Stonebone, Welcome, but sorry you are having a problem. I found this forum when I had the leak problem, too. It's been a huge help every since.

I don't know if this will help, but back in the 90's, I had an S-10 Blazer that had a leak due to an accident (not mine) and poor repair of a rear window. One day the dome lights came on and wouldn't go off, and I think the radio was acting crazy, I don't remember it was so long ago. Anyway, it turned out to be that the wires running under the carpet had corroded due to the water leak and were shorting out.

Since you have the optional "Domelight Shower Group" installed, too, it might be affecting your wiring. Check under the carpet for shorts/corrosion. Just a thought?

 

Thank you for your responding so fast. I'm currently sitting at my computer, staring through the window at my sad jeep with its hood sitting propped open. I'm using this thread as a way of getting suggestions and ideas should the dealership try to take advantage of me. I'm going outside to poke around the interior wiring now

P.S.
Check out the video I posted. I will be posting another shortly of my leak in action!

Thank you!

 

Check the wires on the driver side under the carpet. Most folks found out that one of them can get corroded especially if there was a leak.

 

OK, so I pulled up the floor-mat on the driver's side and the only wires I could see were the fat bundle of wires running along the sidestep. From the surface, I couldn't really feel too much moisture on the carpet, but once I pulled the carpet back and felt underneath, the carpet seemed soaked all along the harness. Could there be corrosion beneath the coating of the wires due to this?

Below is a CAD image I generated to more accurately represent my current situation.

 

Not sure if the moisture would penetrate through the wire coating but I'd use a fan or hair dryer to dry the area around the connections.

 

Love the drawing! Dumb question, what did you unscrew to get the carpet up?

Agree with jeep_now, the connectors would corrode first, check them first. There are also reports on here about wires getting pinched somewhere in the kick panel (between dash and door jamb), I would check there, too.

 

You have to pull the footrest off (you won't break it) and underneath the footrest cover is a reinforced block that's held to the floor with 10mm nuts.
I will check the contacts tomorrow. Thank you!

Have you done anything recently like drill a hole or use knife to cut anywhere in the car? This could have cut some wires. Is there an aftermarket radio or trailer wiring kit that someone may have wired in that maybe had some wires come loose? I always try to think back to the last thing I may have done that may have caused the problem.

Negative. I've made no modifications to this vehicle whatsoever. I didn't want the nightmares that could potentially come from taking risks like tha....oh...umm never mind.

It looks like there's some kind of factory installed 12ga wire coming from the positive terminal of the battery. This was the first wire I thought was the culprit. I followed it all the way back to the rear of the car. i think its the factory installed hitch connection.

Checking your ground locations is a good start. I’m not sure of all the spots these vehicles have grounds grouped together. Some can be in out of the way places. Any place you see corrosion will need a good cleaning.

From the places I could visibly see, it appears as though everything is snug as a bug. I'll have to make my way to the other contacts at a later time.

Any wires going from the body to the door or hatch can be a source for pinched or cut wires. Jiggle the rubber conduit housing the wires at these locations and see if one changes your problem.

I will attempt this tomorrow. Thank you for your help. I will keep this thread updated the best I can. I work two jobs and my car breaking down has stressed me out to the max. Seeing replies from people trying to help me here definitely boosts my spirits. Thanks guys!epper:

I dont think its that harness down on the floor board. With what you have described, it sounds like a loose connection at the TIPM or even a bad TIPM.

I have read some stories about that freaking module. Ugh just give me wires and relays any day over this hunk of expensive crap.

Thanks everyone

 

Have you done anything recently like drill a hole or use knife to cut anywhere in the car? This could have cut some wires. Is there an aftermarket radio or trailer wiring kit that someone may have wired in that maybe had some wires come loose? I always try to think back to the last thing I may have done that may have caused the problem.

Checking your ground locations is a good start. I’m not sure of all the spots these vehicles have grounds grouped together. Some can be in out of the way places. Any place you see corrosion will need a good cleaning.

Any wires going from the body to the door or hatch can be a source for pinched or cut wires. Jiggle the rubber conduit housing the wires at these locations and see if one changes your problem.

