As a Ford employee for FCSD I have access to the FMCDealer.com message boards and none of the dealer techs have brought up this water entry issue. If the dealers are not aware of the problem then Ford will not be aware of the problem. For those having this issue, please get your cars into the dealers so that they can begin the process of finding a solution.
Contrary to what many of you believe, Ford DOES care about it's customers and wants to fix the 'known issues'. Ford cannot fix what it does not know about. I am going to check my carpeting tonight and if I have a problem I'll be calling my dealer to make an appointment.
BTW, the only issue being discussed on the tech message board regarding the S197 is the noise made at the RH front wheel when going over a small bump in the road.
And like someone else posted, it sounds like a group of mostly isolated incidents. Given this thread I will check my car out more closely tonight when I go home, but I've never noticed an issue. However, people on these forums are only a small percentage of overall mustang owners and there's a lot of people here with issues meaning that within the big picture there's a boatload of people out there with these problems. What's worse, most people have no idea.
That's really the point. Hopefully the leak issue is nothing but isolated incidents. That is all the more reason why somone - presumably Ford - should be able to figure it out and tell us what to check for on our vehicles.
Posts: 107
Joined: 8/10/2006 From: Virginia Status: offline
This information is really helpful. I have an 06 GT, garaged most of the time but did drive in the rain for the first time yesterday. I will keep checking after rain and washing for leaks.
After reading the comments on this thread, I am beginning to think that my wife's 03 Lincoln Aviator (built on a Ford Explorer chasis) may have similar issues rather than the BS the dealer continues to feed me over and over about the musty smell coming from the a/c unit. We bought the vehicle brand new and have on 22,000 miles on it. About a year after we purchased that vehicle we started noticing a constant musty smell, to the point of being sickening at times. The Lincoln dealership insists that the problem is moisture build up in the a/c unit vents and the only way to resolve it is to turn on the heat to clear up the smell.
Posts: 628
Joined: 7/27/2006 From: Chicago (South Loop) Status: offline
hmm...i have never noticed a problem in my car, but then again i have black interior and i'm a smoker, so it's kinda hard to notice. will check today, though. i do believe i know where the water is coming from.
i suspect the water is coming from near the wheel-well, on the inside of the engine compartment. if you look on the passenger side of the engine compartment, in the very back by the dash, there is an air filter right there, and if it gets wet water will drip down into that passenger smartbox and soak the carpet. if you don't believe me squirt some water at that filter in the back of the engine compartment on the passenger side and then check inside...lo and behold, there is water. now i know that's not what is supposed to happen, obviously the air filter should not be connected to the smartbox, but it seems to be the case. also i have yet to check this out but if you get TONS of water in the cowl (right by the wiper blades) in those "holes" the smartbox can get wet, too, since that also links to the air filter (according to a friend but i personally have not confirmed this).
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-john
2006 ford mustang gt coupe 5spd black on black, shaker 1000, IUP, 3.55 gears 100% stock!!! 13.498 in the 1/4
2003 s/c debadged pwp rsx-s 265whp/186wtq = ~302hp sold 7/25/06
As I mentioned above, I do NOT want to be part of the "experimentation stage" that helps bring about a TSB. This could involve multiple trial and error trips to the dealership, renting cars and/or borrowing my fiance's car and taking her to and from work, etc., etc. Too much hassle after what I've already dealt with in terms of TSB fixing at dealerships. No... I will call Ford Customer Care Center (or whatever the hoo it is called) and at least report it though. And since the issue with my car is at least somewhat rare (but there none the less), I think I can afford to wait around until a systematic fix is discovered and the knowledge thereof is spread to dealerships.
If Ford Corp gets enough calls, sheez.. and DOES care enough..... surely Ford can handle assigning a few techs to research the issue with water hoses, high pressure hoses or what have you and a few production line cars, showroom cars or used cars on lots.
