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Sunroof leaks?

12K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  DocCyphre 
#1 ·
I've seen quite a bit of threads on this issue with the Patriot. My 2012 has a sunroof. I didn't have any reservations about ordering it with on because my 2008 Dodge Caliber SXT had one and it never leaked.

I'm curious to know from those who have or had leaky sunroofs, what was the event prior to the leak manifesting itself?
 
#5 ·
Hey DocCyphre

It's been nearly 6 months now with 11000 km on it and no leak whats so ever. I do have the sunroof but I beleive Chrysler made some changes on the 2010 and 2011 to avoir this kind of problem,
Please look around in this site and you'll find plenty info about that issue and how people got rid of it.

:)
 
#7 ·
So far so good

It's rained here over the past week with no sunroof leak issues. Flash flooding is common in my neck of the woods.
 
#8 ·
Ive had my Pat since september now and its only leaked once. After a huge rain fall here in New Brunswick I was driving and stopped at a red light and the motion caused water to come out of the interior dome light. It wasn't much but it definitely caught me off guard. Its rained since then but hasn't happened since.
 
#9 ·
My '07 has the sunroof, but it has only leaked once, all over my dash and radio, which then caused the radio to not work until it dried out. Since then, I use a small diameter clear plastic tube about 4 ft long that I push down the drain holes and then blow low pressure compressed air through. Since the tubing doesn't go all the way through, the compressed air clears out the rest of the drain.
 
#10 ·
You guys are wrong saying that all sunroofs leak. I had a 1992 Honda Accord, 2006 Isuzu Rodeo and my wife has a 2010 Honda Accord. All have the same type of sunroof and they never leaked once. We get very heavy rain storms in NC too. So I've had cars for over 14 years with sunroofs and never had a leak, until I got my 2009 Jeep Patriot.

My 2009 Jeep Patriot started to leak when it was one year old. I had the dealer replace the seal, since they thought it might help and they cleaned out the tubes, but within a year it started to leak again.

I can't figure out where it gets clogged, cuz I don't see any drains when I open the sunroof and look around inside of the frame part.

Anyone got a photo to show where the drains are?

Thanks,
Wes
 
#11 ·
I have a 2010 with a sunroof and have never had a leak. We get some pretty strong rains during monsoon season but I have not had any problems.
 
#12 ·
A year ago, I brought my 2011 Jeep Patriot to a car wash. The sunroof was closed, however while going through the car wash, water started pouring through the sunroof and the light fixtures, instantly causing an electrical short and damaging the roof liner and the car stereo. I immediately brought the vehicle to the local Jeep dealership. They kept my car for two days and called me to explain that "the car had dried out so you can come pick it up." I told them that I was hesitant to pick the car up because there would surely be additional damage that would need to be investigated. They assured me that everything was fine. When I picked up my car the stereo and lights still did not work. Frustrated, I called the Jeep Corporate Customer Service line. The representative explained to me that Jeeps were not meant to be taken into car washes. Surprised, I asked her how Jeep can manufacture off-road vehicles that cannot be washed. She replied that I could get a bucket and hand wash my vehicle. Now, even more frustrated, I decided to take my car to an out-of-state dealership to have them take a look at it. They had it for several days and called to tell me there was nothing wrong with it and I could pick it up. Once again, I picked up the vehicle and the lights and stereo still did not work. Out of frustration, I gave up on the issue for awhile until I was driving down the highway and water started pouring through the sunroof and fixtures once again- distracting my driving because water is pouring everywhere. I promptly brought my vehicle back in to the local dealership. They called and told me they found a piece of painter's tape in the sunroof from some recent painting to my car I had done. I approached the paint shop with no reply. Today, the car started leaking through the sunroof and fixtures causing water to stream down the inside of the windshield, limiting my vision while driving. My car is still not fixed because Jeep is unwilling to acknowledge that there is a problem.
 
#14 ·
?????

I've seen quite a bit of threads on this issue with the Patriot. My 2012 has a sunroof. I didn't have any reservations about ordering it with on because my 2008 Dodge Caliber SXT had one and it never leaked.

I'm curious to know from those who have or had leaky sunroofs, what was the event prior to the leak manifesting itself?
I'll bring this thread back to life. I'm considering a 2011 Caliber to replace the MIL's Saturn. The one I'm looking at has a sunroof. Anybody know if many Calibers had similar problems to what some Patriots had?
 
#15 ·
As someone mentioned above, sunroofs inherently leak. Their design forces the water down the roof rails so that it doesn't pool and leak into the car. If the path gets clogged - leaves under the drip mouldings, for instance - that's when leaks can start. Same thing if the gaskets get worn/dry.
 
#17 ·
That's probably right. They must do some testing on these things before they go into production and gut-level says most should be all right. Still, this particular vehicle that I'm looking at shows a lot of rust on the spare tire/wheel in the storage compartment. That's enough to spook me. I don't want a $15,000 sieve.
 
#16 ·
In 5 years of my Patriot ownership I have never had an interior leak from the sunroof. The secret for me is to always clean the rubber seal and metal lip area and to keep the seal conditioned.

Also, periodically making sure the drains aren't clogged by running weedwacker line or compressed air through them helps greatly as well as checking sunroof alignment and height. I've done it for years on all my sunroof-equipped vehicles and haven't had an issue yet.
 
#18 ·
Never had a leaky sunroof with my 2008 Dodge Caliber or 2012 Jeep Patriot

I've never had a sunroof leak. The Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Patriot all use the same sunroof design. My former Caliber and Patriot have been through car washes without issue. I've driven them both in below freezing weather up to northern Utah without issue.
 
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