It’s heavily raining outside, but your Ford F150 windshield wipers not working. Well, I am here to help you fix the wipers and make your way home safely.
In this article, I will discuss about the possible reasons why the windshield wipers are not working and how to fix them.
The faulty multifunction switch is the primary reason why the wipers are not working on your Ford F150. Other possibilities are a bad fuse, relay, rain sensor, wiper assembly, and wiper motor.
Please Note: You can follow the troubleshooting guide for any Ford F150 model. Some common years include: Ford F150 1994, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2021.
6 Reasons Why Ford F150 Windshield Wipers Not Working!
Here are the six common reasons and the fixes for Ford F150 windshield wipers not functioning.
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Bad wiper fuse | Replace the wiper fuse |
| Bad wiper motor relay | Replace the wiper motor relay |
| Faulty rain sensor | Install a new rain sensor |
| Damaged wiper transmission and linkage assembly | Replace the linkage assembly |
| Bad wiper switch | Get a new multifunction switch |
| Bad wiper motor | Replace the wiper motor |
1. Bad Fuse
If the wiper and the wiper motor (30 Amp) fuses are not in good condition, your windshield wipers won’t work.
Fuses that are associated with the wiper module are in the battery junction box, aka the fuse box under the hood.
Open the fuse box and make sure none of the fuses are blown or physically damaged. If you find any damaged fuse, replace it with an appropriate one, and hopefully, your wiper problem will be fixed.
2. Bad Relay
If you have a bad windshield wiper motor relay, you’ll end up having non-functioning wipers. So open up the fuse box and test the wiper relay.
For quick verification, you can swap the relay with a similar one. If this relay swapping method fixes your wiper problem, that means the wiper relay is bad.
And you need to get a new wiper relay to solve this problem.
3. Faulty Rain Sensor
If you have rain-sensing wipers, which are working fine at low and high speeds but not functioning in intermittent settings, the rain sensor might be faulty.
First, remove the connector from the sensor. It’s located behind the rearview mirror. Then, clean the connector, reconnect it properly, and see if it fixes the problem.
If the sensor is damaged, to fix this issue, you need to get a replacement rain sensor for your Ford F150.
4. Damaged Wiper Transmission and Linkage Assembly
If your Ford F150 windshield wiper blades are not working or stopping mid-wipe, the wiper transmission and linkage assembly might be stuck, seized, or damaged.
The main reason for such an issue can be excessive rust and dirt around the linkage of the assembly.
So open the plastic wiper cowl panel and clean the linkage properly, and see if you get the wipers back to working again.
If the assembly is damaged, you need a new wiper transmission assembly to fix your wipers.
5. Bad Wiper Switch
The most common problem of Ford F150, especially for the 2011-2014 models, why the wipers are not working is the bad wiper switch, aka multifunction switch.
So you can get a new wiper switch, and hopefully, your wipers will start working again just fine.
I have written another guide on why wipers won’t stop on your Ford F150 with more details about the wiper switch.
6. Bad Wiper Motor
The last thing you need to ensure is that the wiper motor works correctly. If your switch is OK, there are no missing or bad fuses, and the relay is working, then it must be the wiper motor you need to replace.
Especially if your 2021 Ford F150 wipers are not working, the wiper motor might have manufacturing defects.
Ford issued a recall for F150 models built between January 08, 2020 – March 22, 2021.
Around 157,306 F150 are affected by this wiper motor defect. The manufacturing recall number for this issue is 22S12, and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V142.
You can read more about the Ford 22S12 – NHTSA 22V142 recall here.
Final Words
So now you know everything about why your Ford F150 windshield wipers not working and the possible fixes you can try. Hope you found this troubleshooting guide useful.
My wipers on my 2014 Ford F150 started going on then stopping after a few minutes, but as of yesterday the wipers turned on as normal but mid way through the cycle they stopped. I turned the switch off and on a few times with no success. Oh I hardly drive this truck, it only has 37K miles on it. Any suggestion on fixing this issue?
on my 2016 ford F150 my wipers move about a 1/4 of and inch in one direction and the go about an 1/8 inch in the reverse direction movement is very slow and it takes about 45 min for the wipers to complete 1 cycle. Any idea of what might be wrong ?