My 2016 Explorer has a spooky passenger side power window. It might not work one day, then work for two weeks, then fail again. Lately, it has started to go up and down without me touching the switch. This morning my wife opened the door to tell me something, and the window went down by itself. Rain moving in, so its now in my son's garage. Will probably go back up tomorrow. Hope so.

If I get the window up again, I am going to pull the fuse to kill the power to the window. Got appointment with dealership in two weeks. Local mechanic said part needed could only be obtained at Ford. Hope I don't need a chip.

Anyone ever had a similar problem? How did you fix it?

Sounds a lot like the window switch. Does it do this with the drivers control panel or the switch on the passenger door ?

If one or the other disconnect the problematic switch temporarily and see if it functions with the other switch normally.

Also depending on how the switch is located and mounted , foreign material is a likely cause of failure like a soda spill or other gunk.

Disconnect the switch from that window, you can use a test light and find your power feed wire, jumper that across to one of the other two wires that go to the switch. One will operate window up, and one will make it go down. Leave window up, and get new switch. It may be a OEM part and only available from ford still though.

Have had this problem on several different makes and models of vehicles, was always the wire broken in the door instead of the switch.
People just think that bundle of wrapped wires with never break but they do.

You might just check for a broken wire, un wrap the wire bundle and just carefully check them, it's usually one on the outside of the bundle that breaks first, I just finish the break and solder them back together with an inch long new piece of wire to help from breaking again, tape it back up.

Off you go.
One other fix is sometimes the contacts on the switch will get dirty and you need to break the switch down to clean the little contact tabs with
an alcohol swap, put it back to together, Usually fixes that problem.

If you buy a Chevy, it will fix itself……

I say window switch.

Wife's 2013 escape has a glitchy passenger window too but always goes up and sometimes won't go down from the passenger switch always works from drivers side.

Window switches nowadays have chips in them, to control the auto up and auto down functions. On fords (and most vehicles for that matter) the window won't work if it's switch is unplugged. Power to the motor flows through the switch, even if you're using the driver's switch to operate it. If you can get it up, just remove the switch by prying up on the rearward edge, and unplug it. At least it'll stay up until it's fixed.

As for what's causing the problem..... probably either the driver's switch or passenger switch. It'd be easy enough for someone to use a Ford factory scan tool to look at the switches while it happens and determine which one is showing "down" or "up" even if it's not being pressed.

Unless you can see what is wrong, like a broken wire or bad connection. I have often found the switch is just dirty. Give a good shot of Compressed air. Might just fix it.

About six hours after parking the car, I returned and the window went up, a little at a time, but it is up.

But you better hope you have a $1000 in your pocket; I've never seen a dealership that would let you get out the door unless they first tried really hard to get at least a grand out of you.

start with the switch

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2016,explorer,3.5l+v6,3330852,electrical-switch+&+relay,power+window+switch,4624

I have had a few switches wear out in my 2001 , 2004 , 2000 ford trucks


my current truck a 2004 GMC because it was available and what I wanted in a truck has crank windows and manual door locks

my windows never do funny things any more

look at the bottom of the door there are two small 1/4 x 2 " plastic sliders that let the rain out; they are full of junk and the water does not leave the door and shorts the wire out.

the dealer will not tell you about this design flaw but gladly take your 1000$ for a fix.

Window switches never go bad, replaced a hundred motors, there not difficult to replace

Let’s us know what the issue was and cost. MD

[quote=Gary Benson]I say window switch.[/quote

With my luck, it's usually whatever costs the most or hardest to replace is the problem.

maybe not in Nevada but they do in WI

a brick of 22lr left in your truck for 1 calendar year will also have a LOT more failure to fire than the other bricks from the same case so we might have a moisture issue here

when it's hot it's wet , then it is cold and wet and when it isn't wet it is too cold to be wet and your running the defroster constantly to keep it from fogging up the windows