Today’s vehicles are equipped with numerous conveniences like air conditioning, heated seats, and power windows. Today, nearly every single vehicle model on the market comes with power windows. Those of us who have experienced power window malfunctions know all too well how convenient having a functioning window in our car truly is. That’s why the Smiley’s Glass team in Richmond, Virginia has assembled this guide to help you understand and fix a malfunctioning power window.

Potential Causes

If you think about which window gets the most use in your vehicle, it’s most likely the one on your driver side door. That’s why the front drivers-side window is the window that malfunctions most often. Whether it’s from overuse, damage, or another cause, before we discuss how to fix a power window problem, we should first understand some of the potential causes of this issue.

• Temperature: Oftentimes, drivers report having issues with their power windows when the temperature drops below freezing in the winter. This is due to the freezing of the window glass to the window frame, causing the motor to be unable to push or pull the window up or down. This can cause the motor and/or regulators to wear out much faster if used on a frozen window.
• Bad Motor: Each window within your car or vehicle has its own electric motor to generate the energy that raises and lowers the piece of window glass. In most cases, electric window motors will last around 7 to 10 years, but they can wear out sooner depending on the amount of use. Once the window motor wears out, it can fail to generate any energy when the switch on the door is activated and will need to be replaced.
• Improper Wiring: There are many wires inside of your vehicle’s doors that help operate your vehicle’s power windows. While it’s not terribly common, miswiring can be a problem that can contribute to the malfunctioning of your windows. Many times improper wiring occurs if you have had recent repairs to the doors or windows of your vehicle.
• Bad Regulators: The window regulator is the actual mechanism that physically pushes and pulls the piece of window glass up and down. It is activated once the switch is pressed and the motor generates the energy. Regulators can wear out easily if the window gets frequent use, so they are a common cause of power window malfunctions.
• Bad Switch: Many times, if your window is not responding the problem is right at your fingertips. The switch on the inside of your vehicle’s door sends an electric signal to the motor to power the regulator to slide the glass up and down. If your switch is broken or has lost its connection to the motor, your window will not function.

The Solution

As you can see, there are several reasons why your vehicle’s power windows may be malfunctioning. That’s why finding and solving the source of your window problems can be extremely tricky. Thankfully, Smiley’s glass offers power window motor and regulator replacement. Locating the culprit in a malfunctioning power window requires the interior of the vehicle’s door to be disassembled to gain access to the work area. Once the units are exposed, the area is cleaned and our team performs power tests to identify the source of the problem. The defective unit is then replaced and the door is reassembled.

The Smiley’s Glass team offers the safest and finest services when it comes to auto glass repair or replacement. You can rest assured that we use only quality, manufacturer approved products as prescribed by the Auto Glass Safety Council’s AGRSS program. For more information on our expert auto glass repair or replacement services, you can contact us by dialing 804-320-7172.