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Electric Window Problems

By Larry Roll October 8, 2010



My 2003 Toyota Corolla LE with 71,800 miles has developed a sudden driver's side window issue. The glass is "shifting" forward, mainly when being raised. I took the car in to the local Toyota stealer, C. F. Schwartz, in Dover, Delaware. They told me about the window bolt recall and performed that service, but told me this morning that the problem wasn't fixed and that there was a problem with the motor/regulator. They want to replace it with an aftermarket motor/regulator to the tune of $290; the OEM unit with installation would be closer to $500.

My car is eight years old, and in spite of it's low mileage, has been driven at least to work and back each day, so that driver's side window has probably seen at least as many up/down cycles as any other Corolla with up to double the mileage. Is it reasonable that this thing should fail on me, or is it something that should have lasted the life of the car? Just wondering.

Another factor is that the car was in a fairly bad chain-reaction rear-end collision on June 14. I was rear-ended on I-95 in Wilmington, probably hit at around 20 MPH by a Chrysler T&C minivan. I was then pushed into the rear-end of a Mazda MPV van, probably at 5 MPH or less -- front end damage was superficial by comparison to rear. The right rear quarter panel, the rear panel, trunklid, and both bumper shells were replaced, along with a lot of small stuff. A small crease in the left rear quarter was repaired. Total collision damage was over $5,000 -- about 2K short of "totalling" the car. Could the collision have had anything to do with the window problem?

BTW I was uninjured in the collision, although the lady passenger in the Mazda MPV was hauled out on a backboard and taken by ambulance to the hospital -- in spite of the fact that the "secondary" collision was no more than what you'd get backing into another car in a parking lot. The front compression struts on my car were not even compressed -- the registration holes were in perfect alignment. All I lost was my $250 collision deductable and about eight bucks a day when I upgraded my rental from a 2010 Honda Civic (a POS) to a 2011 Chevy Impala -- a VERY nice ride indeed!

Ouch, sorry to hear about the accident, atleast you were unhurt which is the most important aspect. With anything electrical - I'd say anything is possible, there is no guarantee of lifespan, couldn't even ballpark it for you.

But the accident wouldn't have helped matters any, and it would be on the top of my list of possible culprits on that window regulator malfunction. If the car was hit that hard (judging by the estimate), that would have definitely increased the chance of that window track distorting and burning up that motor. Possible loose window bolts do not help either - as the window is only held in by two little bolts and gravity.

Wife was involved in a nearly identical accident this year as well in our 2003 Matrix - hit by an Acura TSX at a decent clip, pushed here into a brand spanking new Nissan Altima coupe - little over $7500 is damages, car was totalled out by the Acura owner's insurance company. When I stripped the car of usable bits before it was towed away to the scrap yeard, I noticed that the replacement bolts I go for the window recall issue, were totally sheared off.



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