Honda Pilot Wet Carpet from Leaks

ivy427

Its been almost a year now since I purchased my 2003 Pilot. Since then, carpet keeps getting wet.
Had it serviced in September of 2006 and the service guy said water was coming from firewall, whatever that is. Meanwhile, the Pilot was sent back for service with the same problem. This time a water doctor looked over my Pilot said the problem was fixed. However, my carpet is starting to get wet again. Is anyone out there having this annoying problem?

cameramatt

Could be a plugged-up AC drain or check the firewall where the electrical comes through the wall. The plug could be missing, you could use some silicone caulk to plug the hole.
Newer models have had problems with water due to a bad weld in the firewall.

http://hondapilot.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16859&highlight=water

http://hondapilot.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6759&highlight=water+lea- king

ivy427

Thanks for your suggestion. This is an issue that needs to be fixed. There should be a recall on this matter.

saabgirl

This time a water doctor looked over my Pilot said the problem was fixed.

A "water doctor" is simply a guy with a garden hose who squirts the car hoping to find the source of the leak. You can do the same thing, probably better and without the hourly rate. Pay attention to what happens to water draining off the windshield -- i.e., under the hood, check to see if draining water finds any unsealed seams or missing plugs. You've been patient if you've been putting up with this for more than a year.

stever

Don't forget the bucket.



Interior Water Leaks Part 1 Testing for Leaks

Interior Water Leaks Part 2 Repairing Leaks

carguy70

Had this same problem with an accord. the fix was simply run the a/c on recirculate all the time and the evaporator (or whatever in under the dash) won't condensate and drip water on your carpet

ivy427

I don't think it has to do with the a/c. The problem with my pilot was that after it rained, water was coming from the A-pillar. After having it serviced 4 times, it's finally fixed. Thank god.

for more forums on wet carpet go to
http://www.hondapilot.org/forums/showthread.php?s=192a124ad05e3f58a732c7a5684b11- a9&threadid=16859&highlight=wet+carpet

peakay

if its coming form a source thats dripping, you can at least put down some of this carpet protection stuff to help keep the carpet dry (though you'll have to have something else there to soak it up). it helped me when i was havign sunroof problems

jaycee1018

Here is service bulletin issued by Honda.

link">http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/a07-010.PDF

defenselm

I've had the same problem for over 2 years now. I don't understand how Honda doesn't have any recalls on this problem! I have read so many people have the same problem and can't seem to find the exact cause. Of course It's out of warrenty. Honda Corp. said to bring it to a Honda dearlership. I can't afford their costs!! So we went to local mechanics. We were told it's the windshield, that it wasn't properly installed, so we replaced it, still problems. Next guy said the same, replaced windshield again cleaned out drains. Still problems. Next guy removed both front fenders and sealed anything & everything he could find. Still problems. It's going back in shop monday to check out what other areas that I have read in different forums. Maybe one will be the right one!

neener0625

Bought my 2003 Honda Pilot in 2009 and my floors are soaked after a heavy rain too. It's so annoying!! There really needs to be a recall on these vehicles.

defense3

EVERYONE who has this problem needs to call Honda Corp and put in a complaint! I also went on line to US DOT NHTSA and complained.
After 2 years and different mechanics, we still can't find the problem. It's not the A-pillar, not the AC drain or electrical comes through the wall, not the cabin filter, not the windshield.
We will try to find it ourselves whenever Boston decides to warm up and stop raining.

deeboo

depending on which side, the problem is the rubber molding at the lower corner on the cowl. the molding over time will degrade and shrink. water is supposed to be deflected or routed to the outer edge of the sheet metal. once the seal has been compromised, the water is routed toward the inner edge of the metal. once inside the water seeps down inside the cabin. the seeping water can be seen seeping thru the the hole on the drivers side kick panel. the drivers door can be opened while taking notice of this. my remedy was to clean of the mating surfaces very well and a tube of rtv silicone. seal it very well otherwise the water may find a way in. keep in mind the water has to be routed to the outboard side. let me know if this helps. the dealers couldn't find the leak and won't give me credit. I hope it helps out.

defense3

thanks Deeboo. But what is the cowl and where?

deeboo

the cowl is the plastic piece at the bottom of the windshield that covers the wiper motor assembly. the two pieces i'm referring to are on the lower windshield, left and right. carefully lift the rubber piece and you will see two pieces of sheet metal welded together. the outboard side is where the water should run. the inboard side is where the water goes in and ultimately into the cabin. i'm going to take pictures and i can email them if needed or i can upload them but not sure how. dboue31@gmail.com. and by the way, my passenger side carpet is wet as well. would be a good idea to do them both.

defense3

thanks. I just sent you an email so you can email me back the pictures.

stever

If you'll post the pics on your CarSpace page, then everyone who visits this discussion will be able to see them.

thanks!

deeboo

ok steve, good idea. I've posted the pic on carspace page. It won't cost anything but a tube of rtv, towels and time for the carpet to dry. don't forget a mild mildewcide and "no bleach". It will corrode your honda very fast.

defense3

thanks for the picture. I don't believe that's where the water is coming in, we've had those two area looked at & resealed before, but I will give it another look. thanks again!

stever

Thanks Deeboo.

