Hi Everyone,
My girlfriend has a '21 CX-5 Touring AWD. She was driving yesterday and her rear wiper got stuck in a dead center position. I helped her to take the plastic cover off of the bottom of the wiper arm to see if anything was stuck and possibly jamming the wiper. There was a tiny leaf that she removed. The wiper then proceeded to work like normal for a few minutes, until it repeated the same issue again. It's been about a day since this happened and as far as I am aware it is working fine now. If this issue happens again, the car will be taken in for warranty work. Has there been anyone else with similiar issues?

 

If your rear wiper is stuck in the middle position, there are a few potential causes and solutions to consider. First, check if there is any debris or obstruction preventing the wiper arm from moving. Clearing any debris and lubricating the wiper arm pivot points may resolve the issue. Additionally, inspect the wiper motor and linkage for any signs of damage or malfunction. If necessary, you may need to replace these components. It is also worth checking the fuse related to the rear wiper to ensure it hasn't blown. If the issue persists, it's recommended to consult a professional mechanic for a thorough diagnosis and repair.

 

I would not service the wiper area itself if it is still under warranty!
If it is not under warranty, then before you do any servicing obtain a Factory service manual or get something like an *ALLDATA (*requires an account and payment to get these)repair service guide BEFOR attempting any service!

That is NOT a common problem and very unusual for that year!

 

welcome to the forum

 

So I'm visiting my girlfriend now and when I was driving her car, the rear wiper started wiping slower and ultimately got stuck in the middle again. We took the car to the dealer and they determined the motor in the rear wiper is bad. It's covered under her bumper to bumper warranty, and should be replaced next week. I couldn't find anyone really having this issue, so I'm wondering if it just doesn't break often on these cars...

 

In my experience the main failure for wiper motors is the owner's failure to clear the windows of ice/snow buildup.
Or negligently moving/twisting the wiper arms when cleaning snow/ice especially on frozen windows, often while they are running.
For some reason many drivers in snow/ice areas think the wiper blade can act as a snowplow with no thought about the wiper motor.

 

That's a good point and may be accurate. My girlfriend only has one semester left in New England and then she's living back in Florida.

 

It's not uncommon to see that with drivers who come from warm climates as they simply have not or rarely had to deal with the issue.
Became more of an issue in cold climates when vehicle designers started hiding the wipers in a pocket that simulates an ice cube tray.
Normally during a storm or potential storm here you will see many wipers sticking up in the air on parked vehicles just so they don't get frozen in.
Still there are plenty of lazy drivers here, or snow/ice phobias, that end up getting wiper motors replaced.

 

In my line of service those with rear wipers will replace them once every decade. FAIL = wiper- motors, blades, glass badly scratched, fuses popped, and stuck wiper blades at various angle of operation. LOL

Why dont people replace the rear wiper at least at the same time they replace the front windshield wipers?

No.1 reason... they tell me... " seldom ever use the rear wipers so why do I need to replace them as much as the fronts".

 

Yah my girlfriend and I use them whenever it is pouring out, but don't leave them on for longer than needed. I change all the wipers at once or until they perform poorly. The original rear wiper on her car disintegrated with like 20k miles so I put a Bosch rear wiper instead.