxjr758]

On our 2017 Challenger 37TB ("PRE-OWNED, 5045 MILES) the wipers would only work on Low Speed, and then only after rotating the switch back and forth to find the spot. Then the same procedure to turn them off. Thor gave me a Reference number and directed me to one of 6 Camping Worlds within 50-60 miles of me 2 within 20 miles. I made the arrangements and took it in on the apointed day to be diagnosed, and parts ordered, to return when they came in. I also had them check the front Power Shade as it would loose programming after 2-3 used. After about 2 hrs I was called to the service desk, and the writer said your all set! We got them fixed, and introduced me to the the tech that checked out my wipers, and shade. He asked if I had, had the wipers repaired before, I said no, not since I've owned it, as i purchased it pre-owned.
He said well if fixed your wipers, the only thing wrong, was the wiring plug to the Wiper motor was plugged in BACKWARDS ! I plugged in in the right way, and they work fine on all speeds, and intermittently.
And then he said Your Shade is working fine too ! Goes up and down just like it should.
Thor covered it all, as CW charged 1 he. Labor.
The Irvine Shade and Door co. Tech said There was a bad relay Ford used, that causes the Shades to loose programming.
Since the wiper motor plug was corrected the Shade has not failed once ! Makes me wonder if the wipers, and the Shade are on the same relay? Anyone care to venture a guess if that's the case?

[Sursavage]

Purchased 2017 Thor Windsport July 2018. On first trip passenger side blade gets stuck on driver blade and they both quit working. Very scary driving in storm through Atlanta. I see others with same problem but don’t see solutions. Can this be fixed?
Thanks

[Beau388]

The Thor class A coaches 2014-2016 production year are included in a recall for the windshield wipers. I suspect your coach could be included in the recall. There are three problems listed in the complaint: improper installation, loose wiper mounds and bent articulating mechanism. Fortunately my coach has none of those problems.

[Mel556180]

Originally Posted by Mel556180

We have had this same issue with our 2016 Miramar 34.3 for over a year.

After working properly for 10-20 minutes the right passenger wiper will suddenly continue its sweep and disappear below the windshield jammed against the driver wiper. The wiper will start swinging further to the left than normal just before it jams.

Two Thor recalls and several visits to dealers on the road have failed to fix the problem. I’ve been reluctant to run the wipers, and have been pulling the passenger wiper forward off the windshield during rain. The problem is with the crank assembly going over center and jamming the wiper-not the wiper arm itself.

My local Camping World has wrestled Thor into covering a whole new motor wiper crank assembly, and repair the damaged paint below the driver wiper arm.

I dropped our rig off today and am keeping my fingers crossed that this will finally solve the problem and let us enjoy driving without fearing rain.

Update: Just got our rig back from Camping World. After some arm wrestling Thor warranty covered a new wiper motor assembly (new part number), and paint repair.

The passenger wiper now sweeps left across the windshield in a smaller arch. Instead of ending it’s sweep to the center of my vision looking down the road, it now stops at about the center of the windshield.

The driver wiper overlaps the passenger, but not vice versa.

The smaller sweep arch should keep the wiper from swinging over center and jamming against the driver wiper. This could be a real fix. 🤞🏻

[kwilliams]

Great to hear. Can you provide the part number, as this identical to what I’m discussing with Thor?