Symptoms
The back glass drops into the hatch and won't come up, often in wet weather, or lowers itself unasked.
The fix, step by step
- Start with the fuse and the rear-door power-window relay.
- One 1997 SR5 owner on Toyota-4Runner.org found the relay shell melted and burned wires at the window limit switch, with the damage spread into neighbouring harness wires to the rear door ECU.
- Pull the hatch trim, repair the harness, then feed the motor 12 V directly, using the wiring diagram to pick the right leads.
- That tells you whether the motor or the controls are at fault.
- If the window drops by itself, another owner cured it by removing the short harness section between the hatch key lock and the hatch harness; after that the window works only from the dash switch.
- The thread gives the limit switch as Toyota 84290-35020.
Tools & part numbers
- Trim-panel tools
- multimeter
- fused 12 V jumper leads
- soldering iron or crimper
- heat-shrink
Where to buy the parts
Back-door window motor, regulator and relay (RockAuto catalogue)RockAuto ↗
Heat-shrink butt connectorsAmazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Toyota 4Runner 3rd Gen parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.