My passenger side window motor/actuator failed in the window down position. Can I just take off the door trim and push the window up into the closed position?

Tried to search on this but surprisingly found no threads on manually raising the window...

 

I don't know the answer to your question, but my windows used to get stuck up or down a lot in both my 2003s. Usually I could get it unstuck by flipping the toggle up and down 5-10 times. It's something to try if you're not sure whether the motor is actually dead. Good luck!

 

Thanks. Actually I had success using the Fonzie method and giving it a whack above the speaker. It worked and saved me taking the panel off. Not sure if it was me hitting it or going "heyyyy" a la The Fonz that did the trick... Won't use that window till i get a new motor now.

 

FWIW, the 'Fonzi method' is usually good for quite a few successes, so I wouldn't be too concerned about not using it until getting a new motor.

 

I would be willing to bet your motor is fine and the commutator and brushes just need to be cleaned. If you are going to have to do all the work to take it our anyway, you might as well just clean it and save yourself the $100. It worked for me, and many others. Here is a great how-to from back in 2004 (FWIW, I didn't mess with the regulator as he did, and just removed the motor. It was very fiddly, but if you have a good set of screw drivers, - one of those little thumb bit holders and an extension works great- you can do it).:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-fix-free.html

 

ageofoctane - thanks, great advice! I'll probably give that a whirl first.

If you do the fix, and remove the motor/mechanism, can the window be pushed down by hand? I ask because if I get it out and for whatever reason can't finish it right away, I don't want the window to slide down while driving or get opened with ease.

 

I don't know for sure, but I don't think it will move very easily without the motor. I would recommend you give yourself a few hours to do it. I'm pretty sure it's a worm gear mechanism, so it moves when you turn the threaded rod on the motor, but the rod won't turn if you push on it from the window. Actually, yes, you should be fine. The motor itself won't really offer any resistance even in place, it's the gears that keep it in place with or without the motor, so as long as the gears stay in place, the window shouldn't move. With the right tools ($0-$15) depending on what you already have, it will be about an hour to get it out, 20 minutes to go inside and clean it up (try just cleaning it with alcohol first. If that doesn't work, use some very fine grit paper or even something like a dry kitchen sponge, but avoid wearing down the surface with abrasives if possible), have a drink, & relax for a few minutes, and maybe an hour and a half to put it all back together. From memory, you will need some torx bits (T-25 through T-30 should cover the two sizes that are in there, which I think were 25 and 30, but can't be certain), a few basic screw drivers and driver bits, one of those little bit holders for real tight spaces (they are about 1.25" long and 1.25" diameter and $2 at most places that sell tools (mine came from O'Riley), one of those screwdrivers with removable bits that come in most small tool sets, and a bit extension of about 3" or so (preferably with a sliding sleeve that you can use to hold the screws in place when replacing them as some of them are REAL hard to access through the door hole).
A few tips:
Be careful with the little white plastic bits that are used to keep the brushes in place. If you loose them, it's done.
Make note of which way the motor casing is oriented in the door. It is easy enough to put on 180* backwards and that will cause your window switches to operate opposite the way they do now (there are polarized magnets in there and I've seen a couple of threads on here where guys have had this happen and couldn't figure it out).
Take your time and do it during daylight. I worked on mine at night, and it was pretty frustrating sometimes. Take a break if you get frustrated and try it again in 15 minutes.
Get a low stool or something to sit on.
If you have any rattles in the door now, get some velcro and stick some of the fuzzy sided pieces where parts come in contact while you're in there.
The entire process took me a couple of hours I think, but you never know when you will come across a screw that won't come out, or drop something in the door. I'm also lucky in that I have long skinny arms and hands, and can fit into/behind and reach things easier than most.

Good luck

 

Run a wire from the POSITIVE terminal on the battery and touch the red wire (positive) to the window motor and run another wire from the NEGATIVE terminal on the battery and touch the green wire (negative) to the window motor. The window should go down. Reverse the wires to make the window go up.