Ford trucks and Sunroofs

5,517 Views | 39 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by PFG
PFG
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AG
Just don't risk it.

As nice as all that natural light is, the headache...

We had a bunch of rain overnight. I got in my truck and it smelled like an old towel. Didn't take long to find wet carpet on all of the door sills. Talked to my local dealer, and got this info:

"It could be the sunroof drain tubes are clogged. If they are, that isn't a warrantable concern. And any damage done by the water isn't warrantable either."

F U Ford. Fix your GD sunroofs.

Now what? I have an appointment on Friday to work on finding the reason for the leak. If its drain tubes...I'm screwed by Ford. But of course, I've got to trust the guys there doing to leak testing to not just lie their ass off about the leak.

Thoughts?
JTatter88
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PFG said:

Just don't risk it.

As nice as all that natural light is, the headache...

We had a bunch of rain overnight. I got in my truck and it smelled like an old towel. Didn't take long to find wet carpet on all of the door sills. Talked to my local dealer, and got this info:

"It could be the sunroof drain tubes are clogged. If they are, that isn't a warrantable concern. And any damage done by the water isn't warrantable either."

F U Ford. Fix your GD sunroofs.

Now what? I have an appointment on Friday to work on finding the reason for the leak. If its drain tubes...I'm screwed by Ford. But of course, I've got to trust the guys there doing to leak testing to not just lie their ass off about the leak.

Thoughts?
I wonder if that's just ford or chevy as well. I got a silverado a few months ago; and I do notice a wet towel smell sometimes when I get in the car in the morning. I had figured I'd left a golf towel or something under the seat; but didn't find anything. This is my first truck with a sunroof so I wonder if that's the culprit.
reddog90
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AG
'16 f150 KR screw boost

I get a damp towel smell in my truck upon startup after rain as well, but i've never found any wet pots in my cab. Smell is gone in maybe 1 minute. I took it to a dealer under warranty, they cleaned the drain tubes, and said that the wind guard that pops up when the sunroof is open is cloth, and easily gets damp when it rains, then causes a musty smell afterwards. Idk if i buy that, but haven't researched it yet.

Honestly, what in the actual **** was someone thinking when they designed that. $65k truck that smells like taint after it rains. I'm gonna trade for a Land Cruiser.
1agswitchin4lanes
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AG
Sun/moonroofs are designed by 3rd parties, and not by Ford, ASC is one of the largest ones. Regardless they're infuriating when they leak/break.

Its like pano roofs exploding for no reason. Everyone has the problem, manufacturers cant figure out why.

Sadly in sunroofs, clogged tubes are common. Especially in vehicles that sit outside. Every brand suffers from this issue. Not just Ford. I had a guy on texags bring me his G37 a while back, water leak that nobody could find. Dealers, trim shops etc. I found a rotted sunroof drain. It was full of dead ants, mud and rotting leaves. He parked his car outside and they lived off memorial in Houston in the land of pine trees.

Mercedes used to have 'clear sunroof drains' as part of their maintenance during checkups. This involved flushing the lines forwards and backwards with water and I was always surprised at the amount of crud that comes out.

If I buy a new vehicle, I typically do not get the sunroof because I dont use it and its one less thing to break.
sushi94
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AG
If you have access to an air compressor - find the drain along the sunroof and blow out the blockage.

It shouldn't be anything more than that.

I had this problem in my 2003 Expedition - cleaned the carpets and it was like nothing ever happened.
Bregxit
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AG
I'm with you. I'll never buy a vehicle with a hole cut in the roof. I ordered my 2016 Platinum with the sunroof deleted. No tanks.
PFG
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AG
Good info. I need to find the drain holes on the this one.

2017 F250
EMY92
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AG
I love my moonroof, but I do check the drains.

It helps that my truck is in my garage most of the time, I work from home so the amount of time it's out of the garage is negligible.
OldArmy71
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AG
I read about this issue before I bought a 2016. I decided not to chance it.

I had a moonroof in my 2005 and never had a problem.
PFG
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AG
Nice move not chancing it.

I've got a neighbor with some air tools who's gonna help me clear out the drain holes. Good people out there still.

I won't do a vehicle with a moonroof again. I park outside too much.
BrazosDog02
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AG
I had a 1996 dodge that would leak. I thought it was the split windo in the back but it was in fact the drains for the split window. Just two small slots on each side that you had to clear out every now and then. The truck would sit in a little rain and with the rake of the vehicle the front passenger side would be wet. Took forever to trace it to the rear. ****ing sucks.

Where are the drains in the moon roof of a 2013 expedition? I have a small stain on the headliner from what I guess is a leak but it never did anything since. I'd like to keep up with it. How do you clean them?
John Francis Donaghy
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Who buys a pickup truck with a sunroof in the first place?
JB
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AG
Have they figured out the 3rd brake light yet? Had to reseal up mine on my 04 last weekend. Back seats have been getting wet and truck has been smelling pretty bad with this rain.
Sazerac
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AG
Just had this happen in an infiniti qx 60 that lives outside.

