i just bought a new jeep patriot 2009,and i have this water leak problem.i will go to my jeep dealer to fix this problem and find out if jeep has issued a service bulletin.

Sorry to hear your another victim of the leak. May of us have had this and I can tell you that fixing it really isnt an option. I have been dealing with it for a yr. And a Chrysler engineer came to look at it and could do anything. Next time it leaks they will have to go through the buy back program. There are lots of threads out there if you want more detailed info.
Becare of the front dome light, may have had leaks there too!

I found this site after ordering a 2009 Patriot without a sun roof. The multiple threads about water leaks are alarming.

Have your leaking pats been fixed?

Sorry to hear your another victim of the leak. May of us have had this and I can tell you that fixing it really isnt an option. I have been dealing with it for a yr. And a Chrysler engineer came to look at it and could do anything. Next time it leaks they will have to go through the buy back program. There are lots of threads out there if you want more detailed info.
Becare of the front dome light, may have had leaks there too!

Wasn't your leak because of the sunroof? If so, rubles is a leak in the rear cargo dome light.

Another member is having this particular problem but she hasn't had a chance to get to the dealer to have a look at it. Initially, it could be a problem with the water supply line to the rear windshield wiper.

I found this site after ordering a 2009 Patriot without a sun roof. The multiple threads about water leaks are alarming.

Have your leaking pats been fixed?

I have read of a couple of Pats having this issued fixed. Other have had to go through the lemon law hallway.

and some aren't.:( Hopefully mine will avoid the leaks after it's built. At any rate it'll be going through the car wash on it's way home--wash just down the road from the dealership. That's an interesting point about windshield washer fluid leaking on it's way to the rear of the car. I suppose the leaks would diminish/stop when the fluid is used up.

The rear window washers in my van haven't worked for at least a year, probably there's a leaking tube somewhere that hasn't leaked into the exterior--not that I'm aware of.

Thanks for responding. and ..................

Kahbrohn, I get the message re wooden ships and iron men. However inquiring minds need to know what does the other badge signify? MSO?

Cheers!

MSO = Mine Sweeper, Ocean

Depending on the waterway in which the Mine Sweeper operated in, it would get a designation as such.

MSC = Mine Sweeper, Coastal and so forth.

I was a Mine Sweep Electricians Mate. It was my responsibility to make things go boom! Bad part was that the Navy discovered I was a certified Diving Instructor at the time and when mines didn't go boom, I had to find out why.

Mine Sweepers were the "last" wooden "ships" in the US Navy. Now they are made of composite hulls. This is to lessen the effects on magnetic mines.

i just bought a new jeep patriot 2009,and i have this water leak problem.i will go to my jeep dealer to fix this problem and find out if jeep has issued a service bulletin.

I have an 09 with sunroof, built last week of April/09; no leak so far. What month was your Riot built?

I have an 08 Patriot. Water leaked once from the front dome light last year. I took it to the dealer and the technician reinstalled the sun roof. I haven't had a leak since (knock wood). Yesterday we had near torrential rains that lasted for hours and my Patriot remained dry inside.

about wooden ships and iron men. Thanks for the explanation and meaning behind MSO. I didn't think you'd be looking for mines in lakes--at least not the ones around here.:smiley_thumbs_up:

And hopefully, when my Patriot arrives, a "Leaksweeper" won't be required to find and fix leaking interior lights.;)

Cheers

I feel your pain (OP). I went a year without any problems and no leaks. Now I have a leak by the rear dome light. I brought it in to the dealership and they say that its common (which didn't surprise me). They pulled off the tailgate, roof weather stripping, and the roof rails. What they did was seal all the sheet metal joins. You can see in the tail gate that some of the welds that join the separate pieces of sheet metal are very poor and have gaps (shotty QA if you ask me). My service manager, says that I'm probably the 6th or 7th patriot owner to come in to their dealership with the same problem and they've sealed all of them up like this and none have returned. I asked him if it was specific to certain model years or ones with sunroofs and he says there doesn't seem to be a pattern. He did say that the tech that works on it says its pretty hit and miss and they've narrowed it down to the poor welds and sheet metal joins. He says he's surprised that Chrysler hasn't done anything about it. It's been about a month since I got mine repaired and no leaks so far. Will have to see how it holds over time.

HTH

What and/or how did they fix it? Just wondering so others who still have the problem or discover that tey have the problem know what the possible solution is.

