Fixing Faulty Dodge Ram Window Switches

I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 truck with a little over 100K miles on the odometer that has been babied. But time is starting to catch up with it and little things are breaking or wearing out. One of the things I have been become frustrated with is the window switches. About a year ago the passenger side and both rear windows could not be rolled down from their window switches. They could only be rolled down from the driver’s door. That did not bother me too much since I am always in the driver’s seat so I let it be for a while. Recently a couple of the windows have become difficult to roll up even from the driver’s door and seem to take the perfect combination failed attempts and cursing before they will work. I knew it was just a matter of time before one of them got stuck in the down position at an unfortunate time.

I quickly discovered that this window switch malfunction is a pretty common issue with Dodge Ram trucks. I was afraid that I might need to replace all the switches but it turns out that all the issues that I experienced can be traced back to the master switch at the driver’s door and primarily the master window lockout button.

There are some fixes that involve disassembling the switch assembly, cleaning contacts and possibly even fixing some broken solder traces with some new solder. But by far the simplest approach is replacing the entire driver door switch assembly. Sounds costly, doesn’t it? Perhaps if you purchase it from Dodge but there is another option: affordable aftermarket replacements.

This switch, which works great and is a simple 5-minute swap, is currently $21 at Amazon and available with Prime 2-day shipping:

While you are replacing the switch you should go ahead and replace the bezel which I’m sure has most of the tabs broken and fits sloppily at best and has a tendency to slide around. It is just as simple to swap out as the switch assembly itself and if you are doing both the only thing you need from the OEM pair is the 3 screws holding the bezel to the switch assembly and then use them to attach the new bezel to the new switch assembly. This bezel is an exact replacement for the factory one an is currently $14.99 and available for Prime:

Finally, if your driver’s side bezel is busted I’m sure the passenger side is too, like mine was. This passenger side bezel is currently $11.95 and also available for Prime free shipping:

After spending about $48 and 5 minutes of my time, my windows and locks are all working and looking like new again. Hopefully yours will be too soon.