It started with intermittent difficulty to roll up driver side front window. After a few months, it failed completely yesterday.
Update from Oct 7, 2010: I spent 5 minutes in diagnosis, 10 minutes to order a new switch assembly on-line, another 15 minutes to replace the assembly. I must have saved myself more than $100, I figure. For no garage will replace your switch without charging at least half hour for diagnosis on top of another half hour for replacement. Diagnosis is key here.
Diagnosis is best performed in dark light. (I did at night.) Make sure at least one window moves up and down with the driver side switch assembly. Here are steps that confirmed that my problem is in the switch and not the motor:
1. Open the door (so the ceiling light is on:-); or you can simply turn the light on.
2. Roll a good window up and down; watch for your light to dim. This gives you a base line as to what feedback to expect from the light.
3. Press the bad window switch.
If the light doesn't dim, it is a switch problem. (Could be a circuit problem, but the likelihood is low.) If the light dims (probably worse than on a good window), it's a motor problem. (Usually you'd hear the motor moan.)
It was the switch for the driver's window. The window would not go up. That specific switch seemed to have a mechanical failure because it did not click in the up direction. The down direction did click. When the switch assembly was replaced, the up direction now did click and resolved the problem.
When I first purchased my car everything was working fine. Only until my warranty expired that when the switch stopped working. all the other window switchs worked except mine. It would go down but it would not go back up!!!
I had the driver's side power window switch assembly (a set of 4 window buttons and the lock/unlock windows button) fail. I was unable to open or close the driver's side window (the rest of the switches worked fine). I ordered the replacement part from courtesyparts.com for about $90, and followed the instructions they provided to replace it.
I personally know of 4 other people with various models (one Altima, one Sentra and two Maximas all from 97-01) who have all had this exact same problem. Since I had experience with this repair, I actually performed all 4 of those as well. I don't know if the parts all had the same number, but they all looked exactly the same.
- ptkdude,
Atlanta, GA, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
It started with intermittent difficulty to roll up driver side front window. After a few months, it failed completely yesterday.
Update from Oct 7, 2010: I spent 5 minutes in diagnosis, 10 minutes to order a new switch assembly on-line, another 15 minutes to replace the assembly. I must have saved myself more than $100, I figure. For no garage will replace your switch without charging at least half hour for diagnosis on top of another half hour for replacement. Diagnosis is key here.
Diagnosis is best performed in dark light. (I did at night.) Make sure at least one window moves up and down with the driver side switch assembly. Here are steps that confirmed that my problem is in the switch and not the motor:
1. Open the door (so the ceiling light is on:-); or you can simply turn the light on. 2. Roll a good window up and down; watch for your light to dim. This gives you a base line as to what feedback to expect from the light. 3. Press the bad window switch.
If the light doesn't dim, it is a switch problem. (Could be a circuit problem, but the likelihood is low.) If the light dims (probably worse than on a good window), it's a motor problem. (Usually you'd hear the motor moan.)
- valleyman, Mountain View, CA, US