I found this site after ordering a 2009 Patriot without a sun roof. The multiple threads about water leaks are alarming.

Have your leaking pats been fixed?

yes it's all fixed now.not a drop after 2 heavy rain and 1 car washing.they did a super job.the laek came of the roof on the driver side(lack of caulking)and i dont have a sunroof.

yes it's all fixed now.not a drop after 2 heavy rain and 1 car washing.they did a super job.the laek came of the roof on the driver side(lack of caulking)and i dont have a sunroof.

nearly 2 months now after the fix and still dry as a bone

Well thats good to know that it hasn't leaked for 2 months now. It's a sigh of relief to know that this issue can be fixed. I was worried when placing the order for mine and this issue possibly creaping up and having to deal with it :confused:. Hopefully they will have better QA when they roll the 2010 models out (and mine in that mix). I'm also hoping the new changes that Fiat has implemented in the manufacturing process will have a positive outcome in the workmanship dept.

Time will only tell...

i will be taking mine back to the dealer on weds when im off...for the same issue. those people hate me there..ive had the jeep for 2 weeks and have been there a so many times already..sorry for them, id rather not have to go but hey my Drew needs to get fixed! :D

I bought my pat Dec. of 08 and it has been back to the dealer 4 times for the cargo lamp filling with water and it is still leaking. I finally got fed up with their bull at the dealership and called chrysler. Now i just have to play the waiting game for them to call me back with some options. If that doesn't work I will be Pursuing the lemon law. :doh:

I bought my pat Dec. of 08 and it has been back to the dealer 4 times for the cargo lamp filling with water and it is still leaking. I finally got fed up with their bull at the dealership and called chrysler. Now i just have to play the waiting game for them to call me back with some options. If that doesn't work I will be Pursuing the lemon law. :doh:

Did the dealer specify on what they have done to try to fix the leak? ie. replace the rubber seal or what not?

if you've had it back more than 3 times in most states, then your pos patriot will qualify as a lemon. chrysler customer service is awful. good luck with your case...

Did the dealer specify on what they have done to try to fix the leak? ie. replace the rubber seal or what not?

They have sealed the plug directly above the lamp, sealed around the rear hatch latches twice and removed the ditch moldings and resealed where the top part of the roof is welded to the car. None of this has worked and I am sending my Lemon Letter to them tomorrow!

I bought my Pat Feb 2008. I have had a few issues with it. My first leak issue was in Dec/Jan and they couldn't find the problem. Then in June the water leak came back. Again they couldn't find anything. They said they wanted to take another look at it at a later date but I bet they won't find anything wrong with it then either. I have picture proof that it leaks! What do I have to do to actually get this stupid leak fixed. (I brought it in for the steering wheel click about 3-4 times already and they can't seem to fix that either!!)

I was talking to one of my grandmothers friends about my Jeep. He recommended me to another dealership. They FIXED my roof leak!! It says on the RO "found sunroof drain not fully connecting causing water to seep through.

I had taken it to the dealership I bought it from twice for that issue and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I took it for the steering wheel clock spring noise 3 times, I asked the new dealership to take a look at the spring, and he asked me where I had gotten it repaired because they only made 1 claim on the warranty! All I have to say to that is wow.

I was talking to one of my grandmothers friends about my Jeep. He recommended me to another dealership. They FIXED my roof leak!! It says on the RO "found sunroof drain not fully connecting causing water to seep through.

I had taken it to the dealership I bought it from twice for that issue and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I took it for the steering wheel clock spring noise 3 times, I asked the new dealership to take a look at the spring, and he asked me where I had gotten it repaired because they only made 1 claim on the warranty! All I have to say to that is wow.

is something I've wondered about. When talking to personnel at the 1-800 Chrysler help line they were surprised to learn about leaking--only 1 person had contacted them about leaks. Because dealerships charge the cost of warranty back to Chrysler I'm surprised something hasn't already been done to alleviate the problem. Daimler probably didn't intend to stay around very long once they had what they wanted and weren't interested in problems. The holding company wasn't any different either.

Here's hoping Fiat will stay the course.

