Future Ford Vehicles Could Warn Drivers About Wiper Wear

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a wiper wear notification system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on January 9^th, 2024, published on July 10^th, 2025, and assigned serial number 0222900.

The Ford Authority Take

Roughly three years ago, Ford published a patent outlining an idea for an automated windshield wiper system that would be capable of doing all sorts of interesting things – including sensing when frozen precipitation is accumulating on the windshield, then deploying the wipers automatically at a pre-calculated interval to prevent that from happening. Now, this newly published patent gives us a new and interesting idea for a wiper wear notification system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.

Windshield wipers tend to wear out slowly over time, and most of the time, users only notice when things have gotten pretty bad – and visibility is subsequently poor. Thus, this patent aims to rectify that by using cameras that would spot wear as it occurs, then warn the user when wipers need to be replaced before things get too bad. Interestingly, this patent also notes that the system would be capable of detecting obstructions and even determining whether they’re just regular old rainwater or actual debris, which could interfere with that sort of analysis.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services.”