Initialize the Power Windows

After the 12 volt battery has been disconnected on a fourth-generation Subaru Legacy (BL sedan / BP wagon, 2003–2009), the power windows often lose their one-touch and auto-up memory. Re-teaching each window takes under a minute per door and needs no tools.

How to initialize the power windows

Do this with the ignition on and the door closed. Repeat the full sequence for each window that has lost its auto function.

1. Close the driver’s door.
2. Turn the ignition on (engine does not need to be running).
3. Open the window roughly halfway.
4. Pull the window switch up to the close position and hold it until the window is fully closed.
5. Keep holding the switch for about two seconds after the window reaches the top, then release it.
6. Check the one-touch auto-up and auto-down now work correctly.
7. Repeat the procedure for the front passenger window and any other affected windows.
8. Turn the ignition off. Initialization is complete.

If the window still will not run automatically, repeat the hold step — the module needs to see the switch held for a moment past full close to register the end stop.

When this is needed

You only need to initialize the windows after the battery has been disconnected or flattened, or after a window regulator or switch has been replaced. Normal use does not wipe the setting.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my one-touch window stop working after a battery change?
Removing power clears the control module’s learned full-close position, so the auto function is disabled until you re-teach it.

Do I have to do every window?
Only the windows that lost their auto function. In practice it is quickest to do all of them.

What if holding the switch does nothing?
Make sure the ignition is on and the door is closed, then repeat, holding the switch firmly for a couple of seconds past full close.

If a window problem is paired with a warning light or a stored fault, you can check what the code means on autodtcs.com.