[Annarm994]

I would look at the entire assembly process, especially from the point that the roof panel is mated to the rest of the body. The front of the driver's roof (or both fronts) may have a particular stress on it when the body is suspended that the other corners do not. There could be a weak point/gap for wire runs to the roof that the other corners don't have. There could be a flaw in the robotics programming that leave a particular area weaker. I could go on...

Wow, thanks for the insight, for idiots guide 101- your saying the car being up on a lift for a long period of time (8weeks waiting for a new transmission) could put strain on the frame creating/leading to the leak?

 

[MurphysLaw]

No. A vehicle being up on a lift is doing zero harm to cause an interior water leak in this situation. If this were the case, then Ford needs more help in the engineering department than I thought.

 

[Zolutar]

I ditched mine after the fourth and "final" fix. the seam had failed front to hatch on both sides at this point. it was resealed and traded in for a Bronco Sport. I still have my titanium Escape and it doesnt leak fortunately.
Ultimately though, if you got one that leaks, fix it and get rid of it.

 

[richman107]

This past Tuesday I took off both roof rack rails and sealed them with Permatex Ultra Black RTV silicone as seen in a YouTube video. On Thursday it rained all day. I checked it this morning hoping there would be no water. Much to my displeasure there was a puddle in my spare tire well again! What is interesting this time is that the jute insulation on the passenger side at the bottom didn't really feel wet. There was a post about some body seam that you can only see with the rear bumper off or something along those lines. This just really sucks.

Hi, I havea 2017 Ford Escape Titanium and have some roof leaking issues as described. i think it was after i drove out of state and used a roof bag with some ratchet straps. i think i ratcheted a littel too tight and probably popped a seal on the screws. I wanted to permatex as shown in some youtube video's but it seems the 2017 roof rail may be a little different than what i have seen on youtube. How did you get the actual roof rail off? was there a specfic video you referenced? the one i saw was 2013 but seems like it may be different. i looked at a 2017 explorer video and that looked more like what my rail looked like (silver) but seemed way difficult to get the rail off? any feedback appreciated. thanks.

 

[MurphysLaw]

richman107 the video I watched was the one a youtube poster had titled for the 2013-2016 Escape. Although the 2017-2019 Escape roof rails are the exact same. The hardest part for me (at least the first time) was getting the end caps off to access the screws. I used a small straight blade screwdriver along with a plastic trim removal tool that has a wide flat blade to it. The trick is to try to get the very end of the cap to pop up a little bit and then eventually you should be able to take it off by hand. You have to be somewhat aggressive with them in order to get them to pop. He made it look a lot easier in the video. Keep in mind each end cap has a couple of tabs (about a half inch long or so) that slide into the roof rail. So, when you do get it to pop, don't pull up on the cap too far.

 

[steeps5]

I think I figured out a leak I just discovered in my 2017 Escape Titanium. I have a powered liftgate. I pulled all the trim off and appeared to have found evidence of water getting in through the plate securing the piston on the passenger side of the trunk.

Has anyone seen this?

See pictures:

 

[MurphysLaw]

Steeps5 - I checked those screws on mine back when I did a garden hose water test, and it was not coming in thru there on mine. I can't remember if I saw on other posts if anyone had it coming in thru there or not, but I am not surprised at all to see this.

 

[Rynesto]

Hello. I bought a 17 Titanium, 42k miles on it. I love the car but it has a bad roof leak issue. The dealer attempted to fix it once, but it just rained and hasn’t been fixed.
It’s leaking by the driver side a pillar and driver side sunroof corner above the back seat - it has pano roof and roof rails.
I read about the roof rails leaking, I tried sealing the holes with RTV black sealer myself before taking it in. Didn’t work. Dealer said it was the windshield (??) so they pulled it and resealed. It sat dry for almost a week.
I posted a couple pics, has anyone else figured out this issue if you had it? I see a lot of threads about it, but can’t seem to find many if any people that had luck with a fix.
Thankfully the dealer fixed it for free and said to call if it is leaking again. I’ll be calling Monday.

