Water leaking from A-pillar airbag cover in heavy rain

[Tricky Dick]

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[Bronc-itis]

I would take the Passenger side MIC panel off and looked for seal that is pinched, torn or looks different from the driver side.

Should be able to find the spot where water is coming in as well. Right after soaking that area with a garden hose, pull the panel and look for a trail leading down.

 

[Wanted33]

Well shit, that does suck. Hopefully it's a simple fix, and all will be well after. Good luck

 

[BroncoBoy22]

Thanks for sharing man. Hopefully the issue is easy to isolate and fix.

one more item pushing me closer to a soft top lol

 

[MaverickMan]

I’d be out there with a garden hose trying to see what’s going on in a more controlled environment vs. waiting for more rain.

Better yet pressure washer or do it yourself car wash. Simulates water/air pressure at speed. You might have to dry it and do it a couple times to really see the flow and how to stop it.

 

[PDiddy]

The Gladiator hardtop rear window is known to leak as well. Mine doesn’t, but there is a long thread on the forum. Fortunately it’s a pretty easy dealer fix.

Water in the airbag area is not good. Hopefully this will not be a common defect. This is making my MIC vs soft top choice harder...

 

[mpoteet]

Guys, this is why they offered marine grade vinyl and drain plug rubber floors! Its all in the fine print.

 

[Deleted member 3063]

I guess it's just me but a windshield leak would be an easier fix than a troublesome top fit. I'll hope that is the issue.

 

[Dillhole]

Since there is water going by the airbags it could corrode the electrical connections rendering the airbag useless in an accident. This clearly looks worth reporting to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It will help all of us as it will make sure the issue gets to Ford for resolution and not buried in your dealers service department.

NHTSA Report a Safety Problem

Or it'll turn the airbag into the worst water balloon fight of all time

 

[Yukon65006]

Sunroof leaked in the wires Patriot. Took about 5 trips to the dealer and talks of the lemon law to get it fixed. Best trip was when thy claimed they had it in the car wash bay for over an hour and couldn't find the leak. Got the keys went out to it and pulling out of the parking spot and hitting the breaks had water pouring out the dome light.

 

[Dillhole]

This thread gives me heavy flashbacks to my time im Jeep forums. Known substantially more people with hard tops leaking vs soft tops which is not the outcome you'd expect. But those extra seams with the removable roof panels are known failure points.

 

[BroncoRick]

Remove the front hard top panels and re-seat them, & check that the gaskets are aligned correctly. That would be the first thing I'd look at.

I had a horrible time with leaks around the doors and top on my Jeep JK. The leaks on these vehicles can actually come from a lot of non-obvious places, as there are a lot of seals and gaskets with these doors and tops.

With my Jeeps I have found that Napa Camper Shell weatherstrip tape is really good at helping to diagnose and fix these kind of problems. Apply some in an area you think might be causing an issue, then soak from the outside with a hose (not a spray nozzle or a pressure washer, it's too much pressure). If it works, great. If not, move the tape around and try some different spots until you narrow it down.

The PDF that Jeep gives to their dealers is like a million pages, and most often they can't fix the leaks.

Whatever you do, make a YT video when you figure it out. I put this one up years ago, not thinking it would ever amount to much, and now it is making me almost 500 bucks a year. These vehicles are gonna leak and a lot of people will have the same problems.

 

[Permaxyz]

Caught in heavy rain today with the MIC top. Water started dripping then running from passenger side airbag near windshield. Haven’t been able to troubleshoot yet.

Photo is after the water was mostly wiped off. But you’ll get the idea.

I hope it’s from the top and not the windshield.

Wipe it clean and simulate a rain storm with a garden hose. Owners manual says no car washes!!! Hand wash only!!

 

[Bronc-itis]

Guys, this is why they offered marine grade vinyl and drain plug rubber floors! Its all in the fine print.

This just in from Ford

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