Why won't my car window roll up or down?
Electric car windows can get stuck completely or only move in one direction, such as going up only after restarting the vehicle. This unreliable behavior leaves vehicles vulnerable and can trap drivers with a window stuck down at night.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Taking off the door panel to inspect the motor or regulatorDid this help you?
- 2Turn the truck off and back on to reset the moduleDid this help you?
- 3Cut the dark green wire at the switch to bypass the auto-down moduleDid this help you?
- 4Replace the window motor assembly entirelyDid this help you?
- 5Check if the driver's door window switch is plugged in properly after body work.Did this help you?
- 6Test individual door switches to see if they respond independently.Did this help you?
- 7checking the fuse and changing itDid this help you?
- 8taking it to the shopDid this help you?
- 9Replacing the window regulatorDid this help you?
- 10Removing the door panel to inspect internal mechanical componentsDid this help you?
- 11Start at the bottom limit, hold switch for 5 seconds, then roll all the way up continuouslyDid this help you?
- 12Lubricate window tracks with silicone spray to reduce resistive forceDid this help you?
- 13Disconnect battery for 10 minutes (or disconnect both battery terminals to discharge system)Did this help you?
- 14Replacing the motor and regulator together as a single unit to save time.Did this help you?
- 15Using a voltmeter to test for power at the motor plug and switch panel.Did this help you?
- 16Applying 12V directly to the motor to see if it still moves.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Last year when the issue occurred, I was able to ease the window up click by click and then hold the up switch for five seconds to reset the limits. Now it just goes back down when I hold the switch.”source ↗
“I’m just super perplexed as to why this only happens in cold weather. Wasn’t an issue all summer.”source ↗
“It’s only this window and the driver can’t move it either”source ↗
“No switch works on any door”source ↗
“Update that the button to lock all doors also doesn’t work on driver door. Neither does the mechanism to move rear view mirrors.”source ↗
“Driving yesterday, the windows stopped moving up and down.”source ↗
“Now tonight I couldn’t roll the window back up.”source ↗
“then the drivers window will no longer go down, only up unless the truck is turned off and re started.”source ↗
“Almost to the point of just cutting the wires going to the auto function so it doesn't stop itself from working.”source ↗
“I was driving yesterday and tried to roll my window down and it just wouldn’t move. There’s still the clicking noise when you push the button but no movement.”source ↗
“I tried checking the fuse and changing it and that didn’t work either. Is there anything else I can do? Or should I just take it to the shop at this point?”source ↗
“Was rolling up my driver side window when it suddenly stopped working entirely.”source ↗