Water leaking into car

[jerseyfusion]

Has anyone else experienced the following. When it rains my headliner specifically all the way at the bottom where the windshield and the drivers door meet is wet. I also noticed a small drop today come out of the sunglass holder. I spoke with the dealer today and he said he thinks the sunroof drains are clogged. Does this sound right? Is it an easy fix? I'm pretty upset considering I've only had the car for just under a month. The dealer said they wouldn't be able to fix it till Wed and it's currently friday. Man I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. I like the rest of the car so far but my family owned a ford once before and that wasn't that great of an experience so I'm a bit leary. Any feedback would be great. Thanks in advance

[Dyoct]

It's possible that a sunroof drain is clogged. Or there could be a bad seal somewhere. Best recourse is to take it to your dealer and have them diagnose it. Sucks about the wait, and I'm sorry about the frustration on such a new car, but let's hope they can get it in and resolved quickly.

[08Fusion]

Should be an easy fix, the reason for the wait is because they probably have another company come out for water leaks. I know our dealership does, just because those people specialize in water leaks on cars.

[08-V6FusionSport]

I just bought my fusion with sunroof in Sept. and since then I have had water leak from the sunglass holder about 3 times. It's never a bunch only a couple drops...I'm taking it to the dealership to be checked for a leak next time I get an oil change...not sure what the deal is but its frustrating on such a new car!

[akirby]

I just bought my fusion with sunroof in Sept. and since then I have had water leak from the sunglass holder about 3 times. It's never a bunch only a couple drops...I'm taking it to the dealership to be checked for a leak next time I get an oil change...not sure what the deal is but its frustrating on such a new car!

 

Probably just a clogged drainhole in the moonroof surround.

[pantherdan]

Definitely something I would get the dealership to fix (quickly). Water in the wrong places can cause future problems. I've had a Cougar and a Mustang with a Moonroof. The Mustang had a leak and six months after it was fixed my dome light contacts were corroded just enough to cause the light to flicker, so I replaced them. With the amount of electrical and electronic components in a cars cabin today, I dont fool around with water leaks.

 

Another instance for light reading: My Parents bought an '85 New Yorker 4cyl turbo new off the lot. After a rain (the first day the car wasnt garaged) my Father jumped in and when he took off a gallon of water literally fell in his lap from under the dash. Livid isnt a strong enough word. After WEEKS at the dealership, they found that the drain holes punched in the body werent punched. After it was fixed, I wrecked it. Lots of front end body and suspension damage, but not a total. Then, when he was driving over a speed bump, then front wheel engine and tranny literally tore loose and almost flipped over in the engine bay. It was a total then. The dealership was smart enough to avoid a lawsuit by letting him get another car at a great discount. They also had Olds at this dealership and he got a Cutlass. Much better car. Moral: Dont buy Chrysler or Keep your car garaged if you can. Either moral is a good one.

[mrsgeopel]

Has anyone else experienced the following. When it rains my headliner specifically all the way at the bottom where the windshield and the drivers door meet is wet. I also noticed a small drop today come out of the sunglass holder. I spoke with the dealer today and he said he thinks the sunroof drains are clogged. Does this sound right? Is it an easy fix? I'm pretty upset considering I've only had the car for just under a month. The dealer said they wouldn't be able to fix it till Wed and it's currently friday. Man I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. I like the rest of the car so far but my family owned a ford once before and that wasn't that great of an experience so I'm a bit leary. Any feedback would be great. Thanks in advance

[mrsgeopel]

Yes, 2009 FORD FUSION SEL V6 W/MOONROOF LEAKS WHEN IT RAINS.

BOUGHT NEW IN JUNE 09. BEGAN LEAKING THRU SUN VISOR IN NOV.

BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE. DEALER CHECKED FOR LEAKS AND CLOGGED DRAINS.

CAR WAS RETURNED TO US STATING NO LEAKS FOUND. HOWEVER CAR WAS STILL

LEAKING THRU SUNVISOR. THIS TIME A SUPERVISOR CONFIRMED THE LEAK.