 

[Rynesto]

Would anyone happen to know where the rear drain for sunroof is? And how it could maybe be cleaned out? I can tested the front ones but can’t find the back ones.

 

[mrproduxn]

Not sure about the drain at the rear of the sunroof however the drain hole exit is over the passenger side tailgate shock

 

[dbdariusz]

UPDATE: About a week and a half ago I took both roof rails off once again. I used Permatex Ultra Black sealer with the nozzle screwed on to the tube so I could get it down into the screw holes better. I also applied a decent amount around the screw hole areas as well for good measure. Fast forward a few days and we finally got some rain here in Minnesota. I checked the back after the rain and was pleasantly surprised to find the rear passenger side was bone dry. That side has had the most water flooding in. However...the drivers' side was wet just behind the side panel. I am done working on it. I am just going to live with it until I find something different. They said on the news last night that used car prices are going to start coming down soon. I have been looking at the Mazda CX-5 as that is the most similar SUV out there to the Escape.

I know that it was while ago, but just have the same water leak issue and my body shop already sealed roof rails and have still leak. Could you help me to understand which part on the picture which you sent before you resealed and finally fixed the problem? Or confirm that you removed screw and basically add inside sealer?

 

[MurphysLaw]

dbdariusz - I made three attempts at it and was never able to stop the water from flooding in through the inside of my D-posts. I traded in my Escape and have been driving a Mazda CX-5 for a little over a year now.

 

[cbolton39]

I have this exact same issue. Only problem is that my warranties have expired.

2017 Escape Titanium Rear Cargo Area Water Leak I had noticed late last year that water was leaking on the right side of the rear cargo area. (You can see water trails around the fuse panel cover and water accumulation in the attached photos. Right side of carpet has also been wet.) My dealer's service advisor told me that I would have to bring it in on a Monday since the service company they use for water leaks only has a representative there on that day. After many more days of rain and continued leaking observed, I had my appointment this morning. Upon arrival and check-in at 7:15AM, I was advised that the "water man" wouldn't be at the dealership until around noon. Anticipating that diagnostics would have to be performed, I had taken the day off from work, but hadn't really wanted to spend all day in the customer waiting area. My dealer has provided excellent service in the past and I had no doubt that they would continue doing the same. Around 12:30, my service advisor let me know that the tech had diagnosed the problem as "sealer cracking loose" and if he repaired it, I would have to pay between $300 - $400. I calmly said, "No, I don't think I'll be paying for it. This isn't anything I've caused." Then I reminded her that the vehicle was still under the basic bumper to bumper warranty. She also tells me that if he repaired it, I couldn't drive it in the rain which had been forecasted for today. My question to her: "Then what is Ford going to do for me?" Not intentionally being difficult with my service advisor, but just at the point that I'm annoyed. Conclusion: I drove home in a rental and will be contacted when my Escape is ready to pick up. I'll post any new developments as they occur.

 

[MurphysLaw]

cbolton39 - Your warranty wouldn't have helped you. In the fine print of my paperwork it specifically stated that water leaks are not covered. So basically, if you own an Escape with this problem, you are out of luck.

 

[mrfreepress]

Update... I picked the car up the following afternoon and it finally got rained on yesterday and today. I've been through the carwash a few times since the repair was made but wasn't sure if the area was dried when the interior was cleaned. After an afternoon, evening and morning in the rain, no leaks were observed. Happy Escape owner again.

Hi Ross,
Given that your experience is one of the few permanent solutions - which specific points(holes) were sealed so I/we may focus our efforts there?

Thank you!
mfp

 

[omegaimage]

Greetings,

it has been raining the last few days and when I went to take the car somewhere I noticed that there was water dripping from the drivers side sun visor arm.

I've never used the moon roof but I suspect that might be where it is leaking as the visor is above the windshield.

I'll call the local Ford dealer.


g.

Mine is leaking from the hatchback and tire well, any ideas on cost estimate?