Here's this post again for those who didn't start on the first page:

Interior Water Leaks

deeboo

defense3, I posted more pics on my carspace page. If you remove the drivers side kickpanel, lift the rubber seal from the lower left corner of cowl, then apply running water thru that entry point, shortly after you will see the water trickling into the cabin at the kick panel.

chris257

Hi,

Thanks for posting the link. Unfortunately I was unable to access it.
It there another way I can see this.

It looks like something I would want to show the dealer.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris

bgvoodoo

Deeboo. I am another member of the wet carpet club. I am new to this site, and trying to find the pictures you posted. Any chance you could direct me how to find them

sacorbi

Honda let me down. 2004 pilot leaks water, not only will Honda Care not cover the "structural" defect, they also say they will not cover any damage caused by the uncovered "structural" defect. If electrical system fails causing the sir bags not to work, too bad. Car always smells like wet dog. Dealer, O'Danial Honda of Omaha, even less help. Been a loyal Honda customer for years, no more, just bought a 2010 Jetta TDI.

I love the Jetta turbo, no leaks, and my friends and I don't smell like crap after riding in it + Great gas mileage.

05pilotowner

We have a 2005 Honda Pilot, we have had problems with water getting in mostly on the passenger side floor. we think we can see now where the water is coming in after removing some things to see. There is a tube surrounded by foam where it exits into the metal wall towards the door, up above the fuses on the passenger side that seems to connect to another sleeve that looks like it is connected through by the wheel well. It looks like the water is coming from either this black tube or the sleeve or foam where it connects on either end. We cannot tell what this tube is or where it goes- it doesn't seem to have any wires in it. It may be a drain tube??? it is very hard to get to, can you help us???

05pilotowner

Hi ivy427,
I know this is an old post for you, not sure if you will get this, but we have the same prob with wet carpet and have been trying everything- AC drains, silicone in the wheel well, checking the sunroof drain, and we think it may also be coming from the A-pillar. But we don't know how to fix it- Do you have any information about how and where they sealed it? We thought it must be coming down from above the passenger side door maybe and running down the pillar? Any help is appreciated!

05pilotowner

Hope your wet carpet is fixed, ours has been very frustrating! wondering where the pictures you were talking about in this post are? I don't know what you are referring to a carspace page? I was hoping to see if it is something we haven't tried yet. We have already replaced the windshield, along with many other things- any help is appreciated!

ajp5

Hi, bought it new, no real accident damage. Started to get wet front passenger side under carpet. Eventually saw it was coming from above the passenger side fuse box. Could not reproduce with a garden hose, only happened after sustained rains. I did consider the sunroof and drains but could not find anything wrong and I [non-permissible content removed]-umed that one would see a wet spot up there. Fast forward over a year, calls to Honda and Honda-Care (we don't care about ur leak) and several visits to Honda City In Levittown NY. Door seal replacement failed, nothing from the fender well. Found it taking apart the sunroof, "repaired leak from pass side sunroof tray".

No leaks from it since with two major rain storms. This is probably multifactorial (not just one cause in all vehicles). I consider the $300 they charged to replace the door seals fair as they spent much more than that to find the leak. I would recommend them and will be fighting Honda Care, this was a structural defect as far as I am concerned. alan

costi

Hi deeboo. Same water problem here. Do you still have the pics that would show the components described above?

lalo418

I was wondering how you finally were able to fix the leak since I currently have the same issue

hdatyp3r

.We have this problem with our 05 pilot, it just rained out here in cali for over a day and the leaking started again. we took it to the dealer in dec of last year after only having it a month and a half, they could not duplicate the leak so we must of left are windows down they said BS. I done a lot of research online. reported both to HONDA AND NHTSA no help from them!I hope to fix this myself with a buddy of mind before it really starts to pour out here, wish me luck

tpulos

How can I access the photos of where to fix the Honda Pilot leaks? We have TWO 2004 Honda Pilots and they both leak on both sides. I tried using the link in these forums but it just takes me to the main Edmonds page and I don't know how to access your Carspace page. Thanks for your help!

tpulos

How do I access photos on your Carspace page so that I know where to apply the RTV silicone to help prevent leaks? I clicked on links in prior posts but none work (including a Honda Service Advisory which I was really eager to read.... said I was "not authorized" to open the PDF... frustrating!) We own TWO 2004 Honda Pilots and both leak in the same areas - driver & passenger side carpet. Thanks for your suggestions & help!

