Wipers Stop Working

[GAPT]

My wife's 2006 PT has developed problems with the windshield wipers a few months back. After a few minutes they stop, then, later they start back. This is usually 5-10 minutes between starting/stopping/starting again. One dealer charged about $80 and said that may fix it. (It didn't.) Another is now saying they don't know what the problem is.
This gets very dangerous in heavy rains.
Thanks

[Hooligan]

GAPT, Welcome to the forum!!!
Should we assume that the warranty is expired?? If not, another dealer may work. I assume that the fuse was replaced?

[GAPT]

Hooligan,
Yes, the warranty is expired and this is the second dealer. I do not think it would be a fuse since it works a few minutes, then stops, then works again--but very unpredictable.
Thanks

[CREWZIN]

I tried doing a search on wiper failure but there doesn't seem to be any. Loads of talk about buying a new wiper motor and plenty of places selling them. That might be your fall back if nothing else seems to work. You can't blame this on the multifunction stalk as it's on the other side of the steering wheel. More than likely it's a faulty wire/short circuit/bad connection in or going to the motor itself.

[Cartman]

there arent that many things that could be the problem. switch, wiper motor, Integrated Power Module, and yes, the instrument cluster. the wiper washer switch would be my first guess.

the power flow for the wipers goes as follows: Switch runs into the instrument cluster, then into the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM), then into the wiper motor.

Check for loose connections or grounds first. A dealer who says "this MAY fix it" is not a dealer you want to deal with. Find a good knowledgable dealer or independant mechanic. This problem should be realatively easy to diagnose.

[GAPT]

We picked up the 2006 PT yesterday from the second dealership, and as they had told us, the wipers were not repaired. A second issue was that the remote had stopped unlocking the hatch about 6 months ago. Neither was it repaired--they said it would cost $400 for the part. We opted to continue with the key.
They presented us a bill for more than $80, and I asked, I think, a reasonasble question--"What are we paying for? It still doesn't work." (We already paid one dealer $80 for nothing.)
Good news, the service manager agreed--dropped the charges!
Thanks for your feedback.

[llarosa16]

I bought my car in 06 and my windows decided to roll themselves up and down at their own will, until finally they rolled down and I could not get them back up. I took it to the dealership and they replaced a switch I believe and it has worked fine ever since. Now for the past month, after warranty expired in Sept. 08, the wndshield wipers would not shut off. I took it into a shop and they scoped it and said the windshield wiper switch was out. I purchased a new windshield wiper switch, had my mechanic replace it and the wipers worked for 2 days and then completely stopped. I took it to the dealership yesterday and they said it was the TIPM that needed replacing. So now I am wondering if it was the TIPM all along since it is responsible for all the power stuff. But now since the warranty is out the darn thing is going to cost $825 to replace. Does anyone have any thoughts about this predicament? The technician is going to talk to the SVC Manager on Tuesday because I told him I think Chrysler should pay for it since the car is only 2 years old and there have been potentially TIPM related issues with the car. What would you do?

[CREWZIN]

If you have the paperwork that shows that there were problem starting before your warranty ran out and the same kind of problems persist, you have a good chance of having Chrysler on your side.

[soonercruiser]

FOR SAFETY SAKE - be sure to treat the windshiels
with Rain-X. That way, if the wipers malfunction, you can still see very well.

[llarosa16]

well, we finally got it figured out. It was not the switch, it was not the TIPM, after all the diagnoses, we took it to a new dealership, who charged less by the way, and found a mechanic who was intrigued and hell bent on figuring it out. He discovered after hours or so, that the linkages were crossed? I think from what I gathered is that the wires were crossed and the signals to the switch were confused and fighting each other. When I found this out, I thought to myself that this seems like one of those things that should be checked first? Ya know like, making sure the power to your PC is plugged in before you call the computer tech. But what do I know! I do know that my windsheild wipers work now. I hope this helps someone!