Stranded due to stuck windows

[PMDub]

With only 3000 miles on my 2023 Model 3, the passenger windows are not working properly all of a sudden. I was at at a funeral over the weekend and had to ditch my car at the cemetery. When opening the front and rear passenger doors, the windows got stuck in the up position and the doors could not be closed properly. The rear passenger door could be forced closed with the top of the windows on the outside of the door trim, but there is no way to close the front passenger door with the window in the upmost position. Rebooting and playing with the switches did nothing. I had to ditch the car and come back later after going to the lunch.

In 40 years of driving all different vehicles, I never thought I would get stranded due to a window that wouldn't close, but there's a first time for everything, lol. After lunch I went back to the cemetery and the front window all of sudden starting working, so I could at least drive home. I called roadside support to try and address the rear passenger window, but after trying their reboot and power down methods, it is still stuck.

This would really suck if it happens again on a road trip. Has anybody else run into this problem? I did try doing the recalibrate windows in the service menu today, and only the driver side windows calibrated. Both passenger side windows did not move and showed diagnostic errors. I called for a service appointment and the first available appointment is not for 10 days. Really lame. I guess they're selling a lot more cars than they can support these days.

 

[Zythryn]

I’ve been driving Teslas for over 13 years, my wife has owned one for over 10.
Neither of us has ever experienced that type of error (I hope that is helpful).

As for the service call, I have experienced calls being moved up, or even resolved remotely through a software fix.
I am not saying either of those will happen, just that it isn’t all that rare.

Sorry that happened to you, I hope it gets resolved quickly for you.

 

[GtiMart]

I am presuming the window is stuck because of ice. When that happens you can normally fix it by running a credit card along the window from the outside of the car, between the glass and the rubber at the bottom. If that doesn't work you can try pushing the window inwards a bit as you bring the door close to closing, so the glass goes under the top trim. But the credit card thing should work.

Conditioning the cabin for a long time, in "defrost" mode, might also help by heating the whole car.

Normally the car senses when it's cold outside and leaves all windows a bit lower. You must have parked in warm weather and it froze while you were parked.

 

[Perscitus]

Once you clear whatever is blocking the windows, use Service mode to recalibrate them (really the motors) up/down min/max positions.

Frameless windows are and have been a pain on all makes that use them, from Subaru to Mazda, BMW, Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes, Toyota Supras, and now Teslas. etc

As with everything else automotive, there are pros and cons of frameless and framed... and as the frameless age - the cons build.

 

[PMDub]

Just to clarify, the windows were not stuck due to ice. The temperature was well above freezing (50s) on a sunny afternoon when the problem occurred. There is some faults in the system showing in the service calibration diagnostics that cannot be fixed in any way I know without getting a service tech appointment.

If this happens on a road trip with either of your front doors you are SOL as far as I know. You would have to ditch the car until they could either tow it or fix it on the spot. I don't think anybody would be showing up to fix it on the spot for weeks, lol.

I wish there was some way to be prepared with a temp solution if this happens again, but I don't know of any.

 

[GtiMart]

I've had mine frozen (so assumed it was your case) and was able to close the door anyway by working the window gently as I very slowly close the door. I don't think I would be stranded because of it. You are the first case I hear about having the problem so I don't think it's a common issue.

 

[PMDub]

Were you able to close the front door with the window all the way up? It seemed so far off from being able to close, I didn't pursue it. Then when it eventually started working, I only pursued the rear window. With that window, I was not able to close the door all the way when I tuck the window under the trim slowly as I closed it. I was only able to half close it because the left side of the window is blocked by the rear glass. I started driving like that and it would not stop with the warning beeps that the door was not closed. So I ended up shutting the door all the way with the window raised above the trim on the outside. At least that way the door is closed, just a big air draft due to the gap left by the window on the outside of the trim.

 

[fholbert]

With only 3000 miles on my 2023 Model 3, the passenger windows are not working properly all of a sudden. I was at at a funeral over the weekend and had to ditch my car at the cemetery. When opening the front and rear passenger doors, the windows got stuck in the up position and the doors could not be closed properly. The rear passenger door could be forced closed with the top of the windows on the outside of the door trim, but there is no way to close the front passenger door with the window in the upmost position. Rebooting and playing with the switches did nothing. I had to ditch the car and come back later after going to the lunch.

