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Sunroof Issues

airj1012

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November 25, 2014
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Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 - Ford Explorer
All, this is my first submission to this forum and I can't declare that I'm a huge car guy so sorry if I'm not too descriptive or missing some key details.

Anyways, I've recently started having issues with my sunroof on my 1997 Ford Explorer. For some reason when I go to open the sunroof, by pressing on the buttons, most of the time the sunroof doesn't open. The buttons are lit but they don't seem to be performing their normal functions. However when I drive around for a while, sometimes the buttons begin to function and I'm able to open the sunroof. I'm not sure that this is a motor issue because when the buttons do work properly the sunroof opens with the same speed as it always has.

The one odd thing is that the bottom button (ASC) when pushed is supposed to turn red. When the sunroof is acting up it stays green. When the sunroof is working properly it will actually turn red, like it's supposed to.

I will be putting my car in the shop over the next few days, but the dealership wanted $200-$300 just to look at the issue and then said it could be a costly repair. I wanted to see if there were any other opinions out there prior to putting the car in the shop.

Thanks for the help and just let me know if I need to elaborate on anything else to help troubleshoot.

Image of buttons - http://postimg.org/image/6nyczbtb5/
 






I wanted to provide some additional information and a quick video showing the issue and my confusion.

There are times when my sunroof works perfectly fine. Typically I have been driving around for a while and I'm able to open/close the sunroof with no issue. I'm also able to press the ASC button and it will turn red. However after turning the car off and then starting it back up, the sunroof will not work properly. Below is a link to a video showing this issue.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what is wrong?

My main issue is that Ford wants me to spend $200-$300 just to look at the issue. However without knowing how much it may cost me to fix the problem, I'm a bit reluctant to spend the money. If the entire repair cost me $500-$600 it might be feasible. However if the repair cost me $1800-$2000 it may not be worth it. Any other thoughts on where I could have something like this serviced as well? Supposedly this is an aftermarket sunroof, although I don't remember the previous owner, my mother, having the unit installed after the fact.

Thanks for all the help.

YouTube video - http://youtu.be/gBZVb85mk3g
 






Is that an aftermarket sunroof? I've never seen an OE sunroof switch in a location other then up in front of the roof itself???
 






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