A SMALL PIECE OF CRIMPED HOSE IN THE DRAIN WAS REPLACED. CAR WAS

RETURNED TO US. FIRST LEAK STILL THERE, NOW A SECOND LEAK IN DRIVER'S

DOOR/WINDSHIELD FRAME UPHOLSTERY. THIRD SERVICE - REPLACED HEADLINER

BUILT UP AROUND DRIP TRAY. CAR RETURNED TO US. STILL LEAKING.

FOURTH SERVICE - THIS TIME THRU OVERHEAD LIGHT/MOONROOF CONTROL

PANEL IN ADDITION TO THE

OTHER TWO LEAKS. FORD ENGINEER WAS CALLED IN. HEADLINER REMOVED AND

BUILT UP AROUND DRIP TRAY AGAIN. SPRAY TEST WAS NEGATIVE FOR LEAKS.

CAR RETURNED TO US. GUESS WHAT - STILL LEAKING THRU SUNVISOR AND SIDE

DOOR/WINDSHIELD FRAME UPHOLSTERY. CAR RUNS GREAT. A MAJOR FLAW HOWEVER

IN THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF MOONROOF. WE ARE CONSULTING ATTORNEY FOR

NEXT STEP - LEMON LAW OR DEALER REPLACEMENT. BEWARE FUSION OWNERS W/MOON

ROOF

[BlackenedFusion]

Yes, 2009 FORD FUSION SEL V6 W/MOONROOF LEAKS WHEN IT RAINS.

BOUGHT NEW IN JUNE 09. BEGAN LEAKING THRU SUN VISOR IN NOV.

BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE. DEALER CHECKED FOR LEAKS AND CLOGGED DRAINS.

CAR WAS RETURNED TO US STATING NO LEAKS FOUND. HOWEVER CAR WAS STILL

LEAKING THRU SUNVISOR. THIS TIME A SUPERVISOR CONFIRMED THE LEAK.

A SMALL PIECE OF CRIMPED HOSE IN THE DRAIN WAS REPLACED. CAR WAS

RETURNED TO US. FIRST LEAK STILL THERE, NOW A SECOND LEAK IN DRIVER'S

DOOR/WINDSHIELD FRAME UPHOLSTERY. THIRD SERVICE - REPLACED HEADLINER

BUILT UP AROUND DRIP TRAY. CAR RETURNED TO US. STILL LEAKING.

FOURTH SERVICE - THIS TIME THRU OVERHEAD LIGHT/MOONROOF CONTROL

PANEL IN ADDITION TO THE

OTHER TWO LEAKS. FORD ENGINEER WAS CALLED IN. HEADLINER REMOVED AND

BUILT UP AROUND DRIP TRAY AGAIN. SPRAY TEST WAS NEGATIVE FOR LEAKS.

CAR RETURNED TO US. GUESS WHAT - STILL LEAKING THRU SUNVISOR AND SIDE

DOOR/WINDSHIELD FRAME UPHOLSTERY. CAR RUNS GREAT. A MAJOR FLAW HOWEVER

IN THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF MOONROOF. WE ARE CONSULTING ATTORNEY FOR

NEXT STEP - LEMON LAW OR DEALER REPLACEMENT. BEWARE FUSION OWNERS W/MOON

ROOF

 

Wonderful, The car I'm looking to pick up this weekend has the Sun and sync package. I'm wondering if I should keep my 99 Crown vic beater car. Its been 100% reliable and not a single issue.

[mrsgeopel]

Wonderful, The car I'm looking to pick up this weekend has the Sun and sync package. I'm wondering if I should keep my 99 Crown vic beater car. Its been 100% reliable and not a single issue.

[mrsgeopel]

Good luck. I do like the Fusion. It runs well and the bells and whistles are great.

It did not leak at all the first 5 months I owned the car. Then all of a sudden the leaks started happening. Something went wrong but the dealer and Ford engineer can't seem to figure out what. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that all works out well.

[Wingfan04]

Good luck. I do like the Fusion. It runs well and the bells and whistles are great.

It did not leak at all the first 5 months I owned the car. Then all of a sudden the leaks started happening. Something went wrong but the dealer and Ford engineer can't seem to figure out what. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that all works out well.

 

 

Well with thousands and thousands of moon roofs out there , if things were that bad a recall would be issued or at least a TSB. So the majority of people are fine. For a Very Very few, Well its just Bad Luck.

