Passenger footwell water leak?

homebrewer · Dec 13, 2008

Hey guys,

We've had a decent amount of rain here in the past few days, and when I was out a couple days ago, I noticed water dripping from under my dashboard into the passenger footwell. When I stopped at a parking lot to check it out, the drip was constant, and the passenger floorboard was soaked. Needless to say, I was pissed. I took it to the dealer, and they have fixed the leak, and will be replacing the entire carpet in a few weeks, once I'm convinced that the leak has stopped.

So with only 11,200 miles on a 2 year old car, it is leaking water into the passenger compartment... and they are seriously wondering why the big three are failing....

Has anyone else noticed this? My dealer said that they have seen a few, and I just thought I'd pass the word to others. The dealer treated me extremely well, but I was pretty disappointed that I had to deal with it in the first place....

bigcat · Dec 13, 2008

there has been a TSB out for this for a LONG time. you should also have them check out the smart junction box behind the passenger kick panel. i would pull out that carpet ASAP, to prevent mold.

metroplex · Dec 14, 2008

Be aware of electrical issues. Ford knew about this and they used some plastic shields around the SJB to channel the water that leaks into the compartment. Rather than FIX the root cause of the leak, they use band-aid fixes for the SJB...

MustangCar8 · Dec 23, 2008

Water Leak

Going through the same problem presently in fact it fried my smart box. Dealer thus far has fixed the problem but took two visits before it was resolved. Sadly now every time it rains I'm feeling the carpet and sliding under the dash with a flashlight looking for water. Kind of sucks!

Satin Silver GT · Dec 24, 2008

On my 2002 GT I kept getting water in the passanger footwell. 2 dealer trips did not correct it. Finally on my third trip back they removed the windshield and found a large gap with no sealent. Resealed and put in a new windshield and never leaked again.

01White5spd · Dec 24, 2008

Leaves and debrie can get caught in the rubber grommets that are in the firewall. If enough get there this can happen. My brother had it happen on his stang, sat outside under a tree for a while. Leaves and pine needles fell through around the wipers and plugged up the rubber holes in the firewall. Filled his pass comp. w/ water. He basically just cleaned out the rubber holes in the firewall on drivers and passengers side and a bunch of water drained out of them. He never had the problem again.

MustangCar8 · Feb 16, 2009

Water leak continues!!!

Now on my fourth visit to the dealer (Rhode Island) for the same passenger footwall water leak! They have stated that they have fixed the grommets and seal issues as discussed in the TSB 07-14-06 that I provided them but still it leaks. I have requested they check the foam seal of the window weatherstrip retainer at the A-pillar. and replace the firewall sound padding which has a bad mildew smell. I'll let you all know what they did later today.

EvasiveS197 · Feb 17, 2009

Interesting...no leaks on my end, yet, but I know Ford, for a while, was infamous for their AC units leaking into the floorboards. But I think that specific problem was taken care of...

You just reminded me, though, I need to take my car in, still, for its seat-belt recall...

stanmckinney · Feb 17, 2009

I have had water dripping, not much fortunately, from my overhead light. Anyone else experience this?
Has to be the windshield doesn't it? Or could it have been condensation from changing temperatures?
I've not had the footwell problem.

EvasiveS197 · Feb 17, 2009

stanmckinney said:
I have had water dripping, not much fortunately, from my overhead light. Anyone else experience this?
Has to be the windshield doesn't it? Or could it have been condensation from changing temperatures?
I've not had the footwell problem.

Just my two cents, but the amount of condensation buildup on a roof shouldn't be more than a headliner could handle. Had a 91 civic hatch without a headliner in georgia for YEARS and would rarely see enough up there to drip down on me...except when I pressure washed the inside of the car...

It's GOT to be a windshield problem...

homebrewer · Feb 20, 2009

Thanks for the information guys, and sorry that I've been missing for so long.

Are there any SPECIFIC electrical issues that I should be looking for regarding the SJB and water damage? I have been thinking recently that it seems like my front door woofers (Shaker 500) seem to only work intermittently, but it could just be the difference in songs, I'm not sure yet. What should I be looking for? My warranty is up in November, and I need to make sure it is fixed before then.

But honestly, I have had the car in for repairs FAR more than a car with 12k on the clock should be. The aforementioned leak, and subsequent carpet replacement, a seized rear brake caliper, a failed TPS sensor, failed window motor... I'm just waiting for what is next.

Now I'm off to look up the fine print regarding the lemon laws.....

GreyDiesel · Feb 20, 2009

homebrewer said:
sorry that I've been missing for so long.

Judging from your avatar, I am guessing you were passed out drunk for about a month.

Sorry, could not resist, that is one funny avatar.

Anyhow. Have you checked out the TSB list. S197 Ford Mustang Technical Service Bulletins - Ford Mustang | StangNet.com

That might give you some idea of what to look for. I think the major issue to be aware of is the spark plugs. They can get stuck and hard to replace. So dont go into your garage thinking your going to do a quick 15 minute plug change. There are a million posts about spark plugs on this forum, so just do a search in the S197 areas. Here is one: http://forums.stangnet.com/770267-motorcraft-spark-plugs-gone.html

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience. I bought an 07 with 40k miles on it, so I would not have to worry about getting any work done under warranty. I always have more peace of mind when I do the work myself, but its hard to justify doing that if you have some warranty left. Mustangs are sort of like Jeeps, in that they are as much a hobby as a car. I think Ford prioritizes making them easy to work on, instead of making a flawless product. Now.. I know that opinion may get me flamed, but lets face it, the mustang is not perfect coming out of the factory. The plus side is, to later go in and make it perfect is super easy because the aftermarket is so huge and the cars are so easy to take apart and put back together. I have owned and monkey-wrenched-on toyotas, subarus, and volkswagens, and every trip to the garage was a nightmare with those other cars. You would need special tools, things would not come apart intuitively, everything is just crammed super tight into the engine compartment etc. I never completed a job without some sort of surprise PITA. Everything I have done on the mustang however, has gone as expected and I am usually done before I know I started. (knock on wood)

homebrewer · Feb 21, 2009

GreyDiesel said:
Judging from your avatar, I am guessing you were passed out drunk for about a month.

