Jeep Liberty Power Window Problems – DIY Tips
February 22, 2009 9:34 am DIY
Jeep Liberty rear door panel.
A Jeep Liberty window is falling down into a door at the alarming rate of one every minute! Kidding aside the Jeep Liberty does seem to have problems with a weak design for the window regulator. Typically the motor can be heard and the window can be raised by hand and temporarily taped in the up position until a replacement part can be purchased. The good news is that it is a really simple job even for a do it yourself-er (DIY), see the tips below.
1. First remove the small trim piece in the interior door handle bezel. And then remove the philips screw.
2. Remove the philips screw located in the door pull recess as pictured above.
3. Next pull the interior door panel away from the door. It is held by plastic clips, a trim tool or screwdriver may be used to pry it off, being careful not to damage the panel. Push the manual door lock button down through the hole in the door panel.
4. Unclip the door latch rod on the backside of the door panel and remove it. Next remove the door speaker and take the moisture barrier off of the inside of the door. Take note of where the rod goes through the barrier. One metal clip will need to be removed that holds the window to the regulator, hook it with a screwdriver or pick and pull to remove it. Secure the window in the UP position to allow removal of the broken regulator.
5. Unplug the window motor by sliding the red retainer, squeezing the connector and pulling it from the motor. Once the motor is unplugged, remove the six 10mm bolts that hold the window motor and regulator to the door. There will be one plastic retainer on the cable that secures the cable to the door to keep it away from the window when it is in operation. After the cable is loose, the assembly can now be removed through the access hole in the door.
If replacing with a factory assembly, the motor should be already mounted to the regulator. Reverse the procedure outlined. When attaching the window to the regulator the clip stays on the regulator and can be secured by positioning the window and squeezing it together. It will pop on easily, now proceed with the re-assembly.
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Richard McElroy :
Date: June 26, 2009 @ 11:52 am
Please any information on where i can get just the plastic clip that slides in the rail it is a press fit onto the coil drive spring i have had the dealer replace the whole assembly twice on drivers door three times rear door and now the passenger front just fell down my warranty does not cover it anymore and i am tired of this crap i get from jeep they do not seem to care about us after they sell us. The whole thing is not the problem it is only the stupid plastic part that slides in a sharp metal rail dumb design it wears through and then your done thank you so much
Richard
dennisb - Auto Tool Sales :
Date: June 26, 2009 @ 12:10 pm
Richard, I see your dilemma. The dealer would be the only place I would know of besides a salvage yard. A check with aftermarket parts stores probably wouldn’t help on this one. Good Luck
Ron702 :
Date: July 19, 2009 @ 5:40 pm
Dennis,
Thanks for the instructions and especially the pictures. The RR window on my 02 Lib fell and this will help a lot. First though, any suggestions on how do get the door open. It will only open 3/4 inch and then the latch catches on something. I’m suspecting the broken window cable may be keeping the lock mechanism from fully releasing. Would opening the front door and then removing the rear door hinge bolts from the front edge of the door help?
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
dennisb - Auto Tool Sales :
Date: July 19, 2009 @ 7:03 pm
Ron, You have ran into a snag. I’m not sure if this would be a good situation for a DIY project! Care must be taken not to damage the surrounding components or there could be even more cost involved than if a professional was paid for the repair to begin with.
Removing the hinges will most likely not help because the latch won’t disengage. Seems like the door isn’t coming unlocked (most likely from a broken part from the regulator as you suspected) so that the door can be opened. If I were attempting this job, I would try a slim jim, like a locksmith would use to try to unlock the door so that the door can be opened. If that doesn’t work I would possibly remove the back seat, then try to remove the interior door panel. If this can be achieved then with the access to the inside of the door should allow you to see what is keeping the door from opening.
If all else fails it may be worth it to call a locksmith to get the door opened or see if a local shop will do the entire job for a reasonable cost. Wish you luck.
Armando :
Date: July 25, 2009 @ 5:01 pm
To Dennisb, Just disassembled a rear door on my liberty, the cable was way out of the tubing it is supposed to be in, it comes out towards the door lock by operating the mechanism to bring the window up.
So do the opposite, operate the switch to bring the window down, maybe it pulls the cable in and let you open the door.
If the cable it is completely out of the motor, then it will not be pulled in and some other way to get it out of the way will have to be found. I can think of a thin metal that can be slid from inside the window to try to push the cable down and out of the way.
Good luck
Tony :
Date: August 2, 2009 @ 9:40 pm
Richard, there is a repair kit available with a metal bracket to replace the broken plastic piece for $79.95 plus shipping. http://www.steigerperformance.com/
Ron, I had the exact same problem with my 2003 Liberty. The left rear door would only barely open, however you can still remove the door panel. Just work from the top after removing the two screws and pull the panel off. Then you can pull the worm drive cable out from the locking assembly. Took me awhile to figure that out… good luck.
TJ :
Date: August 3, 2009 @ 5:47 am
I too had the same problem as dennis & found that it was indeed the cable coming out of the door lock mechanism, simply roll the window down & it should free right up. I too spoke to my dealer & they wont sell me the clip & only offered to permanently secure the window in the upright position. I hope the JEEP
company reads this, cause I am totally disgusted with this & their front end ball joint problems & will never buy jeep again!!!!!!! my wife nearly lost her life when the ball joint broke on her while driving on the road, PS. it was an 2002 sports model, pretty sure all the 02 models had the same problem.. thanks a lot JEEP!!!
Tony :
Date: August 4, 2009 @ 9:09 am
TJ, In my case, the worm coil had gone so far out that the gear would no longer catch it and therefore not move it at all. The only solution was to remove the door panel and pull it out by hand.