In 40 years of driving all different vehicles, I never thought I would get stranded due to a window that wouldn't close, but there's a first time for everything, lol. After lunch I went back to the cemetery and the front window all of sudden starting working, so I could at least drive home. I called roadside support to try and address the rear passenger window, but after trying their reboot and power down methods, it is still stuck.

This would really suck if it happens again on a road trip. Has anybody else run into this problem? I did try doing the recalibrate windows in the service menu today, and only the driver side windows calibrated. Both passenger side windows did not move and showed diagnostic errors. I called for a service appointment and the first available appointment is not for 10 days. Really lame. I guess they're selling a lot more cars than they can support these days.

Surprised no one suggested rebooting the car?

Try holding both wheels on the steering wheel down until the screen goes blank. The reboot will take about a minute.

 

[P3dStealth]

Are your door puddle lights working?

Do you have after market puddle lights?

 

[PMDub]

fholbert, as I stated in the original post, I did try rebooting, which did not help.

P3dStealth, I do not have aftermarket puddle lights and they are working now.

If this is of any interest to somebody else who eventually gets in this situation, this is the results of the window calibration I did in Service Mode.

 

[Dervi98]

fholbert, as I stated in the original post, I did try rebooting, which did not help.

P3dStealth, I do not have aftermarket puddle lights and they are working now.

If this is of any interest to somebody else who eventually gets in this situation, this is the results of the window calibration I did in Service Mode.

Something similar happened twice in my previous M3LR (2020). One time at the rear passenger window, and another time at the front driver window. It turns out that both times, the "puddle light" under the affected door burned, and the car didn't "know" the the door was open, thus it was bringing the window to the most up position.

I had a ranger fix the problem both times under warranty and replaced the chrome trim that was scraped by the window on both sides. The trick that worked for me, until the issue was fixed, was to lower the window on the affected door, then close it, and then raise the window.

Good luck!

 

[PMDub]

Unfortunately, in my case, there is nothing that will lower the window at all. That is the "Achilles heel" in this window design. Doors opened with windows that will not move low enough to close the door. I got my appointment moved up to tomorrow luckily. I'll find out soon what needs to be done. Maybe new regulator(s) on the passenger side windows.

 

[jsmay311]

Unfortunately, in my case, there is nothing that will lower the window at all. That is the "Achilles heel" in this window design. Doors opened with windows that will not move low enough to close the door. I got my appointment moved up to tomorrow luckily. I'll find out soon what needs to be done. Maybe new regulator(s) on the passenger side windows.

The thing that intrigues me is that both windows on the same side would stop working at the same time, and then later one of those two would resume working, but calibrations would still fail for both.

This thread showed someone else having a similar problem, but no resolution was posted.

 

[PMDub]

So after 3 days in the shop the problem has been fixed. The following is what was described as the work done. When I took the car in both right side windows were not working. Luckily, the right front door was not open, when it stopped working again.

Repair Notes: Verified right side windows inoperative. Performed diagnosis, found right body
controller not sending commands to either right side window due to a short in the RR window motor.
Replaced right side body controller and right rear window regulator assembly. Verified proper window
operation.

Hopefully, this is a freak thing that is rare on an almost new Telsa.

 

[zoomer0056]

Great to have it fixed. If the techs couldn't figure it out I was gonna suggest that an unsettled spirit may be stuck in the car's electric energy field. At least all is free now.

 

[P3dStealth]

Short in the right rear motor. That makes sense. The service menu was saying motor undercurrent. So the power for the motor was shorting. They probably unplugged the rear motor and that front motor started working.

 

[PMDub]

But, they also had to replace the right body controller (whatever that is exactly), so it seems the short in the rear window motor broke that also.

 

[bgalbs]

Just a note that this happened to me, too:

Passenger window not working on new 2024 Tesla Model 3

Hi! I recently traded in my 2018 Tesla Model 3 for a 2024 Tesla Model 3, which after 45 days of a one week delivery window starting on the current day, was finally delivered last week. Today, after driving to a local coffee shop, the passenger window refused to move after opening the car door...

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