Leak above back window/headliner

[pinkelman]

We have been getting copious amounts of rain as of late and I noticed there is a leak above my back window, also soaking into the headliner. I’m starting to wonder if this is going to become a huge fix.

I have already gotten the back window replaced this spring due to the frame cracking issue. The window frame has not re-cracked.

A few weeks back I noticed this and put silicone around the shark fin as it had been tweaked at some point by a garage door, so that is not what is causing these issues.

I pulled off the third brake light and couldn’t see any water seepage into it, yet there is water dripping from the upper window frame when I start driving.

Also, it seems like the drips show up when I drive, vs sitting still. I don’t know if that is pertinent.

I have visions of this costing 2000 dollars to fix at a dealer, with pieces of my truck strewn across a shop floor and it’s giving me heartburn. What do you guys suggest? Is there something I’m missing?

 

[vincentw56]

We have been getting copious amounts of rain as of late and I noticed there is a leak above my back window, also soaking into the headliner. I’m starting to wonder if this is going to become a huge fix.

I have already gotten the back window replaced this spring due to the frame cracking issue. The window frame has not re-cracked.

A few weeks back I noticed this and put silicone around the shark fin as it had been tweaked at some point by a garage door, so that is not what is causing these issues.

I pulled off the third brake light and couldn’t see any water seepage into it, yet there is water dripping from the upper window frame when I start driving.

Also, it seems like the drips show up when I drive, vs sitting still. I don’t know if that is pertinent.

I have visions of this costing 2000 dollars to fix at a dealer, with pieces of my truck strewn across a shop floor and it’s giving me heartburn. What do you guys suggest? Is there something I’m missing?

Have you tried searching on here? There are 100s of posts about this issue.

I'd suggest getting the hose out or going to a manual car wash and run water around areas you suspect.

 

[pinkelman]

Have you tried searching on here? There are 100s of posts about this issue.

I'd suggest getting the hose out or going to a manual car wash and run water around areas you suspect.

What I’ve found is shark fin, 3rd brake light, and back window frame cracks… as mentioned above, those don’t seem to be causing the issue.

I was going to get out the hose to do some testing. Hopefully I can buy a friend to help watch for the leaks.

 

[vincentw56]

What I’ve found is shark fin, 3rd brake light, and back window frame cracks… as mentioned above, those don’t seem to be causing the issue.

I was going to get out the hose to do some testing. Hopefully I can buy a friend to help watch for the leaks.

The first time I ever noticed my rear window leaking was after the car wash.

 

[pinkelman]

I tried using a hose to find the leak tonight. Was not able to get a leak to show up. Do people reccomend going to the dealer for issues like this, or to a body shop since it would be cheaper?

 

[dajogejr]

Dealer…IF it’s still under warranty. Clearly, with all the press of the leak here, there are mixed reviews of dealer success.
This seems to be one of those cases…if you can find the leak (maybe try a quarter car wash with a friend this time), fixing it yourself may be the best bet.

 

[Andymax]

I re-gasketed the third brake light even though it appeared to be fine. Solved my problem. I used this:

Amazon.com

 

[pinkelman]

I re-gasketed the third brake light even though it appeared to be fine. Solved my problem. I used this:

Amazon.com

I had thrown around the idea of doing something like this. Even though it is a TSB extended warranty item, the dealer won’t replace it for me. I had been tempted to buy an after market one just to see if it would cease the issues, but I’m not wanting to make them worse either. I guess I’m waffling… lol.

 

[pinkelman]

Dealer…IF it’s still under warranty. Clearly, with all the press of the leak here, there are mixed reviews of dealer success.
This seems to be one of those cases…if you can find the leak (maybe try a quarter car wash with a friend this time), fixing it yourself may be the best bet.

Unfortunately I am out of the 3 year warranty. The only potential to get it covered would be if the window was leaking, as they did replace that, and it should be covered for free if that is the source of the leak. The thought was maybe the dealer would have more knowledge than a general body shop, but I’m also not very keen on dropping the dealer prices unnecessarily. I’m leaning towards asking a body shop to take a look. Either way, I’m feeling pretty defeated in that I worry they either won’t be able to find the source, or it will be extremely expensive to chase after. If it’s the sunroof, that would entail pulling down the roof liner.