Car Power Window Problems

When vehicles started having power windows built into them, it was considered an incredible convenience. Of course, like any other automobile convenience, it can become just another problem when they break. There are three big problems with power windows. Two of them are relatively easy to repair, while the third will have you reaching for your pocketbook.

Jamming

Sometimes big problems can be caused by relatively small things. For example, power windows can be impeded from opening for many simple reasons, including a foreign object blocking the window from rising or lowering. This is especially common in the winter when ice buildup can lock a window in place. To fix this, all you really need to do is remove the blockage, which is most often found just inside the car door.

Burned-Out Motor

Often in automobiles, the biggest problems are caused by minor issues. Sometimes, though, the worst thing that could go wrong actually does go wrong. In power windows, that's a motor burnout. There is almost no easy way to fix a motor burnout and, often, all that you can do is buy a new motor. A word of advice? Before you go to the mechanic and pay top dollar, try looking at junk yards or auto salvage depots to find a power window motor for cheap.

Blown Fuse

When you go to open the window, do you find that there is no response? Not only does it not budge, but you don't even hear the motor running? If that is the case, odds are that you have a blown fuse -- pesky, but relatively simply to remedy. All you really have to do is pop open your car hood, locate your fuse box and replace the bad fuse. Of course, if you don't have your fuses labeled (a common issue with older vehicles), refer to your owner's manual to see which fuse controls what. If you don't have an owner's manual because you bought the car used, it's time to go to Google.