what would cause the drivers side wiper blade to travel too far, and actually go off the side of the window?

happening to a buddy and was wondering if it was adjustable or if a new motor was neccessary.

 

The wiper could be loose on the post. Where does the wiper arm rest in the off position? If it rests in the normal position, I would gander to say new motor time. If not, I would turn the wipers on till they were in the up position and turn off the car. Mark the windshield so as to have a guide of where the wiper stopped. Pull the wiper off and adjust it enough to keep it from over extending. HTH

 

When my car did that i had to unbolt the wiper arm, and inside it is a little mettal spool, that fits down onto the wiper motor. Both pieces have threads to interlock into one another, but my wiper arm had gotten stripped and wasnt spinning with the motor anymore. Went to the junk yard and bought a new wiper arm for $20. Fixed the problem.
Bill

 

wiper sits fine in the off position...

i guess we'll have to look at the arm to see if it's stripped

thanks guys

 

I had the same exact thing since I got my car on March 10th. My lazy *** just got around to fixing it. Loosen the bolt, and reposition the arm so it sits lower. Problem solved.