Hand-Cranked Car Windows Becoming Extinct

Washington DC July 6, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that hand-cranked car windows are starting to disappear as automakers move to make power windows standard on even entry-level models, according to USA Today.

This year, Honda became the first of the largest automakers to have power windows as standard equipment. "It's not even so much a luxury touch anymore. It's an expectation," says Honda's Sage Marie. "That's why you see it on everything from our least expensive model to the highest."

Other auto manufacturers are also moving away from crank windows, which until recently were mostly found on the lowest priced models and off road vehicles. Many of the newest models on the market have power windows as standard equipment, including the Ford Focus, Honda Fit, and Toyota's Scion line.

Two years ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) required manufacturers to redesign power window switches to keep them from being inadvertently activated by kids. At the time, NHTSA said power windows appeared to account for an average 1.5 child deaths a year.

Today, child safety has become less of an issue with much improved power windows.