Sometimes when my wife moves the power seat far forward and up in our envoy the entire dash warning lights go crazy. I can wiggle/push/pull the wires under the seat and the problem will vanish. There is probably a bad wire in one of the cables under the seat, but it only happens once or twice a year so until it gets worse I’m not going to pull the seat off.

 

I'll be watching this thread with interest to see how this comes out. Do I have this same prob? No. but it sure is damn weird....
edit...low, bad battery?

 

I dont think its that harness down on the floor board. With what you have described, it sounds like a loose connection at the TIPM or even a bad TIPM.

 

Did it rain just before this started happening? I would be prone to suspect water finally got into something it shouldn't have. Maybe into something that shorted the TIPM? My next thought would be to start checking the ground connections, perhaps with it leaking so much one or two of them may have corroded, and now the low drain, constant on functions are hunting for ground through other systems (like the antitheft system, which would trigger lights and what not).

 

Yes! As a matter of fact it did rain right before this happened. The TIPM shorting out is exactly the direction I was heading in. I would hate to take it to the dealership and have them replace that stupid thing, only to have it happen again as a result of the short..

 

stone, here is a link to a thread on here about the sunroof leak. The weed-whacker line through the drain hoses to clean them worked perfectly for me - no more indoor showers in over a year! The drains are just poorly designed and too small.

LINK: http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50435

 

I notice with my 4 month old Pat that there are random noises coming from inside the dash after turning the vehicle off. They usually only last a moment or so and I have shrugged it off as simply the vehicle's electrical system fully powering down. Anyone else notice these sounds?

 

Depending on the radio - it takes some time for the hard drive to spin down and park the heads.

 

stonebone-
have you spoken to the dealer/taken it in yet?

 

UPDATE!

Sorry for the late response. I had a lot going on in my life when this jeep decided to show its true colors. Two days after my initial post, the water dried up from inside the jeep enough to where it wasn't affecting the ECU/shorting something out in the cabin. When I called the dealership to see if anything like this would be covered (since it was an ongoing issue from before my warranty expiration) they flat out said NO. After asking the manager what my options were, he simply told me to take it up with chrysler. I was given their corporate phone number and he hung up on me. I called chrysler the next day and they took my information and had a case number generated for me. About another day after that, a representative (I feel bad for not remembering her name) who was very kind, listened to the issue and told me to take my vehicle to the dealership to have my vehicle serviced at no charge. Since my car was finally running, I was able to drop my vehicle off that night while the dealership was closed. I received a call back the next day and the dealership told me I could pick my vehicle up and that there would be an $80 service charge :wow:. I spoke with the chrysler rep and she said there was nothing that she could do about the $80 charge and that the charge was at the discretion of the dealership.

I arrived later that day to pick up my vehicle and I asked about what was done. After beating around the bush and speaking with multiple people in the repair dept. they finally came up with this answer: all cars with sunroofs leak and that all they did was blow out the 4 drain tubes from the sunroof with compressed air. I went out to inspect my car before paying the $80, and lo and behold it was actively raining outside. I saw the water leaking through the sunroof at a rapid rate and brought that to their attention. They stated that sunroofs are supposed to do that :| . I was so furious at the time that I decided to pay the damn $80 and just gtfo out of that dump.

The dealership I went to is in a large college town so my assumption is that their customers typically buy a car and move out of town before needing any real service OR they come from another town and need their car serviced there. They have no allegiance to the chrysler brand as a whole because they don't want to service the cars which originate from other dealerships. That would represent a cost to the dealership, with no perceivable gain. They weigh each customers level of service based upon the potential for the customer to stay in the town and purchase another vehicle from that specific dealership.

They treated me like garbage, left blood stains in my car, stained the headliner with grease, and my car still leaks the same as it day since day one. I have to park at an angle with the rear lower than the front whenever I think it's going to rain, so that the water runs to the back instead of draining to the front. My floor mats get soaked throughout the entire vehicle with each downpour and my car constantly smells like a wet dog. I'm just waiting for this water leak to transform into some kind of rust issue or, worse, short the engine out again, leaving my without a car...again.

While this horrible experience was going on, I was working two jobs at over 60 hrs a week and it was terribly difficult to have a car in non-working order because of a stinking water leak. Since then, I've noticed that a new service bulletin has been posted by chrysler on the actual fix for my issue :icon_rolleyes: (seal the drain pan and replace the drain tubes)SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: 23-005-13.

