Initialize the Power Windows

After the 12V battery on a Toyota C-HR (Mk1/AX10, 2016–2023) is disconnected or goes flat, the one-touch auto function on the electric windows usually stops working — the glass only moves while you hold the switch, and auto-up/down and the anti-trap protection are disabled until you re-teach each window. This short relearn restores them.

Before you start

• Do this after any battery disconnect, replacement or jump-start, or whenever a window loses its one-touch and auto-reverse.
• Switch the car to IGNITION ON (or READY); the windows need power to relearn.
• Keep hands and passengers clear of the glass — while auto-reverse is disabled a closing window will not stop on an obstruction.

Re-initialise a Window — Step by Step

Do this at each affected door, using that door’s own switch (the driver’s master switch can relearn the front windows from the driver’s seat):

1. With the ignition on, press and hold the window switch DOWN until the glass is fully open, then keep holding for another second after it stops.
2. Release, then pull the same switch UP and hold until the window is fully closed, keeping it held for a second or two after it seats at the top.
3. Release the switch. Briefly tap auto-down and auto-up to confirm one-touch now works in both directions.
4. Repeat for each window that lost its auto function.

If It Still Won’t Auto

Run the hold-open, hold-closed cycle once more, making sure you keep the switch held for that extra moment at each end — that pause is what teaches the window its travel limits. If a window still refuses to auto-close or the anti-trap keeps reversing it, the regulator or motor may be worn and worth checking. Re-teach every window that was affected, not just the driver’s.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my windows stop auto-closing after a battery change? The window modules lose their stored top and bottom limits when power is removed. Without those limits the C-HR disables one-touch and auto-reverse for safety until you relearn each window.

Do I have to do all four windows? Only the ones that lost the function — but a battery disconnect usually affects all of them, so it is quickest to relearn each in turn.

Is the hybrid C-HR any different? No. The window switches and relearn are the same on the 1.8 hybrid and the 1.2 turbo.

The window moves but won’t hold auto — what now? You probably released the switch too early. Hold it a full second past the fully-open and fully-closed points so the module captures both limits.

If the battery work also left a warning light on the dash, you can check what the code means on our sister site autodtcs.com.