motobike5000 Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Hi folks, new to this forum. We saved for years to get our car, new to us anyway. Got an 09 fusion sel v6 sport and we love it, the wife has to travel alot so we needed a good car. Bought from a family owned ford dealer thats been around since the 30s very reputable- 3 weeks ago this past friday The first week we had a lot of rain, heavy t-storms... wife calls me at work crying the sunroof is leaking. I take it to dealer the next monday- they check it and say they cant find any leaks but they going to do TSB and replace the sunroof. Technical service bulletin, commonly known as a recall that Ford wont admit to. Take it back the next monday and new sunroof looks good, we didnt open it all week, rains today and guess what.... leaking again What are my options? the car has only 14k miles on it, one owner, happens to be the parts managers wife. a year left on factory warranty We want to keep it. funny our 98 grand prix hasnt ever leaked a drop, after 150k miles and its never been garaged thanks for your input, Tom 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfire06 Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 as a dealership employee (non ford) i can say a few things here.1 A TSB is definitely not anything close to a recall. but anyway 2, give them a chance to fix it plain and simple. with some vehicles its not as easy as it looks. i had a customer who's sienna would pour water out of the dashboard onto her feet after a heavy rain storm and we could never duplicate it. and we tried at least 4 times. the car had to be completely stripped of its interior and sent to a body shop to have a body seam repaired. basically before you kill them (so to speak) give them an chance to repair it. if they are a good service dept. they will find a way to keep you happy and repair the vehicle at the same time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 A TSB is not "commonly known as a recall that Ford wont admit to. " A recall is for a safety or emissions issue. A leaking moonroof is neither. That would be a contradiction in terms anyway. How could Ford not admit to something that is made public and can be found on NHTSA's website? Owners must be informed of recalls by law. From NHTSA's website: A safety recall involving a motor vehicle or an item of motor vehicle equipment can be independently conducted by a manufacturer or ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In either case, the manufacturer must file a public report describing the safety-related defect or noncompliance with a Federal motor vehicle safety standard, the involved vehicle/equipment population, the major events that resulted in the recall determination, a description of the remedy, and a schedule for the recall. TSBs are issued to assist dealership personnel to address issues found after production and are for dealership service personnel only. Hence, they are not issued to the public. This is not some kind of subterfuge. I assume this is the TSB you dealer applied: Some 2008-2010 Fusion, Milan and MKZ vehicles equipped with a roof opening panel built on or before 4/30/2009 may exhibit a water leak at the roof opening panel or water collecting at the overhead console. The concern may have been caused by a misaligned urethane application on the roof opening panel assembly or roof panel seal out of alignment. They may not have done the repair correctly or there may be another cause, such as a clogged drain hose, but I would hope that they checked that first. It sounds like you have conscientious service department. As redfire06 advises, give them the chance to repair it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motobike5000 Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 Thanks folks, guess i was just venting a little, i know a TSB is not a recall. Just been upset since it leaked again and you know when 'mommas not happy' Ill give them another chance, we had a great sales experience there and they are a highly rated dealership. Again thanks for your input and your time, ill keep you posted after i take it back to dealer. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motobike5000 Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) I took it back yesterday, they adjusted it and put it in a rain room for 3 hours. no leaks Service writer called the Ford hotline and they say ' Its common for a litle bit of leakage during t-storms or a drive thru carwash' say what? Even the service writer disagreed with this statement. Anyone have any opinion on our next move if it leaks again? thanks, Tom Edited April 5, 2011 by motobike5000 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfire06 Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I took it back yesterday, they adjusted it and put it in a rain room for 3 hours. no leaks Service writer called the Ford hotline and they say ' Its common for a litle bit of leakage during t-storms or a drive thru carwash' say what? Even the service writer disagreed with this statement. Anyone have any opinion on our next move if it leaks again? thanks, Tom i advise my customers when something like this comes about to call the corporate customer service hotline. that sounds far fetched to me. my car has NEVER leaked from the moon roof in 5 years. and they don't design them to leak! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motobike5000 Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Thanks redfire, exactly what i thought, no way do they design them to leak- in any conditions. The service writer was aghast at such an explanation and sided with us. the dealership has been great, got me a rental 2010 focus, not bad but the wife didnt like it... We love this car so much it hurt not seeing it in the driveway last night. We named her pearl, pearl white to be exact. Every option cept the AWD, didnt need it anyway Were gonna keep the car even if i have to silicone the roof shut and disable it forever... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfire06 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 good luck! and keep us posted! and feel free to ask any more questions i have worked for car dealerships for the last 8 years (chrysler first now toyota) and have been a adviser for 5 years. it sounds like you have a good one that will do what they can to help you. funny i never named my car. maybe i should 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motobike5000 Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Ill keep updating this issue, i believe its gonna be ok now. The dealer has been great from the sales, CS and service. 110% Yeah we name all our cars, trucks and motorcycles.... we replaced 'old red' a 98 GP that hit 150k with the fusion Pearl. also have a 2004 ranger xlt extended cab with only 75k on it. Named the 'silver bullet' thanks for your help and input 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyoct Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Looks like the others got the TSB vs recall thing sorted out here. As a current dealer and former company employee I can tell you that alot of dealership service departments don't handle leaks and will sublet them out to another provider. If you're still under warranty, work with your dealer's service department. They may be able to get the company's field department involved to help. And yes, hotline will state that some water leakage is normal. For example, a high pressured car wash that has enough power to push water through the seal can cause a leak if it is so much that the drains can't clear it quickly enough. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Eater Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 This is a dumb question: Does Ford put drains in the sunroof channel? Reason I ask is that I had a Toyota pickup with a sunroof and it had very well designed drain tubes that ran through the A-Pillar. Never leaked a drop in ten years. I haven't found any drains in the sunroof channel in my Fusion hybrid. Joe 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motobike5000 Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 Thanks for your input dyoct, i still cant believe they design it so it leaks, even a little. If it cant handle a high pressure carwash, it cant handle heavy storms. This is unacceptable in my opinion. Weve had a 98 grand prix since new and it has never leaked. Good news is, so far so good. appears to be fixed. Ive never seen the drains either Joe. thanks ppl, we LOVE our fusion. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyoct Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 There are drains going through the A and C pillars. There is a plastic tray type piece where the water is collected then it will drain out through the corners. Concerns I have seen with drains are that they would get clogged and water wouldn't drain. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfire06 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 i see that on the toyotas a lot especially SUV's you have to blast the drains out with an air line. those and the a/c drains clog easily on them 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifyre Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Thanks for your input dyoct, i still cant believe they design it so it leaks, even a little. If it cant handle a high pressure carwash, it cant handle heavy storms. This is unacceptable in my opinion. Weve had a 98 grand prix since new and it has never leaked. Good news is, so far so good. appears to be fixed. Ive never seen the drains either Joe. thanks ppl, we LOVE our fusion. Your premise that not being able to handle a high pressure car wash and a heavy storm are the same is completely and utterly false. A high pressure car wash puts out water at significantly higher pressures and speeds than a storm will. It's not about the volume of water but that the force of the water pushes it past the seal. That said it shouldn't leak in a storm unless it's under water... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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