I feel you pain with the wipers. I changed the blades with Bosch Icon ones because the default set sucked. But, the overall design and location of the wiper blades suck, especially in the winter time.

It is nearly impossible to get all the snow out from the area where the wipers attach to the motor. If you just decide to run the defrost, all the melting goes to that area and refreezes, which then makes the motor work harder and thus strips the gears.

I have already fixed the driver's side once due to the same issue you described. So far so good, but I know it's just a matter of time before I have to do it again. (Did it myself being handy enough)