Again, I will call, but sorry... an issue like this truly should not exist just like the very dangerous hesitation after a long cruise upon acceleration issue that I had to have fixed at much inconvenience to myself... outside of calling, I will wait as long as I can to avoid the "multiple guinea pig" trips to the dealership.
quote:
ORIGINAL: bascho
As a Ford employee for FCSD I have access to the FMCDealer.com message boards and none of the dealer techs have brought up this water entry issue. If the dealers are not aware of the problem then Ford will not be aware of the problem. For those having this issue, please get your cars into the dealers so that they can begin the process of finding a solution.
Contrary to what many of you believe, Ford DOES care about it's customers and wants to fix the 'known issues'. Ford cannot fix what it does not know about. I am going to check my carpeting tonight and if I have a problem I'll be calling my dealer to make an appointment.
BTW, the only issue being discussed on the tech message board regarding the S197 is the noise made at the RH front wheel when going over a small bump in the road.
Thought???? Admin or Mod of this site email a link to this and any other leak related thread to Ford Corp?
Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center P.O.Box 6248 Dearborn, Michigan 48126 1-800-392-3673(FORD) TDD for the hearing impaired:1-800-232-5952 Monday - Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM local time
Felt around near the passenger side panel and all is dry.... - Here is a pic of the passenger side firewall area, the black boot is where water drains down from the windsheild wiper hole(s) in the cowl. The hole shown in the pic is some crazy shiz....not sure why Ford would allow water to drain into that area of the body.....
Felt around near the passenger side panel and all is dry.... - Here is a pic of the passenger side firewall area, the black boot is where water drains down from the windsheild wiper hole(s) in the cowl. The hole shown in the pic is some crazy shiz....not sure why Ford would allow water to drain into that area of the body.....
Woah! Looks pluggable in a do-it-yourself kind of way though. Should NOT be there though!
I'm going to keep watching this and a couple other threads in here on the issue. Maybe some of the more mechanically inquisitive will investigate (like this photo) or sniff out some basically simple fixes so we don't have to leave our cars overnight or for days on end with the dealsership.
BTW, the only issue being discussed on the tech message board regarding the S197 is the noise made at the RH front wheel when going over a small bump in the road.
I might be able to save you some time here.
I had the same issue and thought.........holy sh** what was that sound........man sounded like the right front (passenger side) wheel or shock was going to fall off anytime.
It wasnt until I took off the front sway bar that I noticed, on the drivers side, when loosening the sway bar nut on the front strut that it felt like it had been torqued, it was difficult to break loose. But on the passenger side when I went to undo the sway bar nut from the strut it felt as though the nut had not been torqued. This nut was too easy to remove. The sway bar is just flopping around on the passenger side of the car.
Ever since I've removed the sway bar I have not heard the clunking sound. I have installed the BMR front sway delete kit and installed the dual strut tower brace bars.
Thanks for jumping in...........always good to hear from someone that works for Ford.
how can you reach into the pads from the picture encircled?
If you are referring to my photo with the white circle, I believe folks are referring to opening that little panel above my drawn circle and reaching in through it and down. I've never done this myself though since my water has wound up visible and detectable by feel on the outside of the panel in my carpet.
EDIT: I'm willing to bet though that there's been times that my padding was wet within that panel area from leaks that just didn't produce enough water to soak through to the outside visible area.
< Message edited by celenztah -- 10/19/2006 8:01:22 AM >
I had the same issue and thought.........holy sh** what was that sound........man sounded like the right front (passenger side) wheel or shock was going to fall off anytime.
It wasnt until I took off the front sway bar that I noticed, on the drivers side, when loosening the sway bar nut on the front strut that it felt like it had been torqued, it was difficult to break loose. But on the passenger side when I went to undo the sway bar nut from the strut it felt as though the nut had not been torqued. This nut was too easy to remove. The sway bar is just flopping around on the passenger side of the car.
Ever since I've removed the sway bar I have not heard the clunking sound. I have installed the BMR front sway delete kit and installed the dual strut tower brace bars.
Thanks for jumping in...........always good to hear from someone that works for Ford.
