Rear Window Wiper Washer Linkages problems of the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu

While traveling on a busy interstate in very heavy rains and rush hour traffic, I heard a loud noise and then my wipers were stopped & criss-crossed in front of me. I felt extremely lucky to get off the highway, without causing a wreck. Later, I found out that there was a know defect on the wiper pivots for my model car. But regardless, the recall wasn't any good for my state. I don't understand the logic behind this. . . If a part is defective- it is defective. The recall was only effective for certain 'salt-belt' states, of which my state isn't included. I did however live in one of these salt-belt states for several years (with this car). But whether your car is registered in one of those states or not you could have a lot of use of the wipers. Between hurricane season and the rainy season in florida, wipers get a whole lot of use down here too.