[Kermit2010]

It seems I have had that bad luck too. I have the hybrid fully loaded and my moonroof began leaking down the side. They couldn't find the leak until I showed it to them. The work they preceded to do on the vehicle has actually caused a substancial amount of damage to it. They replaced the glass on the moonroof and scratched the daylights out of the car doing so and their testing somehow resulted in water damage all around the windshield. I just picked it up yesterday and I am hoping it rains today so that I see if it stopped leaking. If it hasn't though, I intend to ask the to replace the car. That's a major problem on a brand new vehicle. Aside from this bad luck, the Fusion is a fantastic car and in fact this is my second one. I would recommend it for sure.

For those of you who are also having the mysterious origin moonroof leaks, if it doesn't get resolved second time round you should be asking for a replacement vehicle. From all of the research that I have done, if it isn't fixed right away it will ultimately be a chronic problem...

[Rodeo]

I don't even WANT the Moonroof but I've got to buy it as it's packaged with the SONY Stereo. Ford is forcing the Moonroof on buyers in a package deal.

 

I've had Moonroofs in my past 3 vehicles and only on the first one did I select it because I had never had one before. What I found is that I never or seldom use it except as a window to the sky. Luckily I've never had any leaks though and I would have thought that Moonroofs are pretty dependable and solid today. Anyway, if I had my choice I wouldn't pay for one ever again.

Edited December 31, 2009 by Rodeo

[eng21]

Yes, 2009 FORD FUSION SEL V6 W/MOONROOF LEAKS WHEN IT RAINS.

BOUGHT NEW IN JUNE 09. BEGAN LEAKING THRU SUN VISOR IN NOV.

BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE. DEALER CHECKED FOR LEAKS AND CLOGGED DRAINS.

CAR WAS RETURNED TO US STATING NO LEAKS FOUND. HOWEVER CAR WAS STILL

LEAKING THRU SUNVISOR. THIS TIME A SUPERVISOR CONFIRMED THE LEAK.

A SMALL PIECE OF CRIMPED HOSE IN THE DRAIN WAS REPLACED. CAR WAS

RETURNED TO US. FIRST LEAK STILL THERE, NOW A SECOND LEAK IN DRIVER'S

DOOR/WINDSHIELD FRAME UPHOLSTERY. THIRD SERVICE - REPLACED HEADLINER

BUILT UP AROUND DRIP TRAY. CAR RETURNED TO US. STILL LEAKING.

FOURTH SERVICE - THIS TIME THRU OVERHEAD LIGHT/MOONROOF CONTROL

PANEL IN ADDITION TO THE

OTHER TWO LEAKS. FORD ENGINEER WAS CALLED IN. HEADLINER REMOVED AND

BUILT UP AROUND DRIP TRAY AGAIN. SPRAY TEST WAS NEGATIVE FOR LEAKS.

CAR RETURNED TO US. GUESS WHAT - STILL LEAKING THRU SUNVISOR AND SIDE

DOOR/WINDSHIELD FRAME UPHOLSTERY. CAR RUNS GREAT. A MAJOR FLAW HOWEVER

IN THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF MOONROOF. WE ARE CONSULTING ATTORNEY FOR

NEXT STEP - LEMON LAW OR DEALER REPLACEMENT. BEWARE FUSION OWNERS W/MOON

ROOF

 

My cousin's girlfriend had the same problem. After arbitration Ford had to buy back the car! Stick with it. Of course what helped her case was the dealer service dept. had lied about doing work on the car when they didn't even have the car at the time. Nevertheless she still had a strong case.

[dilettante]

There may be a TSB on this. I was told by the dealership today that the epoxy used to bond the moonroof glass to the seal was bad, causing the leak (mine was on the passenger side). They're replacing the glass (I assume it comes already attached to the seal) as soon as it comes in. I really hope that this fixes the problem.

[Lehn]

My 2007 Fusion had a water problem. I got in it one morning and the inside was soaked after it rained. After 3 days of rain and 2 trips to the dealership, we discovered that the windshield was loose. New windshield and it stopped.... for 2 weeks. I had to have a 3rd windshield and then it was fixed. Got rid of the 07 and now have an 08. So I don't know if it ever had that problem again, but I have not had a problem with the 08.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Lehn

[mrsgeopel]

Yes, 2009 FORD FUSION SEL V6 W/MOONROOF LEAKS WHEN IT RAINS.

