Water leakage with tonneau covers

[Blue_Max]

I wish Ford would share the sealing method, . Since I bought off the lot I have to go aftermarket and install myself. Is there weatherstripping across the cab by the window?

Sort of.

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[Edge Haley]

My 2022 XLT is 3 1/2 yrs old and I've been thru some downpours driving cross-country. Have the Gator Tri-fold, like the one above, and have never had water get in the bed. The tri-fold came with self-adhesive thick rubber trim tape that you attach to the bottom edge of the tonneau and 3 separate trim pieces for attaching around the tailgate..I do get a little dust in thru the tailgate when traveling on dirt roads.

Home Depot/Lowes and larger automotive parts stores also sell self-adhesive rubber trim by the foot.

 

[Blue_Max]

Do you get water in the gaps of the side rails? The cab makes sense. Does it weep there any? I considered one with additional rails but thought, wrongly apparently, they would be more likely to leak. Thanks for the pictures.

I get some water in, but as I said, it's at least 95% effective. We can get some very heavy rain here in Florida, and I park outside. I imagine as the rubber seals dry out, it will leak more.

The first time it rained after I got the truck, I paid attention, and I would say the water that got in could be measured in a few tablespoons. After browsing this forum for several months while waiting for my truck, I was expecting much more water intrusion.

 

[imboden013]

I tried the search feature and little popped up about this. So here it goes. Has anyone found a good solution to channel water from the bulkhead area to the side rails then away from the canyon Ford designed into the plastic side rail caps? Ford engineers in the infinite wisdom, and I guess I should cut them some slack since Ford never designed a truck before, thought it would be a good idea to make the outer edge of those trim pieces higher than the bed side so ALL water funnels to the bed. I wish I had paid more attention to this aspect of the truck before I bought it. My 2014 F-150 was 99.5% water tight with a trifold hard cover. With the Maverick I will need to put anything I want to keep dry in a water tight tote, which I already owned so defeats the purpose of the cover, or accept it getting as wet as if there was no cover. I watched with the tailgate down and a bucket of water poured on the cover and water shoots out of those canyons like Niagara falls. Okay not really but you get what I mean. So if anyone has gotten their Maverick even 95% water tight let me know. The tailgate gap is another point but I understand why it is there.

Mine is almost leak free, I installed a cheap soft roll up cover($130). Before install I filled those 2 bed seams on front rail and 2 grove where the plastic side bed cap come together with silicon caulk. I let it set for a couple days to set up then trimmed flush with razor blade. Then I installed cover loosely and made sure it was square up on bed rail and pushed it back about 3/4 -1 inches of from window. Then I tightened clamps in stages so it didn’t warp cover rails. When I close tailgate I latch cover down first, run my palms along sides so Velcro is fastened good it takes a bit of effort to close tailgate but it leaks very little. I was rereading this and saw I failed to mention that I did add a foam strip to front bulk head before setting the cover down on rails. I had a friend tell me I should have moved the cover a little more forward as it’s a bit tight to close tailgate and I have to have tailgate open to latch back of cover, but it doesn’t leak back there so. Leaks just a tiny amount at sides at back. Been planning on tightening the clamps and maybe add a couple of extras in that area.

 

[NoVaJimmy]

Some people probably should have just purchased an SUV. No such thing as a water tight bed/tonneau cover.

 

[Nittany]

I tried the search feature and little popped up about this. So here it goes. Has anyone found a good solution to channel water from the bulkhead area to the side rails then away from the canyon Ford designed into the plastic side rail caps? Ford engineers in the infinite wisdom, and I guess I should cut them some slack since Ford never designed a truck before, thought it would be a good idea to make the outer edge of those trim pieces higher than the bed side so ALL water funnels to the bed. I wish I had paid more attention to this aspect of the truck before I bought it. My 2014 F-150 was 99.5% water tight with a trifold hard cover. With the Maverick I will need to put anything I want to keep dry in a water tight tote, which I already owned so defeats the purpose of the cover, or accept it getting as wet as if there was no cover. I watched with the tailgate down and a bucket of water poured on the cover and water shoots out of those canyons like Niagara falls. Okay not really but you get what I mean. So if anyone has gotten their Maverick even 95% water tight let me know. The tailgate gap is another point but I understand why it is there.

I've had very little leakage in my 2+years of owning my '23 XLT with my tri-fold top. Driven through massive storms with little to no water in my bed.