Now I work a single job and make a considerable amount of money. I was thinking about buying my dream vehicle: a new Jeep Wrangler. What do you guys think I should do?

 

Stonebone.. It really sucks to hear what you had going on. I cant believe they didn't fix the sunroof correctly for you. If i was you i wouldn't have paid for the repairs until it was fixed.

As far as the Patriot goes.. If it were me and I've had that kind of trouble. Id be trading it in on something else. This is why I purchased the extended warranty when i bought my Pat.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App

 

The quality of workmanship they offered under the mfg warranty didn't persuade me to purchase the extended warranty. I am very close to trading it in on the wrangler. I wonder if this dealership would like my leaky patriot...hah. However, fool me once...

 

If the problem was documented while it was still under the 3/36 warranty it doesn't matter if you are now out if it was never fixed. Chrysler has an obligation to fix it( and any other problems it caused like your electrical issues ). I also urge you to try another dealer as the one you have been going to sounds like a bunch of idiots.

Contrary to the dealer telling you all sunroofs leak the truth is no they don't. Certainly what you are experiencing can not be classified as normal. As bad as that leak is it may be an alignment issue with the sunroof or the rubber roof seal could be bad too. That is way too much water getting in to be normal.

FWIW I have a 2011 Patriot w/ sunroof and no leaks at all. If I go through the high pressure car wash and have the headliner panel slid back I don't even get a drop through( sunroof closed obviously )never mind a waterfall like you get from simple rain( or a hose ). I have done it a couple times just to see if any water gets through and nothing does.

As far as the floors getting wet it sounds like your drain tubes are clogged or kinked as others have said. Pop off the a-pillar trim and you can see them. It is a clear tubing that runs from the sunroof down the a-pillar and out under the vehicle. Using some weedwhacker line to snake down through them if clogged will clear them. Just be careful not to poke a hole or cause the tube to come unhooked or something.

 

FWIW I have a 2011 Patriot w/ sunroof and no leaks at all. If I go through the high pressure car wash and have the headliner panel slid back I don't even get a drop through( sunroof closed obviously )never mind a waterfall like you get from simple rain( or a hose ). I have done it a couple times just to see if any water gets through and nothing does.

As far as the floors getting wet it sounds like your drain tubes are clogged or kinked as others have said. Pop off the a-pillar trim and you can see them. It is a clear tubing that runs from the sunroof down the a-pillar and out under the vehicle. Using some weedwhacker line to snake down through them if clogged will clear them. Just be careful not to poke a hole or cause the tube to come unhooked or something.

I think it is an age issue or use maybe the seal fails, to me it seams that the seal is kinda thin, a thicker seal would be great. I had no leaks in my patriot until it hit the 3 year mark, magically. however it doesnt leak bad probably a cup or so of water. people talk about the lines kinking. I do not beleive it is possible this tube is semi-rigid, corregated and big around as your pinky, mine are not clear they are black, so maybe they did a design change. weedwacker line will not help much because it cannot get thru the of the tube. it appears there is a one-way valve at the end that debri will stop it up, I am thinking about sticking an awl into the end of it....however if I can keep the water getting past the seal then it would not be necessary...I would also like know what dealerships are fixing these out of warranty..haha 2 different states..sure they will do the tsb but they will charge me

 

stonebone - please PM me your VIN or case number.

 

Stonebone - give JeepCares a shot. He is a good guy who will try and help you out. He has helped other members who have had problems with crappy dealers.

 

Just spitballing here...

Is it possible that the door drain holes as well as the sunroof are clogged? There are also drain holes at the bottom of the doors. I would check those also. Good luck and a thanks to Lee for his intervention! Hope he's still here when I need him!

Also, just wanted to add that for vehicles still under warranty it is imperative that the dealership document what the issue is and what they did to find and fix it. You need this paperwork if it comes down to having to use the Lemon Laws. Here are the requirements for NYS but check with your own state authorities for your requirements. From experience I can tell you that these laws work and at no cost to you. 2007 Subaru Forester with emissions issues if you're asking.

http://www.ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/new-car-lemon-law-fact-sheet

 

What a sh*tty Dealer! Real a-hole. I hope "JeepCares" can help you. As for me, I have had nothing but bad experiences with my Patriot, as well as other vehicles at Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge dealers. This will be my last "Chrysler/Fiat" vehicle.

