Vital Winter Tip: The One Car Setting You Must Turn Off Before It's Too Late

Once the first real cold snap arrives, the same headache pops up for a lot of drivers: you start the car in the morning, and the wipers suddenly try to move on their own.

If the blades are frozen to the windshield, that’s not a harmless glitch — it’s a fast track to torn wipers or a repair bill. That’s why, for winter, it’s best to shut off the rain sensor and the automatic wiper mode and stick with manual control.

The rain sensor uses an optical reader to detect changes in how light reflects off the windshield. When it sees droplets, wet snow, or moisture, it kicks on the wipers and adjusts their speed.

That’s great in the rain, but in winter the sensor can mistake frost or a thin layer of moisture for precipitation. The result: the system orders a wipe at the exact moment the blades are iced to the glass and can’t budge.

“When the blades are frozen, they won’t move, but the wiper motor keeps trying to push the mechanism. In reality three things take a hit at once: the rubber tears or stiffens, the wiper arms can bend, and the motor and linkage get overloaded — sometimes to the point of blowing a fuse or damaging the gearbox. And if the blades do break free, they can scratch the windshield on the ice,”

Before leaving your car overnight, switch the wipers from AUTO to a basic setting (OFF or a fixed interval without automation). In the morning, check that the lever isn’t still in AUTO — that’s how most people get caught.

If there’s ice on the windshield, warm the wiper area with the defroster and let the blades free themselves before turning them on. Don’t try to yank them loose, and don’t run them over heavy ice — that almost always ends with a repair.

During freezing rain or heavy snow, a few simple habits help a lot: lift the wipers overnight or cover the windshield. And don’t forget winter washer fluid and decent blades — they ice up much less.