It's the drain lines.

Remove the headliner enough to detach the tubes from the drain and blow them out with 100psi until they are clear and you can blow through them with your own breath.

But a small dehumidifier on Amazon and run it every night.

Car is good as new.
aggieforester05
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AG
My 2016 doesn't have a sunroof, but they didn't build the side windows to reliably roll up, so I'm glad I don't have to worry about a sunroof.
mts6175
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AG
If you are cleaning out the drain tubes prior to taking it in, I'd find a way to make sure they don't come back at you after and say it was clogged drain tubes that caused the issues. Kinda like the fingernail polish on a part you know needs to be checked trick, if you catch my drift.
03_Aggie
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We kept finding water under the passenger floor mat of my wife's expedition. Took it in multiple times to try and get it fixed. Turned out to be sunroof related but we didn't get charged for anything. They removed carpet each time to dry.

Maybe it's because we took it in as finding water as opposed to thinking it was specifically tied to sunroof.
aggieforester05
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AG
My mustang kept getting water in the passenger floorboard and it was a clogged up drain under the cabin filter.
O'Doyle Rules
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AG
Yeah after my current F150 needs a major repair or 200k miles (doubt I'll make it!) I'm going to Toyota for my next vehicle. I've had 3 F150s in the last 8 yrs and they have all had different problems. Ford engineers cutting corners to save a few pennies on each part. I'm done.
PFG
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AG
Yeah, if I can clean em out and leak test it with no more issues, it's not going to the dealer. Preference is to keep my own hands on my own truck unless I don't have/can't rent or get the tools.
aggieforester05
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AG
PFG said:

Yeah, if I can clean em out and leak test it with no more issues, it's not going to the dealer. Preference is to keep my own hands on my own truck unless I don't have/can't rent or get the tools.
Don't blame you I'm not going to the dealer unless it's something major or a recall. Last major repair I had under warranty took five weeks, only one of which I was given a loaner.
reddog90
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AG
So where are the drain tubes in F150s?

How does a clogged sunroof drain tube lead to a wet spot in the cab? Sorry if that sounds dumb, but I don't think I understand how a small tube that is stopped up that leads from the sunroof drain to outside leads to water inside the cab.

And is the wind screen really the source of the smell?
Sazerac
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AG
in the infiniti, the tube runs inside the headliner, down the a pillars, through the firewall (where there is usually a valve/connection), and out at the wheelwell

they often clog at the output or the valve/connection through the firewall and end up leaking at the firewalll, down into the lower console / floorboard.

sometimes they clog at the top and then water will come in at the sunroof itself or the headliner area.
Arthur Stilwell
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John Francis Donaghy said:

Who buys a pickup truck with a sunroof in the first place?
Or who buys any car with a sunroof if you live in Texas in the first place?

My previous car had a sunroof and in ten years of owning it, I probably used the sunroof less than 20 times.
AgEng06
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AG
I leave my sunroof open a lot of the time: at night, mornings, evenings, when it's overcast, etc. Basically anytime the sun isn't blazing through it.
Sazerac
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AG
I don't open my sunroofs much, but i enjoy having the glass roof about 8 months out of the year. Especially with double sunroofs.
PFG
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AG
This. I never open it. Just enjoy the light.
AgEng06
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AG
Oops... I should rephrase my post above. I meant that I have the shade open most of the time to let light in. I can count on one hand the number of times I have actually opened the glass.
Newoldarmy
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AG
My 2015 F150 sunroof is fine, but the back doors leak water on the weather strip and will fill up.

Have to keep the drains clean with a zip tie and sometimes pull the rubber plug to drain.
PFG
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AG
Quote:

sometimes pull the rubber plug to drain.

Where are these located on your pickup?
Newoldarmy
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AG
Open the back door and kneel down...they are on the inside of the door below the plastic map pocket on the metal part of the door.

Oblong shape...just pop them out if there is a lot of water. They are easy to pull out and put back.

Also, get a zip tie and clean out the two drain slots at the very bottom of the door where the metal is rolled around and crimped.

They get clogged with dirt, but are supposed to constantly drain outside. I think the rubber plugs will drain inside if you leave them out.
PFG
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AG
Update to this: Drain lines weren't clogged...one of them got disconnected and dumped all the water into my truck.

Ford guy: "Yeah I think thats probably maybe covered under warrant."

Yeah. Yeah it is.

So thanks to the guy on the line who built my truck and failed to connect the lines well enough.
Tim Weaver
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Sunroofs are the problem, not ford trucks, mercedes cars, or whatever. All sunroofs will leak or jam. Its just a matter of when.
rhtexfish
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AG
Is there any recourse if the dealer just tells you screw off? Sucks to spend money on a truck that leaks at every rain.
Canyon99
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I'm a sucker for sunroofs. I keep it open along with my back window more than i use the ac.
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