Sunroof weather stripping falling apart.

[TonyJoe]

Went to wash my car the other day and realized that the rear part of my sunroof weather stripping is falling apart. Inspected it and realized it is very dry and crumbly. Still under bumper to bumper warranty and even purchased the premiere warranty. Being told by dealer that this is not covered due to "being exposed to weather." Well of course, it is "weather stripping" after all. Has anyone had success with this type of thing being covered on warranty? I wouldn't care so much except that it cost over $1,500 to replace

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[MavStangVa]

Unfortunately you probably will have to pay out of pocket. My late wife purchased a 2017 Jeep Patriot that the moon roof seals and the rear hatch seals leaked from day 1. Jeep replaced both seals under warranty with in the first month. 2 years later the moon roof started to leak and they said it was not covered because the repair was done correctly.

Sunroof seals are generally not covered under standard vehicle warranties unless the leak or damage is caused by a documented factory defect in materials or workmanship. Most manufacturers classify seals and drain maintenance as normal wear and tear.
Specifics on coverage include:

• Standard Factory Warranties: Typically cover the sunroof's mechanical tracks, motors, and glass for 3 years or 36,000 miles. However, because sunroofs are inherently designed to allow minimal water to bypass the seal and drain away, seal deterioration is usually considered owner maintenance.
• Extended Warranties: Most third-party extended warranties explicitly exclude water leaks and trim/seal deterioration.

That Jeep was the first and last vehicle I will ever own with a sun roof.

 

[TonyJoe]

I thank you for your input. Waited extra long for delivery of my 2023 Maverick hybrid and I rarely use the sunroof. Hard to justify the $1,500, even if just out of principle. Will apply some Sonax GummiPfleger to minimize further degradation for now.

 

[Cherokee]

FWIW my 2004 Escape’s sun roof still operates like new, no seal cracks of any kind.
229,800 miles and 22 years parked outside.
It never saw a garage, always out in the sun.
They/them just don’t build em like they use to.

 

[Meeka]

FWIW my 2004 Escape’s sun roof still operates like new, no seal cracks of any kind.
229,800 miles and 22 years parked outside.
It never saw a garage, always out in the sun.
They/them just don’t build em like they use to.

Just curious Cherokee, have you EVER had a vehicle that DID give you problems?

 

[MavStangVa]

Just curious Cherokee, have you EVER had a vehicle that DID give you problems?

If he did he probably took care of it the Old West way. He shot it in the head to put it out of his misery

 

[SafetyGuy]

If he did he probably took care of it the Old West way. He shot it in the head to put it out of his misery

I think he would indeed shoot it in the head (double-tap of course...we want to make sure they stay down) and it would be very publicly done, as a warning to all the other shoddy vehicles out there!



Have a great day, and may we all enjoy a vehicle that is NOT worthy of a double-tap.

Andy

 

[Cherokee]

Just curious Cherokee, have you EVER had a vehicle that DID give you problems?

Nothing major, meticulous maintenance.
Only two problem’s that cost near a thousand each,
First on a 1988 taco with the 22R, cooked the rear pickle. Commercial use, $850 @ about 200,000 miles. Sold it running perfectly @ 300,000 miles. Guy drove it past 400,000 then I lost track of him.

2000 Taco 4 banger. Steering rack blew a small seal, unit was not repairable, thanks Toyota !
$1,200 but it was commercial use also.
Totaled that one at 380,000 also running perfectly.

Crashed a few, blew an engine but I was bracket racing.
So that don’t count, 1970 Cuda.

Several pumps and starters and countless wear out items under the shade tree.
No biggie,
Couple of head jobs on my Camaro’s
I always prided myself on getting extremely high mileage.
My record was 528,000 on a 2008 2.7 Ltr Four banger Taco.
I wore it out literally.

 

[Cancunbadlands]

I never saw that before.
Try to escalate to a Ford regional manager.

Could it have been caused by all the harsh chemicals they use at drive-thru car washes? Rodents chewing?