Sorry, could not resist, that is one funny avatar.

Anyhow. Have you checked out the TSB list. S197 Ford Mustang Technical Service Bulletins - Ford Mustang | StangNet.com

That might give you some idea of what to look for. I think the major issue to be aware of is the spark plugs. They can get stuck and hard to replace. So dont go into your garage thinking your going to do a quick 15 minute plug change. There are a million posts about spark plugs on this forum, so just do a search in the S197 areas. Here is one: http://forums.stangnet.com/770267-motorcraft-spark-plugs-gone.html

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience. I bought an 07 with 40k miles on it, so I would not have to worry about getting any work done under warranty. I always have more peace of mind when I do the work myself, but its hard to justify doing that if you have some warranty left. Mustangs are sort of like Jeeps, in that they are as much a hobby as a car. I think Ford prioritizes making them easy to work on, instead of making a flawless product. Now.. I know that opinion may get me flamed, but lets face it, the mustang is not perfect coming out of the factory. The plus side is, to later go in and make it perfect is super easy because the aftermarket is so huge and the cars are so easy to take apart and put back together. I have owned and monkey-wrenched-on toyotas, subarus, and volkswagens, and every trip to the garage was a nightmare with those other cars. You would need special tools, things would not come apart intuitively, everything is just crammed super tight into the engine compartment etc. I never completed a job without some sort of surprise PITA. Everything I have done on the mustang however, has gone as expected and I am usually done before I know I started. (knock on wood)

Sorry, I should have been more specific, I was wondering what problems to look for that directly related to the SJB and water damage. I knew about the spark plug issue, but that is totally unrelated to the leak in the foot well. I haven't noticed any major electrical issue yet, but I would just like to know of any specific issue that anyone here may know about to watch out for.

BTW... the avatar picture was taken a LONG time ago, and I had forgot I even put that up here. That was a 3 liter bottle of Stone Double Bastard, aged for 3 years. Beyond delicious, but by the time my buddy and I finished splitting it, we decided to take some stupid pictures....

Sparty92 · Feb 21, 2009

EvasiveS197 said:
You just reminded me, though, I need to take my car in, still, for its seat-belt recall...

What's this you say about a seat-belt recall?

EvasiveS197 · Feb 23, 2009

Sparty92 said:
What's this you say about a seat-belt recall?

I received a letter from Ford in...say November or something like that. I think it was only a certain vin pattern or something, but they sent me a letter about it in the mail. I haven't gotten information from a dealership about what exactly it is, but I've not done anything about it...LoL.

I'll let you know as soon as I find out. But I've not actually FELT any problems with my seat belts...?

PrincessJamie · Apr 30, 2009

I had this water problem start just recently. I took it to the dealership and they said that the cowling was going to have to be replaced (which is a pretty penny, I might add.) Well, before shelling that out, my husband took a look at it himself. He fixed it in about an hour.

There is a gromett in the base of the cowl that is supposed to allow water to drain out. It got clogged with debris - hence the pooling water that was coming in through the cabin air inlet. After that was cleaned, we haven't had a problem since.

ElCid2006 · Aug 30, 2009

I had the same problem with water leaking into the passenger compartment after a heavy rain. The first time this happened to me, I had some standing water in the floorboards and have since noticed water dripping into the drivers side front floorboard while driving. I took the car into the the local dealer (Kimnach Ford in Va Beach) and they said it would be about $400 to fix the leak. Has anyone else had to pay this price to get this problem solved?

Notchbck93 · Sep 3, 2009

I would get a gallon of water, and puddle it up around the cowl to see if the grommet is draining properly.

Dealers are hurting right now, besides those who did the CFC deals and telling people it's a hard fix is a common money making scheme.

tsamuels · Sep 24, 2009

Passenger water leak

I have a 2005 mustang, and the leaking started about 4 months ago. I bought an extended warranty which stated that this wasn't covered, and the dealership wanted to charge me $600 to fix it. I did some research and discovered that there is a Techinical Service Bulletin out on the issue, which Ford does not consider to be a recall. However, I don't think you would issue a TSB on an issue that only a handful of cars have. I would suspect that in order to create a TSB, to teach the mechanics how to fix a problem, you would have to have a significant number of vehicles with the same problem. That sounds like a defect to me. I had it fixed, and two days ago, during rain, it leaked again. I have written letters to Ford, and have had no success. As I can see now, I am by far the only person with this issue. Maybe one day Ford will acknowledge the problem, but most of us won't be able to get any money back for the work we have already paid for.

So if you have this problem, don't expect them to fix it, and the dealerships can charge whatever they want to have it repaired. Just wanted to share my bad experience.

Mark25 · Sep 25, 2009

Welcome to the club...I have 18K miles on my '06 and my began to leak a little into the passenger side compartment (where the electronics are), what I saw was a couple of drops on at the bottom of the small plastic lid which gives you access. When I opened it up I saw a little bit of moisture on the small black electronic box...Fortunately for me this happened 5 days before my 3 yr bumper to bumper factory warranty expired...my dealer (Beach Ford) did the fix (putting sealant around the grommets in the cowling) and that solved the problem (so far, so good for the past two months).

Passenger footwell water leak?

homebrewer

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bigcat

start with the upper hole, and if more traction is

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