stever

CarSpace was retired and all the photos went away. Sorry!

bud57

My 03 Pilot leaks on both sides also, and I have taken the front seats out, carpet, and the console. I soaked the car with water hose and nothing showed up. I ran the defrost and nothing. I,m taking it to the carwash tomorrow for more water pressure. Check back for an update. I am determined, I WILL FIX THIS LEAK.

andiellen

Well, here's what we found... There are drain holes in the front corners of the sun roof opening. There are tubes that run down to the front fender wells. Thing is, they don't run to the BOTTOM, they come out about a foot ABOVE the floorboard! Then, there is a hole at the very bottom of the fender well that the water is supposed to drain out of. The problem with this is that the genius engineers did not seal off the fender wells - they are completely open to the engine compartment. When we looked in the wells - they were FULL of leaves that had blown in from the engine compartment. So, of course that plugged up the drain hole. When the water came out of the tube, since it couldn't drain out....
We cleaned out the wells, and, unable to think of anything else, we used spray foam to fill the opening from the engine compartment to keep more leaves from getting in. I know DARE someone at Honda to laugh at the foam if I have to take it in to them for anything!
Hope this helps!!!

cooldeez

Hello,
After my father asked me to take a look at his 05 Pilot to determine where the water on the floorboards was coming from. I quickly looked through some of the posts here and started to perform my own investigation. What I found was a trail of deposits coming from a hole in the interior body just behind the hood latch release on the interior driverside. Inside the hole there are deposits as well. I figured that if I filled the hole with water and then started to spray water on the exterior I might be able to narrow down the choices because I would be able to quickly see a rise in water level. I was never able to introduce additional water. I then took a water hose from the outside, with the inner fender well plastic removed and the mud flap I sprayed water directly on each seam and noticed that my water level started to drop. Somehow I was able to help it drain, so with that I started to hit the seam with air pressure. Apparently there was enough debris in the seams that when I added more water to the interior compartment it just flowed right out the seams. I have not been able to get the same compartment to hold water yet. I assume that the factory needed to seal the seam edges, which is where the run-off water from the above windshield drain runs over on its way to the mud flap. I took some seam seal and filled the entire exposed seam. I am leaving the interior panels off in both corners to monitor the progress. I repeated the same repair process on the passenger side, with seam seal to the seam edges. Hope this helps. I took photos of the entire process just incase someone might need them.

andiellen

I'm not familiar with seam seal. And yes, would like to see pics of what you did. (andiellen@hotmail.com)

Thanks!

cooldeez

I sent you an email with pics, if you do not receive let me know.

cooldeez

After my repairs to the 05 Pilot I took it for a long drive in the pouring rain and could not detect any more water on the floorboard. I believe that would be referred to as "Problem Solved" for now. If I hear of any more issues I will be sure to update you, but for now....its not in my garage.

jbstrawb

I'd like to get those pictures as well. Thanks in advance.

cooldeez

What is the best way to send the photos to you?

stever

If you'll put your pics on Flickr or tinypics or some other photo hosting site and link to them, then anyone visiting here in the future will be able to find and view them.

Thanks!

shooter95650

Any chance I can get those pictures as well? Here's my email address: jakehodgkin@hotmail.com

carproblems88

Can you post the pictures for all of us. Thanks.

cooldeez

I would love to...however I cant seem to figure out how. I have tried repeatedly to post a link but I doesnt seem to work on this forum. So instead of sending people on links to nowhere I figure I can send the picture pretty easy too...

cris45

Hello Shooter, I have the same issue with my 05 pilot.. Any chance you can send me those pics too? criss42@live.com. THANKS!

airhedd

I've got the same wet carpet issue. If you still have pics, can you send them to me?

andiellen

My leak was caused by leaves coming in from the non-sealed engine compartment and piling up in the fender well just in front of the driver door (some on the passenger side, but not nearly as bad). Some genius engineer decided to run the drain for the sunroof down into the fender wells. Not all the way to the bottom - that would have actually made sense. The tube comes out several inches above the bottom of the well. Sooo, when the leaves filled up the bottom where the drain hole was - of course the water from the sunroof couldn't drain out so it backed up and into the floor of the passenger compartment. We cleaned all the leaves out and, cause we couldn't think of another way - used the expanding spray foam to seal where the leaves were coming in from the engine compartment. Yeah, it looks pretty hokey when you open the hood - but the carpets are dry and the car no longer floods or stinks! :-)

cooldeez

Here is a link to the pictures I took during the repair process. I can still say that even now, my repair is still keeping the interior dry. I live in the NW so needless to say we have plenty of opportunities to test my repair. If you have any further questions please feel free to message me.

link">http://sdrv.ms/Tmrk4T

imaduner

cooldeez - Could you send me pics/info on your leak repair please Thank you imaduner@yahoo.com