Windows not working (car windows)

Posted by usamaahmad@reddit | talesfromtechsupport | View on Reddit | 39 comments

We normally read about a certain software that shares a name but this story is about car windows. Tech is a hobby and I'm able to help friends with things (see prior Talesfromtechsupport posts I've done) but this past Monday a coworker asked if I knew anything about cars. He told me he parked his car and his windows (passenger, and rear passenger/driver sides) were all working but when he returned later that day, all three windows would not move despite pressing the button to raise or lower the windows. I reasoned it was unlikely all three motors gave out, and also it doesn't sound like you're hearing any noise at all which suggests that this is an electrical problem. I then thought that maybe there is a separate fuse for these other three windows and I suggested he use Gemini or something and point the phone at his 2009 RAV4's fuse box to see if it can help narrow things down. Then as we were going our separate ways I threw in, "or you know, it could be you accidentally turned the child lock button on" and he laughed and said that's probably not it.

Later that day I got this text, "Thought you'd like to know, got out of hematology Clinic a bit early and was checking out my car. 1 button push later and my windows work again.... Thanks for the help lol"

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Rathmun@reddit

Particularly annoying that it disabled the buttons on the driver's door. In many cars the child lock button only disables the buttons for passenger seats. All the buttons on the driver's door still work. This is actually important for the primary purpose of the child lock. If you didn't have it locked, and a kid opened the window when they shouldn't, you want the ability to close it again while keeping their controls locked.

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LupercaniusAB@reddit

It didn’t do that.

The post says it disabled the rear window on the driver’s side.

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Rathmun@reddit

when he returned later that day, all three windows would not move despite pressing the button to raise or lower the windows.

I doubt he went around to all the other doors and tried the switches there first. He probably got in the driver's seat, as one normally does when intending to drive somewhere, and tried to actuate the windows from the driver's seat. Which didn't work.

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Z4-Driver@reddit

passenger, and rear passenger/driver sides

So only the rear window on driver side.

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Rathmun@reddit

We are clearly not reading the same post.

He told me he parked his car and his windows (passenger, and rear passenger/driver sides) were all working but when he returned later that day, all three windows would not move despite pressing the button to raise or lower the windows.

That's three windows that were working and then stopped. The front passenger window, the rear passenger window, and the rear driver window.

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Z4-Driver@reddit

I mean on the driver side, it was only the rear window. On passenger side it was both.

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Rathmun@reddit

Right... But the driver's door almost always has buttons for all four windows. Three of those buttons, on the driver's door, did not work with the child lock engaged.

What should happen is that the buttons on the passenger and rear doors are disabled by the child lock, but the buttons on the driver's door can still control the windows. That way if a kid in the back is being a little snot and opening the window while it's snowing, mom or dad can lock his button from working and then close the window.

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usamaahmad@reddit (OP)

You’re correct /u/Rathmun it did weirdly also disable his own controls

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dedsqwirl@reddit

My 2015 Honda does that too.

Arctos_FI@reddit

By the headline alone i tought this was story where some customer called complaining "my windows doesn't work" and after 30 minutes of you trying to get the customer do anything in the computer which he clearly was not next to you discover they ment car windows

Awlson@reddit

That was exactly what i thought when i read the title, actually.

Man, the fact that we can even entertain that possibility tells you how traumatized people are from providing tech support.

Yeah i haven't even provided tech support except for friends and family but still even from that.

will555556@reddit

NGL I would pay more for my car not to have automatic windows. Have we really gone that lazy we need to save 15 secs, hell it only take 30 secs to roll them up.

vaildin@reddit

I find it's nice being able to work all of my windows from the driver's seat, and not having to lean across the car to roll other windows up or down.

Minflick@reddit

Electronic windows are what allowed my father to use the windows on his car once his polio came back (that secondary muscle wasting that happens) and his left arm again lost muscle function.

Im fine with an electric window where you click the button up(holding) the window goes up you click down(holding) it goes down I just don't need the automatic parts which fucks up every 1/4 times you use it.

I even said I would pay more I didn't say lets force everyone who has a medical disability to use them.

Agret@reddit

How often are your door window motors falling that it's become an issue?

Ich_mag_Kartoffeln@reddit

Two-and-a-half of my cars have manual windows. I would be perfectly happy if it was all three.

Ferns8907@reddit

I think it’s also partially a safety feature. I don’t think having everyone who wants to roll down a window while driving, having to crank it, is better than quickly pressing a button.

DeciduousEmu@reddit

I was visiting a friend one time and stayed overnight. When I came out in the morning, all four windows were down. Thankfully he lived in a quiet safe neighborhood and there had been no rain.

I scoured the owner's manual and found where holding down the unlock button for 5 seconds would signal for all the windows to go down. I went into preferences and turned that function off.

W1ULH@reddit

I scoured the owner's manual and found where holding down the unlock button for 5 seconds would signal for all the windows to go down.

what in the sam hill?

bighorton@reddit

Had this happen with my Lincoln MKZ in the middle of an overnight snowstorm. Opened the sunroof as well. Google explained and I disabled that stupidity the next day. (9u9)

Mine was a Lincoln MKS.

TheThiefMaster@reddit

My last car was a BMW i3 that did that. The unlock button was on the top edge of the key, so easily pressed accidentally if you sat down with the keys in your pocket.

It couldn't be turned off.

People actually made covers for their keys to stop it happening.

It's not an option in the car settings menu but when the dealer have your car connected to the scan tool they can reprogram it to turn off the feature. It won't stop you accidentally leaving the car unlocked though so the cover is probably a good option.

There's quite a vibrant community around "coding" the i3 (changing its settings via ODB) and I still didn't hear of anyone finding a way to change that particular setting.

It would auto re-lock though if you unlocked it and then didn't open a door, so if it had been possible to stop it opening the windows it would have been fine.

Tim1point0@reddit

I discovered this on my truck — in the middle of a rainstorm. Fortunately I turned around and looked out the window and saw they were down before it was too wet inside.

Rustymarble@reddit

Child safety locks are awesome! Until you accidentally lock yourself in the backseat with your kid. Thank goodness for kind strangers in the parking lot who help when you pound on the glass and they open the door for you from the outside.

How did you not just reach over the front seat and unlock it from the driver’s door?

That's the door lock, not the child safety lock.

The correct fix is to unbuckle a kid and shove them out the front door to open the back door.

Weird1Intrepid@reddit

Is everybody unable to just climb over the seat themselves? I'm confused

1947-1460@reddit

A lot of the rear doors have (or had) physical lever on the door (hinge side). You need to open the door to flip the lever.

With the window down you should be able to easily reach the exterior door handle from inside the car.

I'm too short? Physically couldn't

Fair enough, I guess.

bdm68@reddit

Wow. A softlock in real life.

Dr-Beeper@reddit

Move the harness around that connects the door and the car together, that might fix the problem.

Yep. That was my first thought when I started reading. Check the child safety window disable button.