I have an 09 Mazda 3. My wife put the rear window down this morning and now it will only go back up 2 inches. Once it is up 2 inches it will go back down like a champ, but then only go back up two inches again. If I pull the window up with my hands I can get it to go another maybe quarter of an inch, but then when it goes back down it only goes up 2 again.
Is the car still under any warranty? Sounds like the window regulator and the window glass may have separated. The glass is not following the designated track and then gets stuck. A dealer, body shop, or auto glass shop should be able to find and fix the problem. Sometimes the trickiest part is taking off the interior door panel(s) without damaging them. Space inside the door is tight too and getting to the regulator is a real bear on some cars.
Ok, so after messing with it about 20 times there was a clicking sound and the window went up. So now I’m never going to put it down again. At least until I have a day to take the door apart.
Try spraying a lubricant in the window track on both sides. If the window is binding, this may loosen it up. When the window meets with resistance of a certain level, it stops. This is to prevent injuring your arm or neck if the galss is raised when part of you sticks out the window.
Let me add to jtsanders suggestion. I recommend using a silicone spray lubricant which doesn’t leave an oily residue on glass.
If the vehicle is out of warranty and you want to solve this yourself, you might try a google search for door panel removal or something like that, to find out the hard to find tricks on opening up your door - include your vehicle in the search for the most specific information. Another option is the Autozone website, look for tab for “repair help”. You might also try your local library for repair manuals, some have an online service instead of the books, so ask a librarian if you get to that stage.
It is very frustating when the window does this. Lucky it is a rear window. Usually it is the driver’s side window as that’s the one that gets the most use.
This sort of thing has happened to me from time to time over the years – always in my case w/manual windows – and I’ve never been able to fix it without taking the interior door panel off and seeing what’s going on inside. For me, every single time, it is just a screw that has come loose in the window up/down mechanism. The loose screw is usually just sitting at the bottom, inside the door. I screw it back in where it goes, tighten the rest of the screws up, spray a little WD 40 on everything that seems to be a pivot point, and presto, the window is working smooth as glass again.