 

[TonyJoe]

I never saw that before.
Try to escalate to a Ford regional manager.

Could it have been caused by all the harsh chemicals they use at drive-thru car washes? Rodents chewing?

Always taken to the neighborhood hand car wash bays. Usually just a quick soap, wax then rinse. Got rid of all the mice when we rented a large roll-off and threw everything out of the garage, most of which was destroyed by critter urine and teeth. Maverick was never in the garage until the little buggers were gone. There was a few times I drove on the highway with it in the up position that maybe contributed? I think it must be our hot and dry Colorado weather. Under 3 years so is still a bit ridiculous. IMO. I mean, where do they draw the line? Would it be considered defective if it fell apart after only 6 months, one year, 18 months? And then if you know it's going to be replaced every so often, why make it so darned difficult to fix. The labor is absolutely extrenuous.

 

[SafetyGuy]

Always taken to the neighborhood hand car wash bays. Usually just a quick soap, wax then rinse. Got rid of all the mice when we rented a large roll-off and threw everything out of the garage, most of which was destroyed by critter urine and teeth. Maverick was never in the garage until the little buggers were gone. There was a few times I drove on the highway with it in the up position that maybe contributed? I think it must be our hot and dry Colorado weather. Under 3 years so is still a bit ridiculous. IMO. I mean, where do they draw the line? Would it be considered defective if it fell apart after only 6 months, one year, 18 months? And then if you know it's going to be replaced every so often, why make it so darned difficult to fix. The labor is absolutely extrenuous.

Good day

That kind of damage already, really really sucks.

My only thought as to the cause is that it has been damaged excessively by the higher UV exposure you experience at higher altitudes in Colorado?

I am also wondering if that is an indication that maybe the stripping was from a batch that was not properly UV protected, as that kind of deterioration is excessive?

Whatever, I would suggest that anyone with a sunroof should be going out and getting some aftermarket spray or cream (with a good UV protectant in it) to regularly apply after every wash, for example.

The more sun your truck is exposed to heavy UV, the more important that the protectant is applied regularly.

I also concur that raising the contact point to higher in the Ford food chain may be a good idea to try.

Here are a couple of products I have and use on my vehicles for UV protection, etc.

This thread topic just reminds me to stay on top of this as well, even though I don't have a sunroof, we all have a lot of other weather seals.

Good luck to you in getting this addressed by Ford, I hope they come through for you.

Andy

 

[Gamma500]

Ouch! Sorry about that TonyJoe.

I’ve spent 20+ years in the automotive plastic and rubber industry.
If it’s dry and crumbly it means the rubber used was not manufactured with the appropriate amount of plasticizer oil (DPHP), and/or UV inhibitor. That’s a Ford quality control issue and in a perfect world they should come good for it. Good luck with that!

The Maverick is the first vehicle we’ve bought in the last twenty years that doesn’t have a sun roof. While shopping my wife reminded me we rarely use the option and they always fail, motor on one and weather stripping (leaks) on two.

I’ve come to appreciate a solid steel roof.

Sometimes less is best.

 

[MaverickDragon]

To echo @SafetyGuy 's post - The combination of western sun and mile plus altitude means sun damage is a going to destroy anything that isn't protected.
I'm in a similar environment. Rubber and vinyl dies quickly when left unprotected.

There is a huge UV exposure difference compared to a vehicle operating at a low elevation.
Protection of vulnerable components is a must.

 

[Gamma500]

I don’t care about elevation and UV rays.
I do believe if a vehicle is designed, built and sold in North America it better survive longer than three years in every region of North America!

 

[Lone Ridr]

Ford covers defects in Materials. Ask them how many of these seals have failed in less than 36,000 miles. The whole vehicle is "exposed to weather". They only excluded your weatherstrip and not the whole truck? Read the warranty carefully - I don't think Ford has an excuse. Present your case, be nice, they'll most likely fix it.

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