BOUGHT NEW IN JUNE 09. BEGAN LEAKING THRU SUN VISOR IN NOV.

BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE. DEALER CHECKED FOR LEAKS AND CLOGGED DRAINS.

CAR WAS RETURNED TO US STATING NO LEAKS FOUND. HOWEVER CAR WAS STILL

LEAKING THRU SUNVISOR. THIS TIME A SUPERVISOR CONFIRMED THE LEAK.

A SMALL PIECE OF CRIMPED HOSE IN THE DRAIN WAS REPLACED. CAR WAS

RETURNED TO US. FIRST LEAK STILL THERE, NOW A SECOND LEAK IN DRIVER'S

DOOR/WINDSHIELD FRAME UPHOLSTERY. THIRD SERVICE - REPLACED HEADLINER

BUILT UP AROUND DRIP TRAY. CAR RETURNED TO US. STILL LEAKING.

FOURTH SERVICE - THIS TIME THRU OVERHEAD LIGHT/MOONROOF CONTROL

PANEL IN ADDITION TO THE

OTHER TWO LEAKS. FORD ENGINEER WAS CALLED IN. HEADLINER REMOVED AND

BUILT UP AROUND DRIP TRAY AGAIN. SPRAY TEST WAS NEGATIVE FOR LEAKS.

CAR RETURNED TO US. GUESS WHAT - STILL LEAKING THRU SUNVISOR AND SIDE

DOOR/WINDSHIELD FRAME UPHOLSTERY. CAR RUNS GREAT. A MAJOR FLAW HOWEVER

IN THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF MOONROOF. WE ARE CONSULTING ATTORNEY FOR

NEXT STEP - LEMON LAW OR DEALER REPLACEMENT. BEWARE FUSION OWNERS W/MOON

ROOF

[mrsgeopel]

Update: I posted this back in December. Our problem now appears to be resolved. Knock on wood.

If you experience water leaks during rain storms in your Ford Fusion thru your headliner, sunvisor base plate or overhead light panel- it is due to

a fabric adhesive tape that was used to seal the moonroof. That's right - FABRIC. It works like a wick and absorbs and distributes the rain thru your headliner.

It took 6 services for resolution. My car was at the dealers for about 35 days total. They tried everything from cleaning out the moonroof drains,

building up the drip tray, replacing the headliner, replacing the windshield etc and they could not fix the car.

I had photos and video and tried going thru the BBB but felt the manufacturer was not being cooperative and dropped my BBB claim.

No sooner had I done that - then it rained for 3 days straight. I brought the car back to the dealer for the sixth service.

At first they told me they couldn't work on it per Ford Council due to my BBB claim.

I had to prove I had dropped my claim. Finally they got Ford to agree to replace the moonroof.

An expensive and very involved repair. The field rep was convinced the problem was with the moonroof.

Apparently some dealers were getting a lot of complaints and somebody finally pinned it down to this fabric tape.

My car was torn apart - seats taken out, seatbelts detached, everything to replace the moonroof parts and put in a new headliner.

The motor did not need to be replaced but everything had to be pulled out to remove and replace that fabric tape and the moonroof parts etc.

The techs were somewhat sloppy putting the car back together. If this happens to you - caution them to be careful with greasy boots and hands on the

carpet and headliner etc. I had to do some cleanup. Not a big deal considering it was raining IN MY CAR- but a pain none the less.

I do have to say that the dealer went above and beyond trying to help me. I really think their final push was what brought resolution to my situation.

It wasn't their fault. They were courteous and polite and as sympathetic and accomodating as they could be under the circumstances.

[Wingfan04]

Update: I posted this back in December. Our problem now appears to be resolved. Knock on wood.

If you experience water leaks during rain storms in your Ford Fusion thru your headliner, sunvisor base plate or overhead light panel- it is due to

a fabric adhesive tape that was used to seal the moonroof. That's right - FABRIC. It works like a wick and absorbs and distributes the rain thru your headliner.

It took 6 services for resolution. My car was at the dealers for about 35 days total. They tried everything from cleaning out the moonroof drains,

building up the drip tray, replacing the headliner, replacing the windshield etc and they could not fix the car.