 

PM'ed JeepCares my VIN number.

 

Best of luck my friend.

 

I don't know about where everyone is from but my family has unfortunately dealt with 2 lemon cars a 2011 ford 150 a 2013 Cadillac cts coup recently. The ford f150 had knocking coming from the engine bay my dad took it in and they replaced the heads. it kept making the knocking noise so he took it in and they replaced the sensor and it was still knocking he called his lawyer and his car fit under as a lemon cause the problem could cause the vehicle to stop suddenly with engine problems happening. He had the option to get a brand new vehicle or the dealership counter offered to give him a rental car of his choice with gas paid, a brand new engine and the warranty on the drivetrain and bumper to bumper was reset as if he just bought the car they also threw in a bunch of oil changes and he got a settlement of a few thousand dollars. The cadilac had a leaking sunroof it was taken in once and replaced kept leaking taken in again called lawyer and she got a brand new car. If something wrong with the car could cause injury and not fixed by the dealership within 1 attempt its a lemon at least where i am at. Leaking sunroof electric problems = possible serious injury

 

Sgtarky, are you sure there is a one-way valve at the end of the drain tubes? Have you seen it? I can't find the end of my front tubes, but I don't see why they would need a one-way valve. I do have success with snaking my tubes with wacker line, it keeps them open for over a year sometimes.

 

not sure it is oneway valve because it is hard to get to, its on the firewall by the shock tower. when I put .80 weed eater line down the tubes it bangs on it wont go any further. I think they are similar to the ones in the hatch area, you have to move the line around a bit to get it to go thru, and that is out in the clear. I have had it clog 2 times.

 

I wonder what causes a few of the patriots sunroofs to leak... yet most patriot owners sunroofs to be water tight dry as a bone for years and years?
I have sprayed a high preasure sprayer right on my sunroof seal and still can't get it to leak.
Is it the glass manufacturer that made a few of the glass pieces to small? was there a bad batch of seals that go around the glass? is it the sunroof motor that stops before the glass is properly seated?

 

That's because you are looking at it from the wrong side. Have someone pour water on the seals and with the glass cover retracted while kneeling on your seat, head touching the glass look around the seals and watch it drip/pour into the sunroof trade and drain via the holes on the corner.

 

Update!
The dealership never fixed the Jeep and I tried responding to JeepCares when he originally contacted me. I don't know if there are blocks against sending PMs when you only have so many posts, but the problem still persists and I never received a response from JeepCares. So far, it's my belief that Jeep doesn't care. They never cared. Below is an updated video of what happened after today's rainstorm. I learned to park on hills with my rear bumper angled downhill, so that the water doesn't short out any electronics. The alternator pulley went bad at 53,000 miles and jeep wanted $400+ for a replacement alternator. Jeep does not supply the alternator pulley as a separate item, but they were willing to admit that the alternator pulley was a wear and tear item (WTF?). What was I thinking when I bought this piece of crap? Grab some popcorn and check the video below for the flood footage!

 

Since the Jeep was still under warranty during your first several repair visits, you should have continued taking it back to the Jeep dealer, documenting every repair attempt until you met the conditions of the Lemon Law in your state.

Then, with paperwork in hand, any Lemon Law lawyer working pro bono (no cost to you) would have gotten Chrysler to buy back your vehicle and return all your money, maybe less the mileage you put on it.

I did this many years ago on my daughter's first generation Neon that had a trunk leak they could not fix after multiple repairs. The Lemon Law is there to protect you in these situations, but you have to follow the process to a T.

Every mfg. has lemons. I recently read about a new Cadillac owner and they could not resolve his "infotainment" radio problems.

Sorry to hear about your problems.

And, regarding the alternator pulley, there is a replacement. There are threads all over the place about it: http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63235 and http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127865

 

Thank you for the advice, but the lemon law does not apply to used vehicles in the state of Florida. (hxxp://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/Main/d7fd3229d5c3eba985256cc9005c784b). I have already performed the repair of the alternator pulley at a cost of $50 to me. Thank you for taking the time to let me know what options I might have. At this point, my mind has been made about Chrysler and I am here to spread the word about this awful company.