I'm very happy to learn your Pat has been fixed.:banana:

I also found out that the dealership that I bought it from and originally got it serviced at broke the visor clip. They broke it and then glued it and didn't tell me or replace the part. When the new dealership went to put the visor back together, after fixing the leak, the clip broke. I was shocked when I found out. I may just have to write a letter to Chrysler about the dealership I bought it from. That sh*t is uncalled for what they did. I will NOT recommend them to anyone. But I will recommend Modern Mazda (in Thomaston, CT) to everyone!!!

My 2009 Patriot just started leaking I bought it bran new, less than 2,000 miles on vechile. Im so upset pay all that money now I start reading all this about the leak issues. Just discovered my first leak an hour ago in the front dome light. This is brutal!!!

After three trips to my dealership, i had a long talk with my Service Manager about the roof leak in my 08 Patriot. He searched through the Chrysler data base and, although there isn't a Recall or a Service Bulletin about the roof leaks, there is a "Tech Tip" which acknowledges that there is a problem with the gasket breaking down on the sunroof. This gasket, along with some critical specs for placement of the sunroof window seem to be the cause of the leaks.

He has ordered the new gasket for me (no part number available) and will personally supervise the placement of the window and the sunroof assembly. He also will drop the headliner to determine whether there is any water damage 0r mold in the headliner.

More info to follow after this 4th attempt!

LarryB
Cumming GA

couple of days of rain and noticed mine leaking too .The battle starts keep you posted. Damn !

There is a rapid response issued by Chrysler, concerning sunroof leak. Check with the dealer and make sure the repair has been done. They did mine upon delivery and so far no leaks.

Is that rapid response only for 2009 Pat or does it include the 2008 as well?

couple of days of rain and noticed mine leaking too .The battle starts keep you posted. Damn !

my dealer fixed my leak problem,it's been nealy 5 months now and no leak at all.have trust in your dealer he should know how to fix this problem.

Im in the same swimming pool. I got a brand new 2009 jeep patriot in mid august, i've noticed a leek from the cargo area dome light in mid september. I've been in and out of the garage mutiple times. They used silicone to seal the rear seams around the hatch door. The week after it was still leaking so they used the same silicone around the round plastic cap on the midle of the door seams. The third time they sealed the rubber pipe for the windshield fluid going to the back door. Well today after a rainny morning, the water is still pooring down. I went back to the dealership and talk to the sale director who sent me to a local bodyshop to try fix the problem. After an hour of pooring water on it they couldn't found the problem. Now the dealership want me to leave my car at the bodyshop for the weekend so they can take it appart. I've got a 27 000$ loan for a jeep that leaks water and is patch up full of sillicone. I've called chrysler canada twice this morning, the first agent suggested that i go to another dealership. The second service manager is trying to talk to the service manager at my original dealership. She is supposed to call ma back sometimes today. What the F&*K should i do?

i feel bad for you....you have no options. your loan is insane, and your car isn't even worth that much in terms of trade in value. your only option is to keep going back to a dealer, i'm not sure canada has lemon laws.

it really sucks like nothing else to see water inside of your car. and its just a matter of time for all patriots.

I don't think these leaks will ever be truly fixed. My Patriot had the front dome leak after only a few months. Took it to dealer ship and they said they replaced side drain hoses. Has been fine for about the past year, so I thought it was fixed. Had heavy snow here in mid atlantic and still was dry. Other day we had a little rain. Vehicle was parked in the same level spot in my driveway. Opened door to go to work and the passenger side pillar above the window was soaked. had gone all over the passenger seat (should be good with the heated seats option). So the leak was not in the front dome this time, but passenger side. Have been running it back forth to dealer for the past two weeks. Visors and headliner are all stained up from greasy hands of techs who care less. Supposed to pick it up today. Am 6K shy of the 36K warranty and a good $15K left in payments. Maryland's lemon law says first 18K miles. Not sure if I would have recourse from the first issue.

Wasn't your leak because of the sunroof? If so, rubles is a leak in the rear cargo dome light.

Another member is having this particular problem but she hasn't had a chance to get to the dealer to have a look at it. Initially, it could be a problem with the water supply line to the rear windshield wiper.

no, its not. My flashlight is leaking. And it only leaks when it rains, or when the snow is melting, or when i go to the car wash.

But at least the flashlight still works.

Dealer replaced the weather stripping on the sides today on my 08 Patriot. Somewhere in this site I saw some mention this was the cause of many of the issues and to re-snap it down. Anyone on this site know what the actual purpose for these side drain lines is? I can't see the reason for actually having these channels down the side.

