Water leaking from A-pillar airbag cover in heavy rain

[Mattbar1]

I'm curious if the "area within" needs to fill up with water to a certain level before it starts to leak out of the airbag cover. I ask this because to reproduce it, you may need to have water spraying on it for quite awhile to fill it up before it starts dribbling/pouring out.

Good point. I’ll see what happens next time it rains or I wash it.

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[ssolypop]

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.

Troublshoot? isnt that what a warranty is for?

 

[buzpro]

Update:

I was able to do some testing. So far I’m unable to reproduce the event. I did not use pressure yet.

I systematically poured water in the following blue, yellow, red areas. All water was routed to the floor with no visible internal leaks. The hole under the roof panel looks like it is missing a bolt. But it is like this on both sides. And is perhaps a drain.

As far as removing the panel that says Air Bag, I have always been hesitant to remove those…so I have not been able to inspect behind there yet.

because of the airbag, if i were you i would take it in with my pictures and have the Ford techs look at it .... you have to remove that panel to see if any electrical contacts on the airbag were exposed to water anyway ..... so have them do it .... its under warranty.

 

[SpiderMonkey871]

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.

I am more concerned about the components in air bag getting damaged.

 

[Frank N]

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.

I'd check teh panel gaskets, if they were fine, I'd be headed to the dealer. Show them the pic and demand a loaner as the deployment of the airbags is in question.

 

[Efthreeoh]

Maybe the Dude's never owned a convertible...?

 

[Efthreeoh]

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

The airbag system does self checks for operability every time the vehicle is started. If the connector were to corrode to a point where it will not pass electricity and make the module inoperable, the airbag warning light will illuminate. No vehicle has a completely dry environment despite what you think. The connector is moisture resistant because automotive connectors are built to SAE specs for corrosion resistance.

Besides, no one here knows where the airbag module is located inside the A-pillar and if it even got wet, and no one here knows what design specs Ford used for the airbags in the Bronco. Keep in mind there is an airbag that runs along the entire side of the vehicle and is integrated into the rollbars. It would be reasonable to assume that Ford designed the airbag modules to be moisture proof as it would be reasonable to expect that owners will have the top removed and will encounter rain.

There is no reason for the OP or any if us to panic and call the Government. It's just a little bit of water. The OP's Bronco is not ruined and none of our Broncos are ruined. Worst case it is just an assembly line issue. Good Lord just relax.

 

[Daktari]

I'd go to the dealer as soon as possible, before things dry out "in there" and show them the photos too. If it rains again and happens again before you're there, take video. Then let them deal with it under warranty. I'd not spend hours trying to find the leak myself, wasting my time and money. That's what warranty is for.
Hopefully it's a quick fix, good luck!

 

[North7]

The airbag system does self checks for operability every time the vehcile is started. If the connector were to corrode to a point where it will not pass electricty and make the module inoperable, the airbag warning light will illuminate. No vehicle has a completely dry envrionment despite what you think. The connector is mositure resistant because automotive connectors are built to SAE specs for corrosion resistance.

Besides, no one here knows where the airbag module is located inside the A-pillar and if it even got wet, and no one here knows what design specs Ford used for the airbags in the Bronco. Keep in mind there is an airbag that runs along the entire side of the vehcile and is integrated into the rollbars. It would be reonsable to assume that Ford designed the airbag modules to be moisture proof as it would be resonable to expect that owners will have the top removed and will encounter rain.

There is no reason for the OP or any if us to panic and call the Government. It's just a little bit of water. The OP's Bronco is not ruined and none of our Broncos are ruined. Worst case it is just an assembly line issue. Good Lord just relax.

You make reasonable assumptions, however, until we get validation from Ford, this remains an open case. Most likely the OP will take this to his dealer and Ford will never hear about the issue so we will never know if this is a problem or not.

The only one stressed here is you, no one is panicking, the Bronco is a brand new design and until we have more information on the cause of this issue, we should not excuse Ford.

Using your assumptions:
"It would be reasonable to assume that Ford designed the" Trail Camera to not be blocked by the winch.
"It would be reasonable to assume that Ford designed the" Winch Mount to not block the ACC sensor.
"It would be reasonable to assume that Ford designed the" A/C vents to provide more air.
and we all know how these turned out.

 

[Carolina Jim]

it would be resonable to expect that owners will have the top removed and will encounter rain.

or....drive totally submerged:

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/future-jeeps-will-be-able-to-drive-underwater-ceo-says

 

[Brongo]

This just in from Ford

* Free upgrades to vinyl and wash out interior

Free roll of Bronco branded paper towels with the Lux package.

 

[Bronc-itis]

Free roll of Bronco branded paper towels with the Lux package.

Megaroll though?

 

[j_marinelli]

Free roll of Bronco branded paper towels with the Lux package.

even have it in area51

 

[Bronc-itis]

I’m more concerned about this developing into a mold situation. Wet carpets and interior in a hot humid Florida leads to bad things. This could lead to a serious recall/lemon situation. I realize this SHOULD be an easy fix. But as my football coach used to say, Ford “could fuck up a wet dream on a rainy night.”

 

[soupcook]

I don't want to go into full FUD mode, but this has always been my overriding worry about buying the Bronco. I know Jeeps leak. I've never had high confidence that Ford could solve Jeep's problem, but I'm still crossing my fingers.

I live in Seattle and my Bronco will mostly likely live outside, so...

My Jeep didn't leak. Most of the leaks were caused by the operator...IMO.

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