Windshield Wipers
The lever on the right side of the steering column
operates the windshield wipers.
7(Mist):Pull the lever down and release it for a
single wiping cycle. The lever will return to its original
position. For more cycles, hold the lever down
before releasing it.
9(Off):Put the lever in this position to turn off
the wipers.
&(Delay):Put the lever in this position to set a delay
between wipes. Turn the delay adjustment band to
set the length of the delay.
x(Delay Adjustment):Use this band to set the
length of the delay between wipes when using the delay
feature. The closer you move the band toward mist,
the longer the delay. The windshield wiper lever must be
in delay for this feature to work.
6(Low Speed):Put the lever in this position for
slow, steady wiping cycles.
1(High Speed):Put the lever in this position for
rapid wiping cycles.
If the windshield wipers are in use for about six seconds
while you are driving, the exterior lamps will come on
automatically if the exterior lamp control is in AUTO.
SeeWiper Activated Headlamps on page 3-35for
more information.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they’re frozen to the windshield,
gently loosen or thaw them. If the blades do become
damaged, install new blades. For more information, see
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement on page 5-55.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools down.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Your vehicle (STS-V only) is equipped with a feature
that disables the wiper system when the hood is
open and your vehicle is stopped. Opening the hood will
automatically park the wipers if they are not parked.
This prevents the wipers from interfering with hood
operation. Be sure the hood is not opened when you
require the vehicle’s wipers out of the park position,
such as when changing the wiper blades.
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Rainsense™ II Wipers
If your vehicle has this feature, the moisture sensor is
mounted on the interior side of the windshield behind the
rearview mirror. It is used to automatically operate the
wipers by monitoring the amount of moisture build-up on
the windshield. Wipes occur as needed to clear the
windshield depending on driving conditions and the
sensitivity setting. In light rain or snow, fewer wipes will
occur. In heavy rain or snow, wipes will occur more
frequently. The Rainsense™ wipers operate in a delay
mode as well as a continuous low or high speed as
needed. If the system is left on for long periods of time,
occasional wipes may occur without any moisture on the
windshield. This is normal and indicates that the
Rainsense™ system is activated.
To activate the Rainsense™ system, turn the wiper
band to delay mode and select one of the four sensitivity
levels indicated on the wiper stalk. The position
closest to off is the lowest sensitivity setting, level one.
This allows more rain or snow to collect on the
windshield between wipes. Turning the wiper band away
from you to higher sensitivity levels increases the
sensitivity of the system and frequency of wipes.The highest sensitivity setting, level four, is closest to
low. A single wipe will occur each time you turn the
wiper stalk to a higher sensitivity level to indicate that
the sensitivity level has been increased.
Notice:Going through an automatic car wash with
the wipers on can damage them. Turn the wipers
off when going through an automatic car wash.
The mist and wash cycles operate as normal and are
not affected by the Rainsense™ function. The
Rainsense™ system can be overridden at any time by
manually turning the wiper band to low or high speed.
When Rainsense™ is active, the headlamps will turn on
automatically. The headlamps will turn off again once
the wipers turn off if it is light enough outside. If it
is dark, they will remain on. SeeWiper Activated
Headlamps on page 3-35.
Notice:Do not place stickers or other items on
the exterior glass surface directly in front of
the moisture sensor. Doing this could cause the
moisture sensor to malfunction.
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