You roll down your power window to place an order at a fast food drive-through or to get some fresh air and the window won't budge. It might groan or vibrate a bit, or it might not respond at all. This is most often a sign that the power window motor has gone bad. You can easily find out if the motor has failed using a basic tool that can be purchased at any auto supply store.
Inspect the power window fuse before you test or replace the motor. Try rolling down the other windows. If none of the windows will roll down, the problem is likely a blown fuse. Refer to the owner's manual for your vehicle to locate the fuse panel and identify the power window fuse.
Open the door panel to test the regulator. Refer to the service guide for your vehicle for instructions on how to open the door panel. Once the panel is open, try rolling down the window and observe the action of the motor. Make sure there are no obstructions.
Test the voltage of the wiring at the switch using a digital multimeter. You may need to unplug the power window motor to access the wire connectors. Two wires run from the power window switch to the motor.
Connect one lead of the multimeter to the positive wire and connect the other lead to the negative wire. Turn on the multimeter.
Press the power window switch and observe the readout on the multimeter. It should read approximately 12 volts. If it reads correctly, you have a bad motor. If it reads less than 11 volts, the power window switch is bad and needs to be replaced.