John :
Date: August 7, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
We’ve got an 02 Jeep Liberty, and this is the second time the rear left power window has broke. I took it apart, hoping that I could fix it myself, but after looking at everything, I wouldn’t know where to start. Are there any decent service manuals that have diagrams of the mechanism (like Haynes or Chiltons)?
I chuckle at TJ’s mention of the ball joint problem. We’ve had ours replaced 3 or 4 times (it once broke while driving about 4 years ago, luckily not on the highway).
dennisb - Auto Tool Sales :
Date: August 8, 2009 @ 8:18 am
John, If I were doing the job I would buy the assembly like in the article. I’m not aware of any service manual that will show a diagram of the regulator itself. I have added a banner link at the bottom of the repair article for All Data Diy. All Data is used by professional shops and now is available for the do it yourselfer. They have made the cost very affordable, since there are different subscription levels to choose from. The repair information can be accessed on-line instantly after signing up. It’s good for saving money on projects now and for future projects that may come up…. like ball joints, water pump, power steering, etc.
Bruce :
Date: August 29, 2009 @ 10:50 am
I just installed the metal replacement part from Steiger (See Tony’s post from 2 Aug.) The installation instructions are pretty clear with lots of pictures. You can download the manual from their website to see what you would be getting into. The kit worked GREAT. It is a little pricey at $80, but is a lot less than a dealer would charge and it will never break again!
Liz Wilson :
Date: September 8, 2009 @ 5:42 pm
How can I temporarily put the window in the up position to avoid theft and rain damage, until I get her fixed?
dennisb - on how to hold windows up :
Date: September 9, 2009 @ 6:39 am
Temporarily hold up car windows until they can be repaired.
Liz, Providing the window moves freely up and down, many people just use tape to hold the window up temporarily; of course this will be a signal to all thieves that they may help themselves to loose articles in your vehicle without much trouble. Others have removed the interior door panel and propped the window up with a piece of wood. This can be dangerous since hitting a pothole or driving down a rough road could jar and break the glass. Another idea I’ve seen, is using a sheet metal screw strategically placed in the regulator to prevent the window from falling. If this is placed in a poor position, other damage can be done. The most simple temporary solution I’ve seen was the use of a suction cup device that was amazingly strong. One was placed on the interior side of both rear windows (both were bad). Be careful not to use one that is not really strong though or the the window may drop inside the door and break.
Ed Henson :
Date: September 18, 2009 @ 8:49 am
Thanks for the Help!! I suppose that Jeep knows all about this and should have had a recall on the window regulators. There should be no wonder why Americans buy the foreign cars. Just the whole idea of this will send a consumer to another car manufacturer. Jeep has failed to stand by their products! This is my first and last Jeep! 2004 with 21K Miles and MINT–and this is happening–makes me wonder whats ahead, especially after reading about the ball joints.
dennisb - Auto Tool Sales :
Date: September 18, 2009 @ 10:58 am
Ed, I understand your frustration, however there are problems with foreign cars as well. A quick search for any foreign model – you pick the make “________ problems” will certainly yield results.
1. BMW comes to mind with window regulator issues.
2. Nissan has it’s share of cam and crank sensor related issues and parts that are not available except as a complete assembly (which costs more).
3. VW window regulators (see our blog on the New Beetle).
4. Toyota with a tendency to accumulate sludge in the engine easily.
5. Honda has had transmission problems.
6. Audi has had electrical issues.
So as you see, the list could go on. My recommendation is to research the car you’re interested in and decide on which vehicle is best for you… keep in mind that any car will break down eventually.
Peter Alvarez :
Date: October 11, 2009 @ 7:35 pm
My left rear window broke for the 4th time since ive had my jeep and i decided to fix it myself this time. When i got the regulator out i found that the spiral cable has fed it self back into the main tube and i cant get it to feed back out. it seems to be stuck in the corner where the main tube and guide rail meet. Do you know of any tricks to get it out. if i can get it out all i need to do is buy a new bracket.
dennisb - Auto Tool Sales :
Date: October 11, 2009 @ 8:36 pm
Peter, I’m not sure how it would be possible to free the cable. Maybe if the motor was taken off, it may allow a little more movement.
Before spending too much time on that, I would see if the bracket is available by itself.
Jason E :
Date: October 17, 2009 @ 9:39 pm
I permanently secured the window in the up position by using a long zip tie (or two connected together). I routed the tie through one of the two holes near the middle top of the door, around the [broken] plastic regulator and metal rail, back out the second of the two holes and secured the ends of the tie together tightly. I tried to pull the window down and it stayed tight in the up position. I also disconnected the motor wire connector so the kids wouldn’t cause any further problems with the spiral cable.
Tommy :
Date: October 25, 2009 @ 5:13 pm
I used the zip ties like Jason suggested, this way works fine if you want to secure your window in the closed position. Thanks Jason.
Jason :
Date: November 6, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
Regualtor broke here too.
This is my temporary fix:
Coat hanger. Make a small U-shape on one end and hook it under the window while it is up. Fold it over the door and make another U-shape and screw it under the door handle.
I’ve been riding around for a month now.
Taline :
Date: November 10, 2009 @ 5:03 pm
It is ridiculous that I had to replace 3 times the regulator of a 3 year old car, now they are not even making the model. so I have to change the motor of the regulator and a brand new window.
No wonder why Chrysler went bankrupt.
No more American cars for me, I am trading mine right away with a Japanese and will tell everyone not to buy American anymore.