Consumer Reports says that the following car manufacturers have power window switches that are potentially dangerous: Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chrysler and Dodge. Pushing down on the switch raises the window, which means a kid with his head out the window could be leaning on the switch. At least 25 children died during the past decade from injuries involving power windows.
These car manufacturers have switches that require you to pull up, and thus are considerably safer: Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. (Mazda, Isuzu and Saturn have both.)
Understandably this is a small problem and one should never leave kids in the car with the keys, but why aren’t American companies as careful as the foreign manufacturers?