The regulation prohibits the use of nonrecessed, door-mounted rocker or toggle switches that are inherently riskier than others if mounted horizontally on the door's armrest. Rocker switches move the glass up when you press down on one end of the switch. Toggle switches work when pushed forward or pulled back from their normally vertical position. Both can be accidentally operated by a child who is leaning out of the open window. A third type, lever switches, are safer because they must be pulled up to raise the glass, which is very difficult to do accidentally.

Of at least eight deaths blamed on power windows this year, most occurred when a child leaned out the window, inadvertently pushed on the switch with a knee or foot, and raised the window, according to the advocacy organization Kids and Cars. That organization--and Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports and ConsumerReports.org--have advocated for automakers to change the switching systis for several years.

“Consumer advocacy groups and parent organizations deserve much of the credit for promoting this regulatory action,” noted Jeffrey W. Runge, NHTSA administrator. According to NHTSA, most manufacturers are expected to comply with the regulation by installing recessed or lever switches, as opposed to other technologies. They have until Oct. 1, 2008, to do so.

“We are glad the federal government has finally taken steps to help prevent the deadly threat of child strangulation in power windows,” responded Sally Greenberg, senior product safety counsel for Consumers Union. “But we think it's important to require these switches sooner rather than later.”

Greenberg noted that the technology to make those changes--common in European and Japanese vehicles sold here--has been available since the 1980s. Pending federal legislation--the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2004, or SAFETEA--mandates safer power windows no later than Sept. 1, 2006, more than two years sooner than the NHTSA mandate. At press time, that legislation was with a House-Senate conference committee.

“We think it's fair to ask automakers why it will take so long to install safer switches, since they already have the technology and are installing it in some of their vehicles,” said R. David Pittle, Consumers Union's senior vice president for technical policy.

At Ford, the safer lever switches are standard on four 2005 models and will be phased in on the full lineup over time. GM is also phasing in lever switches. Jim Schell, a GM spokesman, said he expected the company to be in compliance with the NHTSA rule before the deadline.

On some models, Ford also offers a feature that automatically reverses the window if it detects something is trapped in the window. This helps to prevent a child from being trapped by a window that's raised. GM offers a similar feature in some of its Cadillac models, but when we tested the CTS, we found that it didn't work when the switch was held down.


Windows to watch

In spite of the ruling, consumers are likely to encounter the less-safe switches in older cars--and in plenty of newer models. Of the 42 vehicles released as 2004 models that Consumer Reports has tested, 9 have power-window switches with some inherent safety problis. The table below gives the specifics. Other vehicles either have the safer lever switches or switches mounted in a safer orientation.

Never leave children in the car unattended or the keys in the car. And use the lock-out mechanism so kids can't play with the windows.