I had photos and video and tried going thru the BBB but felt the manufacturer was not being cooperative and dropped my BBB claim.

No sooner had I done that - then it rained for 3 days straight. I brought the car back to the dealer for the sixth service.

At first they told me they couldn't work on it per Ford Council due to my BBB claim.

I had to prove I had dropped my claim. Finally they got Ford to agree to replace the moonroof.

An expensive and very involved repair. The field rep was convinced the problem was with the moonroof.

Apparently some dealers were getting a lot of complaints and somebody finally pinned it down to this fabric tape.

My car was torn apart - seats taken out, seatbelts detached, everything to replace the moonroof parts and put in a new headliner.

The motor did not need to be replaced but everything had to be pulled out to remove and replace that fabric tape and the moonroof parts etc.

The techs were somewhat sloppy putting the car back together. If this happens to you - caution them to be careful with greasy boots and hands on the

carpet and headliner etc. I had to do some cleanup. Not a big deal considering it was raining IN MY CAR- but a pain none the less.

I do have to say that the dealer went above and beyond trying to help me. I really think their final push was what brought resolution to my situation.

It wasn't their fault. They were courteous and polite and as sympathetic and accomodating as they could be under the circumstances.

 

Thanks for coming back and giving us an update. Ultimately, if anyone else has this problem it may be a great help.

[boblee302]

Results of my own (now resolved) sunroof leak. First, I read other related posts here to familiarize myself with known issues. After doing that I was able to diagnose and fix the problem fairly quickly. Mine is 2006 Fusion.

 

My car is always parked on a slight incline with the front of the car pointing down. After heavy rain the driver side floorpan fills with water. If the car is parked "flat" there is no obvious water accumulation.

 

Diagnosis: I parked the car in the usual inclined position. Pulled up the carpet on the driver side and used towel to dry the area. Poured 2 gallons of water over the windshield and let it drain down thru the airbox intake (cowl). No water on the floor. Opened the sunroof and located the 2 drain holes along the front edge of the sunroof drain pan (other posts here say there are 4 drain tubes- the 2 front drains are easily accessible- I did not look for the rear ones). Used a kitchen syringe to squirt water down into the drain holes. When putting water into the driver side drain hole, the water immediately filled the driver side floorpan. To see where it "should" be going, I also squirted water into the passenger side drain hole. In that case the water drains out from seams between the fender sheetmetal just behind the front wheel well.

 

Resolution: The 2 drain tubes are 3/8 inch clear hose that run from the sunroof pan thru the roof pillars and down behind the kick panel in the foot well area. You can see them without removing any trim, but to get access to the end of the drain tube you have to remove the kick panel. On the driver side there is also a large bundle of wires that needs to be pulled aside. The tube just ends (and drains into) a small cavity/pocket formed where several pieces of body sheet metal meet. This pocket is about the size of your fist. Mine was full of water. If you get more water than the pocket will hold the rest spills over the top of the pocket and into the floorpan. You cannot effectively do a visual inspect of the pocket area, even with a mirror, but I was able to feel around with my fingers in search of a drain hole. There is none. In fact, every seam between the various sheet metal pieces was filled some some rubbery foam stuff. Clearly, the water is supposed to drain from this area into yet another inaccessible sheet metal cavity below, but it was not happening. Was looking for a way to drill a hole in this area, but finally gave up and just starting pulling out chunks of the rubbery foam stuff. Eventually I opened up a seam gap and the water drained out. Problem solved.

 

I intend to go back and use a screwdriver to make a bend in the sheetmetal seam and create a more deliberate drain gap. I am sure that the car has had this problem forever and that it only got bad after enough dirt had flushed down the drain tubes (yes, there was plenty of dirt there) to clog up the smallish holes in the semi-porous foam stuff.

 

If you are getting water on the headliner, it is likely that the drains are plugged and water is backed up all the way to sunroof pan. When the sunroof pan fills up, or if you deliberately plug the drain holes, the water has nowhere to go and will certainly (if only slowly) drain into the cabin. It also depends upon whether the car is parked level or not. In my case all the sunroof drain water was being forced down a single drain tube (driver's side, front).