Cheap Easy Fix for Broken Power Window Switch


This has to be the cheapest, easiest, fastest fix for any issue we’ve encountered with our Dodge Ram 2500 since hitting the road nearly nine years ago. So I’ll make this short and sweet…

How to Repair Dodge Ram Window Lock Switch

For a long time, the passenger window switch in our Dodge Ram 2500 wasn’t working. We had replaced the window controls on the driver side, just the year before, so I figured it was the switch. Luckily the single passenger window switch is much cheaper than the master power window switch control panel. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the switch after all.

Well, it was the switch, but not the on the passenger side. It turns out the master switch panel we had replaced had gone bad already. Specifically, the window lock button was not working properly.

How did I figure this out? I’ll let Manny tell you…

Window Switch Repair How To Video

Being a DIY kinda guy, I often turn to Youtube for tips on all sorts of repairs. This guy nailed the issue we were having, and offered a brilliant fix. In my opinion, however, this video is worth watching just for the funny factor!

Why the Switch Won’t Work

The important take away from this video for me was how the contacts on the window lock don’t touch, causing the lock to remain engaged even with the button released. Manny says he’s no mechanic, but he suggests a pretty simple fix because he “just didn’t wanna get butt raped at the dealer”. :-)  He recommends just stretching the spring inside the button and putting it all back together.

The comments on this video offer more helpful tips. One suggests that stretching the spring will actually weaken its tension. Another recommends soldering the contacts together. Brilliant, if you don’t need window locks. We sure don’t, not for what this repair would cost us at the butt-rapers!

Anyway, something else Manny said got me thinking about his recommended fix:

“I took this apart…it was a bitch.”

I don’t do bitch jobs, not if I can avoid them. So, I put this job off, but controlling the window for the navigator was becoming a pain in the ass anyway—even without a trip to the dealer. Then sipping a coffee one day I came up the perfect solution to repair our broken window switch…

Cheap Easy Broken Window Lock Switch Fix

The Fast and Free Fix!

I confirmed it was the window lock that was giving us the trouble by wiggling it and having Rene operate her switch. The wiggling did the trick. But that got old fast too.

Here’s how to fix your window lock button for free:

  1. Drink a cup of take-out coffee.
  2. Cut square of thin plastic out of the lid.
  3. Fold square and wedge it in next to the button.
Cheap Easy Broken Window Lock Switch Fix
Fix broken window lock button with cheap piece of plastic!

The pressure caused by the plastic wedged next to the button will force the lock contacts to touch. No more wiggling, and no butt-raping involved.

Helpful Tips

Preferably, purchase your coffee from a vendor that gives you a to go cup with a black lid. That way your repair will match your truck interior, if you have black switch panels like we do.

Make sure the window lock button is in the unlocked position when you insert the wedge.

Purchase a replacement master power window switch when you get sick of looking at your tacky hack job.

Cheap Easy Broken Window Lock Switch Fix

Any Questions?

What is the cheapest repair job you’ve ever done? Leave a comment below to share your frugal DIY repair tips!


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