The problem come from both side of body on the rear top corner the body sealer is not apply conformily a litle hole is on. Remove the body sealer on both side and apply the new body sealer on each side of them.

I'm chrysler technician my service manager after 5 th time the owner come whit the same trouble give to me to find the problem and I solved this.

I'm chrysler technician my service manager after 5 th time the owner come whit the same trouble give to me to find the problem and I solved this.

that's exactly what the technician at my dealer did,it's solved the problem, it's been 8 months now after the fix and no leaks.

Anyone seen a leak in the 2010 model?

I also have a Jeep Patriot. Well this is my 2nd. My 2008 had a leak from all of the ceiling lamps. I had brought it back 9 times before exchanging it for a 2009 Jeep Patriot thinking it was just a bad car. I had luck with my 2009 until today. Just under a yr of owning it-it is leaking through the front ceiling lamp AGAIN. I am at such a loss of what to do.

There are so many water leak threads out there I finally decided to create a post addressing the common causes and solutions for the knowledge base.

Sunroof (Courtesy Roberttroll)

Sunroofs should not leak. The holes are to drain away "incidental" water. Meaning morning dew on your roof blown inside. Water should not be getting past the outer seal. You can test your sunroof alignment using a piece of paper.

The sliding glass panel is designed to seal water entry with a snug fit between the roof and the seal. The fit can be checked by inserting a piece of paper between the roof and the seal. The piece of paper should have some resistance when pulled out when the glass panel is in the closed position. The sunroof housing will drain off a minimum amount of water. Excessive wind noise could result if the gap clearances are exceeded. The sunroof glass panel may need to be adjusted." (This would be completed by your dealer or by refer to Sunroof Glass Panel Adjustment in the Service Manual should you have one)

An easy way to rule out a sunroof leak is to run a bead of silicone around the edge of the sunroof. If it stops leaking then it is the seal. If I were out of options i would run a light bead of silicone on the inside edge, thereby creating a tighter roof/gasket seal.



Roof Rail Holes & Roof Welds


Refer to the leak detection guide. (see bottom of post)

Should this be the issue you will have water coming from your dome light(s). You may also see water in the foot wells as it would be running down the A pillars and side beams.

Moisture in the area behind the driver or passenger seatbelt coil (beside the door) also indicates water leaking from the roof.

This is easily repaired by completely removing the headliner AND completely removing the roof rack. Ask your dealer to show you your Patriot once these two items are removed. If they cannot, or will not go elsewhere. If they say they did and you did not see it, it did not happen.

When these items are removed the area surrounding the roof rack holes can be cleaned. Silicone can be placed around the holes and assembly and the rack can be put back on and screwed together.

On the top of the roof you will see to long strips of black plastic stripping. That covers the roof line welds. They can be completely removed. Silicone sealant can be applied and the strips put back on. Surprisingly there is no need to re-weld anything as a good quality natural silicone will last forever and also ensure you can take these strips back off if you ever need to do so.

In almost all cases after a leak the headliner will have to be replaced due to the risk of mold. If water has made it down to the floor boards / foot wells the carpeting will have to be removed and replaced due to the risk of mold. Have your dealer show you the old headliner and/or old carpeting. If they cannot, or will not they were not replaced.

You can pry off the scuff plate at the base of the door and pull back your carpeting. Slide your hand under the carpeting checking for moisture. If it is there the carpeting must be removed and the area made completely dry.


Water/Moisture in Footwell Only


This is likely a firewall or wiring harness gromet leak. To verify, it is important to check the A pillars (columns between the windshield and doors) for moisture. If you have no moisture there or coming from your dome light this is likely the cause. You can put a finger up and around the dome lights again checking for moisture.

No water or moisture in the roof area, however water on the floor board indicates a firewall, gromet or door weatherstripping failure. You can access these gromets by opening your driver door and looking into the fender area. You will see a large rubber gromet. Ensure it has not fallen out of place. Other gromets and holes through the firewall are accessable via the engine compartment.

In most cases you will require some dealer involvement to fix that issue, however because they do not own the Patriot themselves and likely do not care, it is best to tell them what to do and where to check. (sad but true)


Rear Tailgate/Liftgate Leak

Refer to the leak detection guide. (see bottom of post)

This is likely the easiest leak to diagnose and repair yourself. In fact I recommend doing this fix even if you do not have a leak !

Water is found in the spare tire area.