Thanks for the info.....I'll post that up on the board for the techs.
Glad to help.....I'm not only a Ford employee....I'm a customer. Most people think Ford is run by robots.......but we are people just like you and we all drive a Ford just like you. No one likes to have problems with their car.......us included. But Ford testing the cars we have at the assy plant may not yield a fix to something that is happening out in the field. What if a plug that was installed on the line is falling out after 6 months of driving.......that condition can not be corrected by testing the brand new Mustangs on the lot.
I know some of you don't want to be test dummies for a possible TSB or recall......but if everyone felt like that then nothing will be done.
BTW, I pulled off the passenger side kick panel and pulled up the carpeting.......mine was completely dry. I have a 2006 GT Coupe. My car is garage kept......but sits outside my office all day during the work week. It's been raining most of the week so if I had a problem my carpet/pad should have been damp. Have not driven through any large puddles recently (I usually try to avoid those anyway).
< Message edited by bascho -- 10/19/2006 9:32:59 AM >
how can you reach into the pads from the picture encircled?
If you are referring to my photo with the white circle, I believe folks are referring to opening that little panel above my drawn circle and reaching in through it and down. I've never done this myself though since my water has wound up visible and detectable by feel on the outside of the panel in my carpet.
EDIT: I'm willing to bet though that there's been times that my padding was wet within that panel area from leaks that just didn't produce enough water to soak through to the outside visible area.
I'm cross posting this reply from another post because they're both the same basic subject. I tore apart the car today, and I'm hopeful I may have sealed the water leak. I removed the passenger side inner wheel well behind the tire. There is a pair of grommets there where a big wiring harness and the antenna come through the firewall (see the picture). Yesterday, I laid inside the car while the wife sprayed water on the right side of the car and it looked like water was coming in there. So today I spread clear silicone around the grommets, waited for it to cure and sprayed water on it again. So far, no water inside.
I'm curious though, how many people have noticed this problem only when parking their car facing uphill. I think it would lend some credence to my theory if it didn't happen when the car was parked facing downhill, as the water would run away from the grommet on the firewall.
Also, if anyone else decides to try this method, let me know if it works for you too.
Thanks for the photos. When i asked a ford dealer last weekend if they ever heard of this problem they said they didnt. Perhaps this is something no one noticed for 2 year?!
Posts: 9
Joined: 7/24/2006 From: Toronto, ON, CAN Status: offline
Have a three week old '07 GT vert, checked pretty thoroughly, can't find a leak anywhere in my car, including the trunk (complaint on another thread). My car sits outside 24/7, and it's been raining perpetually for the past few days. Also ran through some pretty deep puddles the last couple of drives... not a drop inside.
Perhaps it's been "fixed" in '07. Or I'm lucky. Or it's too soon to tell...
_____________________________
07 5pd vista blue GT vert IUP, Cloth seats, CF-ish dash, 18" Bullits, 3.55:1 rear
Posts: 628
Joined: 7/27/2006 From: Chicago (South Loop) Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: hammeron
Felt around near the passenger side panel and all is dry.... - Here is a pic of the passenger side firewall area, the black boot is where water drains down from the windsheild wiper hole(s) in the cowl. The hole shown in the pic is some crazy shiz....not sure why Ford would allow water to drain into that area of the body.....
this has GOT to be what my friend is talking about with the cowl. if you pour a bunch of water down it looks like it would drain into that black thing, but i bet that could be where the problem is that causes leaking. also that hole sure has to be a contributor...
secondly, i am going to get a pic of that air filter to show you guys how THAT leaks right into the smartbox.
_____________________________
-john
2006 ford mustang gt coupe 5spd black on black, shaker 1000, IUP, 3.55 gears 100% stock!!! 13.498 in the 1/4
2003 s/c debadged pwp rsx-s 265whp/186wtq = ~302hp sold 7/25/06
Printable Version
RE: SERIOUS LEAKING/ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH 05+ MUSTANGS - 
