Do windshield wiper blade replacement problems track share of state roads salted in winter across states?
Across U.S. states, NHTSA owner complaints about windshield wiper blade replacement run higher where share of state roads salted in winter is higher, after adjusting for the makes sold in each state. This is an association across states, not proof that share of state roads salted in winter causes this repair.
State reports of this repair against share of state roads salted in winter, one dot per stateEach dot is a state: how much more (or less) than expected this repair is reported there, adjusted for the makes sold in the state, against its share of state roads salted in winter (USGS salt-use tier)
How to read it: Each dot is a state. Further right means more share of state roads salted in winter (usgs salt-use tier); higher up means more complaints for this repair than expected (1.0 is average). If the dots climb to the right, reports of this repair rise with share of state roads salted in winter (usgs salt-use tier).
What it shows: States with more share of state roads salted in winter (usgs salt-use tier) tend to sit higher on the chart across 42 states: a pattern in the data, not proof of cause.
Data: USGS Estimates of Road Salt Application across the Conterminous United States, 1992-2019 (state tiers), joined to NHTSA owner complaints, downloaded 2026-10-06 · 42 states. Chart: CalcScrape · calcscrape.com
The 10 states with the most share of state roads salted in winter (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana): reports of this repair run 33% above what the makes sold there would predict, and 10 of 10 are above expected. The 10 with the least (Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina): 19% below, and 4 of 10 are above expected.
Exceptions: Washington (24% above expected) and Mississippi (43% above expected) are among the lowest but above expected.
Split the states into thirds: the third with the least share of state roads salted in winter runs 16% below what the makes sold there would predict, the middle third 22% above, and the third with the most 30% above. Most of the share of state roads salted in winter effect sits between the lowest and the middle third.
For share of state roads salted in winter, after allowing for the 1562 comparisons we ran, luck alone would produce a pattern this strong about 1 time in 10,000 or more. Take out any single state and the share of state roads salted in winter pattern still holds.
Weak spot: compare only states with similar all-sky sunshine at the surface, kWh per square meter per day and the pattern keeps about 22% of its strength, so part of it may come from all-sky sunshine at the surface, kWh per square meter per day instead of share of state roads salted in winter.
Road salt and slush corrode exposed metal and seize moving parts, and freezing weather stiffens rubber, so repairs to exposed parts can follow harsh winters.