You will see two areas where water can pool leading to a leak. Between the two liftgate hinges right in the top centre of the door frame you will see a plastic button (painted the same color as the rest of your Patriot). This plastic button can leak around the edges. Clean around the button with rubbing alcohol. Using a high quality silicone sealant seal around the button.

You will see a tube supplying window washer fluid to the rear window. Using the same procedure above seal around the hose and gromet to body panel using silicone.

The weather stripping surrounding the door frame should also be checked and pressed into place. This rubber weather stripping is usually stuck onto the frame using a soft black tar substance. It works well, however if not applied correctly as the factory water can sneak past. You may request your dealer to completely remove the rear hatch weather stripping, re-apply the goo, then re-install a new weather stripping. The old weather stripping cannot be used unless you want leaks and black tar all over your interior in a couple days.


Click here: Leak Detection Guide (http://www.telusplanet.net/~homac/Jeep%20Patriot%20Leak%20Detection.pdf)


What next?
So either you or your dealer have completed all the items above, but you still leak. Now what?


Document each visit to your dealer.
Retain the invoices for each visit to your dealer, this invoice should detail the work completed.
Ensure your dealer shows you what they completed.
After two unsucessful attempts by the dealer, contact Chrysler and have them open a file. Request they contact the dealer.
If the dealer says the Lemon Law does not apply or there is nothing you can do, DO NOT BELIEVE THEM.
After three unsuccessful repair attempts, especially on a new Patriot it is Lemon Law time. Complete the paperwork/process detailed below:


Canada:
Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP) (http://www.camvap.ca)

United States:
Free Lemon Law Guide by State (http://www.free-lemon-law-guide.com/state-lemon-laws.php)
Consumer Affairs (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/lemon_law/)
Lemon Law Basics (http://www.lemonlawbasics.com/)

Yes, you will have to do some reading and yes it may take you a couple months but you will win. It is a huge pain to follow the process, but sometimes life is like that. You will also get a new Patriot or receive the purchse price back. There is no sense posting complaints about leak issues unless you have followed the process above.

.

i have on 08 patriot that had the same problem with the roof leak....i bought some multi use silicone and sealed up all the spots above the hatch door (that you can see when the hatch is open) where cables, etc run....i have not had any problems with leaking since....and it has been raining in Saskatchewan constantly!

Well after nine months of leak apparently going away it came back tonight on my way home from work in a light rain. How frustrating I will be taking it back to the dealership for the fifth time in a year this Friday. Water was pouring down out of my front dome light again all over my stereo and panel instruments. I bought my Jeep new in August of 2009 and continue to have leak problems with it. Very upset Jeep owner in Marquette, MI!!

Had anyone heard any leaking problems for the '10 patriots? i imagined they should had fixed the problems by '10 productions.

Hello Warren
My 2010 was delivered in October of 2009. So far, so good--NO LEAKS.:pepper: All well.

My Jeep was in the dealership the whole month of October no joke while they tried to get the water leak issue resolved. They replaced the entire sunroof and put in a new wind shield. I brought my 2009 Jeep Patriot in on October 1st, 2010 and got it back on November 1st. I then had it back until November 13th and it started leaking again. I brought it into the dealership again this Monday 11/15 and its still there as of today 11/19 with no eta. I'm now in the process of pursuing the lemon law. I would not recommend a Jeep Patriot with a sunroof to any one I have had nothing but leak problems since I purchased this Jeep in August of 2009. Very frustrating since I had 1997Jeep Grand Cherokee prior to this for eight years without any issues!!! Should have kept my clunker!!! Very upset Jeep Patriot owner!

Goodymt, you have more than my sympathy__you have my EMPATHY, 'cos I can practically match you date for date!

Rocal

The bizarre thing is, that from May 2008 until this Autumn (Fall) I've never had one moment of problems with the vehicle. I just don't get it...and neither does Chrysler/Mercedes of Stockton over here in the UK either...

YUP they leak... had mine for 2 weeks fully spec'd with 1500km, and had the following issues:

MyGiG system crapped itself and froze for 2 hrs
rear cargo area leaks, headliner ruined
front bonnet had a paint run from factory and caused a crack in the paint

i've showed the head service man, and head of jeep at the dealer.. dropping it off on monday...

hope they fix it, should have stayed with my nugget KJ...

I followed firemothjoe's instructions and no more rear dome light leak...
http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4720