 

[NoVaJimmy]

Or the manufacturer should not advertise water tight! Thanks for your "useful" information. What year, trim, and engine is your Maverick?

Caveat emptor. No such thing as a water tight tonneau, I don't own a Maverick.....anymore.....thankfully

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Caveat emptor. No such thing as a water tight tonneau, I don't own a Maverick.....anymore.....thankfully

And yet, you're still here??

 

[Kilonen]

I tried the search feature and little popped up about this. So here it goes. Has anyone found a good solution to channel water from the bulkhead area to the side rails then away from the canyon Ford designed into the plastic side rail caps? Ford engineers in the infinite wisdom, and I guess I should cut them some slack since Ford never designed a truck before, thought it would be a good idea to make the outer edge of those trim pieces higher than the bed side so ALL water funnels to the bed. I wish I had paid more attention to this aspect of the truck before I bought it. My 2014 F-150 was 99.5% water tight with a trifold hard cover. With the Maverick I will need to put anything I want to keep dry in a water tight tote, which I already owned so defeats the purpose of the cover, or accept it getting as wet as if there was no cover. I watched with the tailgate down and a bucket of water poured on the cover and water shoots out of those canyons like Niagara falls. Okay not really but you get what I mean. So if anyone has gotten their Maverick even 95% water tight let me know. The tailgate gap is another point but I understand why it is there.

I have a 2025 Maverick - installed a Truxedo soft roll up. Model Pro X15 TS. I don't get any leaks driving the vehicle or when parked. Get a few drops at the tail gate gasket when washing with a hose.

 

[Signel]

All you have to do is get to 99% dry and then run plastic tubs like the HDX ones from home depot.

 

[Edge Haley]

I have a 2025 Maverick - installed a Truxedo soft roll up. Model Pro X15 TS. I don't get any leaks driving the vehicle or when parked. Get a few drops at the tail gate gasket when washing with a hose.

Have a 2022 Hybrid and zero tonneau water leaks. You have to have the rubber trim below the tonneau cover where it attaches to the bed and have the clamps tight enough to keep leaks out. I have a minor leak of occasional dirt road dust at the bottom of the tailgate and will put new rubber trim around bottom of the tailgate this week.

 

[Edge Haley]

What cover? I discovered the one I purchased only overlaps the sides about 3/4". It is aluminum and so light it doesn't press the seals at the hinges or corners down. It is a poor design.

Gator Tri-Fold: ($280 BlackFriday Sale) Tonneau included 3/4" tube shaped self adhesive strip that went all the way around the bottom of the tonneau. When installing, simply tighten the clamps tight against the top of bed. I traveled 4,000 miles cross country from east coast to the Pacific (following the Lewis and Clark Trail) and covered 1,000+ miles of dirt roads which let in a little dust under the bottom of the tailgate...I'm replacing the tubing "underneath" the tailgate this week since I'm repeating the same trip west. If someone leaves their Maverick parked "outdoor" I can see it leaking just sitting in the rain for hours, but mine is always garaged when not driving, while driving, the water standing by the rails is blown off.

 

[NoVaJimmy]

And yet, you're still here??

What do you care? Block me if it bugs you that much ya snowflake

 

[Maverick123]

I wish Ford would share the sealing method, . Since I bought off the lot I have to go aftermarket and install myself. Is there weatherstripping across the cab by the window?

Yes. The truck I bought the tonneau cover from has a rubber seal about ¾" wide on that horizontal piece of metal under the window. It has 5 or 6 raised lines running lengthwise along the top edge. I'd love to find where to buy that seal because I'm gonna need it

 

[Maverick123]

FYI: I reached out to Realtruck to source the missing gasket for mine and got this info:

"If your Maverick does NOT have a drop-in bed liner, you'll need the 3/4" seal, part number 326A0004. It's $14.99 plus tax. If it does have a liner, you'll need the 1/4" seal, part number 326A0005. It's also $14.99 plus tax."

3/4" seems to be a LOT thicker than the gasket I saw on the seller's Maverick which seemed to be about 1/4" thick, and his Mav doesn't have a drop in bed liner. He's going to measure the gasket and I'll be ordering the appropriate one ASAP

EDIT: Also check the videos in this thread for useful tips : https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/tonneau-cover-gap-water-leakage-due-to-maverick-design/

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