Rear Window?Not the Movie! (Why Some Rear Windows Don't Go All the Way Down)
August 11, 2025
Alfred Hitchcock once made a mystery thriller film called "Rear Window." It had nothing to do with the rear window of today's cars, SUVs, CUVs and light trucks. But there is one thing that some drivers DO find mysterious. Why don't the rear windows in the second row of many of these vehicles go down all the way?
You've probably seen or owned one or two. That rear side window only goes down about a third, a half or three-quarters of the way. Yet there are some similar vehicles where the window goes down all the way. What gives?
There was the rumor going around that the restriction on how far those windows could go down was a child safety feature. The thought was that if those windows couldn't open up fully, a child (or pet) would be less likely to fall out. But it turns out the real reason is that the way the rear doors were designed, there was just no room for the window to go down all the way into.
Many vehicles are configured so that the rear wheel arch continues into the rear door. That arch restricts the space that would accommodate the window, so they had to stop the window somewhere higher than bottom of the door.
Seems buyers would prefer those back windows to go all the way down, so many manufacturers are changing designs to make that happen. Longer vehicles can have their wheels pushed further back so the wheel arch isn't an issue. Some have altered the position of the rear window track.
If you have any questions about your rear side windows, you may want to consult your service advisor to check yours. If they ARE supposed to go all the way down and they're not, it could be due to a few problems: corrosion, broken or bent window regulator components, electrical issues, etc. But if they're not supposed to go down all the way? At least now you know for sure.
Auto Lab Livonia
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Livonia, MI 48154
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http://www.autolablivonia.com
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