Rain Sensing Wiper Issue

[Fast454]

Hi...I have a 2009 4.6L with 19500 miles.
Recently...I had the rain sensor wipers turn on for no reason. It can occur on a clear cloudless day. When this occurs....the wipers seem to not fully park are the wipers turn on for no reason and make one wiper swipe. If I turn them to the "off" position, the wipers return to the fully parked location. They stay there when I put the wipers back into the auto mode switch location. Then when they decide to take a swipe again...they stay in the not fully parked mode. This occurs very randomly. It can go days or weeks of being OK then it will wipe for no reason a few times in a day.

Anyone else have this problem??

 

[Pahaska]

Mine do not fully park when in the sensing position. I think this is normal operation. The system would not want to park the wipers when a new sweep could occur at any second.

Wipers are generally parked by reversing the motor and it would be a lot of wear and tear to park them between sweeps.

 

[mk1]

Same issue - they randomly swipe once while in auto mode, then eventually go back into fully parked position without me doing anything. Next time it happens, don't do anything and see if they do it on their own.

 

[ctrcbob]

They randomly swipe because they sense something, even a speck of dirt on the windshield.

I never have that problem because I always set the switch up to the off position. I only have it in the sensing position, (one down from the off position) once it starts to rain. I'll then leave it there until I remember to switch it back up to the off position.

 

[aja72]

In my there is little bite same issue. The manual mist, low and high settings work fine, but when the wipers are set to 'auto', the wipers never come on at all.

 

[MrB0462]

Also don't forget to shut off totally before going through a car wash

 

[ctrcbob]

In my there is little bite same issue. The manual mist, low and high settings work fine, but when the wipers are set to 'auto', the wipers never come on at all.

Don't forget you have to "twist" the part of the knob near the end to tell the auto setting how often you want it to swipe. I keep mine set to minimum position, and it does not start until windshield very wet. Yes, it does go fast when it rains hard, but if I put it in maximum position, it goes fast all the time.

 

[ctrcbob]

Also don't forget to shut off totally before going through a car wash

Ditto Ditto DITTO. The car wash I use has big signs telling drivers the same thing.

 

[MrB0462]

Ditto Ditto DITTO. The car wash I use has big signs telling drivers the same thing.

It could be quite expensive if you forget to shut them off

 

[mcginnpm]

Unparked is the standard position in auto mode.

To protect your windshield and your wipers its best to turn the wipers off when you don't need them (dry wipes will scratch your windshield and tear up the wiping edge of the blade).

The rain sensor operates using infrared technology (see attached PDF) so if you have the wipers in auto mode, and ANYTHING causes a change in the reflectivity of the glass in the infrared spectrum, your wipers will come on.

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[sandy]

Unparked is the standard position in auto mode.

To protect your windshield and your wipers its best to turn the wipers off when you don't need them (dry wipes will scratch your windshield and tear up the wiping edge of the blade).

The rain sensor operates using infrared technology (see attached PDF) so if you have the wipers in auto mode, and ANYTHING causes a change in the reflectivity of the glass in the infrared spectrum, your wipers will come on.

Thanks for that PDF, Mike. I always wondered how they worked.

 

[vega]

Every vehicle I've owned with auto sensing wipers has done the same thing, its the nature of the beast.

 

[ctrcbob]

The first time I drove a car with the auto sensing wipers was in 2002 when I leased a Renault Laguna in France. They did show me some of the controls, however not the auto sensing wipers. Did not even know the car had them.

Going down one of the Auto-Routes when it started to rain. Wham, the wipers came on. WTF? Never touched a thing with those wipers. The way it was set when I picked up the car was the way it was set when I turned the car in. That was my first experience with auto sensing wipers.

The Laguna I leased in 2006 also had them, but now I knew about it.

 

[nearwater]

Those who are having problems with the sensitivity issue, try a little bit of window polish on the glass where the sensor is attached to.
Most rain sensors are infrared lights detecting reflections off of the glass.
More rain drops would cause more altered reflection, thus less infrared light coming back to the sensor.
My guess is if there's dirt or particles on the area where the sensor is located, water droplets wouldn't fully contact the glass area, making the sensor to think that there aren't much water on the glass.

Try it. It can't hurt, right?

Dan

 

[Rebecca]

Hi...I have a 2009 4.6L with 19500 miles.
Recently...I had the rain sensor wipers turn on for no reason. It can occur on a clear cloudless day. When this occurs....the wipers seem to not fully park are the wipers turn on for no reason and make one wiper swipe. If I turn them to the "off" position, the wipers return to the fully parked location. They stay there when I put the wipers back into the auto mode switch location. Then when they decide to take a swipe again...they stay in the not fully parked mode. This occurs very randomly. It can go days or weeks of being OK then it will wipe for no reason a few times in a day.

Anyone else have this problem??

I keep mine on AUTO except for car wash. I do believe mine come back to sitting high when they do a quick one-swipe, but only for several seconds to a minute? If there is no more moisture or rain, they readjust and tuck down low where they belong. They are sensitive. Sometimes just 1 drop on the windshield may trigger them on, but it does not bother me.

 

[TNTitan]

My rain sensing wipers just died so the dealer had to replace the entire motor assembly, but in the process the service writer told me when on AUTO, the wipers are programmed to do a "test" swipe every 30 minutes or so.

 

[mcginnpm]

when on AUTO, the wipers are programmed to do a "test" swipe every 30 minutes or so.

Sounds bogus to me. I run in AUTO for hours at a time and never see them wipe unless there is moisture on the windshield.

 

[rickfen]

Sounds bogus to me. I run in AUTO for hours at a time and never see them wipe unless there is moisture on the windshield.

same operation with mine, dealer's pulling your leg for some reason

 

[dond13]

same operation with mine, dealer's pulling your leg for some reason

Many dealer's service reps will tell you ANYTHING in order to avoid working on a car in warranty. I have had them tell me wild. wild things over my many years and you just have to ask them where it says that in the documentation. Many times that will cause them to re-evaluate what they say.

 

[TNTitan]

Many dealer's service reps will tell you ANYTHING in order to avoid working on a car in warranty. I have had them tell me wild. wild things over my many years and you just have to ask them where it says that in the documentation. Many times that will cause them to re-evaluate what they say.

Could be a tall tale, or ill-informed service writer. Either way the wiper motor assembly was replaced without question under warranty. I pulled up with no appointment, they called Enterprise and had a courtesy rental car there in 15 minutes. 2 days later I picked up my car good as new. Couldn't be happier with the service.