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180K views 345 replies 152 participants last post by  bbc0 
#1 ·
Finally got a chance to use the SRX's jack last weekend and noticed that the carpet in the jack compartment was soaked with water. I'm not sure how long it's been like that, but we did get some good rain last week. Now I know why there has been a mildew smell in my car all this time. I tried to figure out how water could have leaked in, but found nothing definate. I suspect the seam between the rear hatch and the rest of the body or maybe the ultraview roof gasket.

I've made in appointment with the dealer to bring it in to have it looked at along with the ECM recall. I'll keep you guys posted.

If you haven't done so, please check your jack compartment to see if you have a similar problem. I can't be the only one.
 
#2 ·
vdo said:
Finally got a chance to use the SRX's jack last weekend and noticed that the carpet in the jack compartment was soaked with water. I'm not sure how long it's been like that, but we did get some good rain last week. Now I know why there has been a mildew smell in my car all this time. I tried to figure out how water could have leaked in, but found nothing definate. I suspect the seam between the rear hatch and the rest of the body or maybe the ultraview roof gasket.

I've made in appointment with the dealer to bring it in to have it looked at along with the ECM recall. I'll keep you guys posted.

If you haven't done so, please check your jack compartment to see if you have a similar problem. I can't be the only one.
I had ther same problem, jack was all rusted out also. But my problem was because of the dealer, not the car. They had spilt a large amount of liquid and never dried out that region.

SYROB
 
#3 ·
Same here. Car is brand new and was exposed to alot of rain last month. While removing the jack, the carpet under it was soaked. Things were more complicated though, because there is almost an inch of insulating material under the carpet and it would not dry. Car has been in the garage with a heater under the spare wheel and one week later it seems to be almost dry. Try inserting your finger in the hole where the spare lowering nut is located. Move your finger under the insulation. Rear hatch seal looks OK, and the ultraview gasket also OK. The roof is allowed to "leak" some water, hence the roof drains which exit around midway down the rear hatch sides outboard (of course) of the seal.
 
#98 ·
I just bought my 04 srx in Jan via e-bay car was in Fort Lauderdale and I live in Ontario Canada I just got the pano roof fixed (the klunkety klunk noise) and am now tryiing to fix the water problem in the jack compartment so far I have cut the bottom 4 inches of carpet out and applieed a generous coating of rubberized undercoating spray to the underside of the srx the next thing to try is the upper body welds by the liftgate hinges and the upper middle brakke light seals. if none of that works I will probably just drill a new drain hole in the well. this doesn't fix the problemm but it should let the water to to drain away hopefully.
 
#4 ·
We had the same problem. Noticed it the night we bought the car, of course it was after we got home. The car was back in the service department before thy had logged it into the system as sold...

Turned out that it wasn't the hatch or the sunroof but a seam somewhere in the rear area. Had to have the entire rear carpet replaced. When was yours built? Ours has a build date of April '04.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the replies.

ATM said:
We had the same problem. Noticed it the night we bought the car, of course it was after we got home. The car was back in the service department before thy had logged it into the system as sold...

Turned out that it wasn't the hatch or the sunroof but a seam somewhere in the rear area. Had to have the entire rear carpet replaced. When was yours built? Ours has a build date of April '04.
MIne was built Jan '04. Looks like the water has been in there for a long time. Parts of my jack are rusted making it unusable. I wonder if there's other stuff under there like wiring or electronics that may be damaged. Because of all the recalls, my dealer is booked up and I can't bring my SRX in for another two weeks. Can't wait to get this mildew smell out of my car :mad:
 
#8 ·
vdo said:
Thanks for the replies.
MIne was built Jan '04. Looks like the water has been in there for a long time. Parts of my jack are rusted making it unusable. I wonder if there's other stuff under there like wiring or electronics that may be damaged. Because of all the recalls, my dealer is booked up and I can't bring my SRX in for another two weeks. Can't wait to get this mildew smell out of my car :mad:
Better have the carpet/insulation replaced. You might get it dry but you may never get the mildew smell out. Our experience with a car that was flooded and the carpet dried out was that in about two years the carpet simply started falling apart.
 
#11 ·
Sorry to hear of wet jack areas. Have the dealer seal the seam/flange for the liftgate weather seal. Also replace the seal will help. In the jack compartment just in the middle of the back panel is a small hole that the water is coming from. The leak could be anywhere however, this is just were the water ends up. On ultra view jobs look under the luggage rack for a seam that did not get sealed, just in front of the rear fasteren. Also make sure the wire harness tubes are not interfering with the weather seal when closing the liftgate. Good luck Need any help e mail me.
 
#14 ·
Probably too lte with this but I will post any way. I had the same problem with 2004 V6 SRX. Turns out that it was a bad seal on the high tail light over the hatch. Required removing old light, replacing gasket and new light and paintiing the whoel shooting match. Problem solved. They first tried reseating the hatch seal and adjusting the hatch. Both times they brought in an outside specialist in water leaks. At least my service guys stuck with the problem till they got it solved.
Maybe this will help someone else!!!
 
#15 · (Edited)
Just when I thought that I had solved the water in the rear jack compartment, the car spent 3 days parked in torrential rain and today the jack compartment had a fair share of water in it. Water is coming from the small hole in the middle of the back panel as per DUALCAMS34 post above. This is a double panel so I can't see inside. Would a bad seal on the tail lights cause this? Any ideas greatly appreciated!!
I live in Greece where service is not well organized. Car is 01/04 built V8 AWD with ultraview.:annoyed:
 
#16 ·
I have the problem as well. My car has a 2/27/04 build date so the did not fix the problem by then. Taking it to the dealer on Thursday. I'll post what the find. Initial view was leak coming from above trim - not dirty so not street water. We'll see what they find.
 
#17 ·
Spent a few hours dealing with the problem. I removed the rear bumper(yes....), and discovered that there is a rubber plug behind the drivers side tail light. Had to stick my hand up there, but it sure beats removing the tail lights(must strip almost the whole interior from the rear doors back). Pushed the plug in place and used some sealant so everything will be OK I guess. I removed the rear sill cover, picked up the carpet/insulation and installed a heater/blower for 48 hours. That dried up things. BUT the most important point is the following. If the water is coming from the small hole in the inner sill (as per dualcams34 post) then it also collects to the lower left and right rear body panels. That is where the cabin ventilation extraction louvers are. Can't get to them unless you remove the bumper. There was about an inch of smelly water in there. Make sure your dealer checks/removes any water from there. Build date 03/2004.
 
#20 ·
they called me and told me that water was coming in from under the liftgate

don't exactly know how that happened without getting the acarpet above the jack compartment wet but i guess we'll see

took it in thurs carpet not dry fri
the took out the seats and detailed the interior "whatever that means"

i'll report back when i get it
loaner car for the weekend
 
#21 ·
paci said:
they called me and told me that water was coming in from under the liftgate

don't exactly know how that happened without getting the acarpet above the jack compartment wet but i guess we'll see

took it in thurs carpet not dry fri
the took out the seats and detailed the interior "whatever that means"

i'll report back when i get it
loaner car for the weekend
Let us know paci, water ends up there because it "drains" from the "D" pillars, high or low.
 
#22 · (Edited)
they showed me where the put some sort or additional "barrier" looks like caulk for the uneducated like me then they put the rubber gaskets back on

the water was coming from the top and around the entire liftgate then under the door into the jack compartment

must be some direct drain into the well because there were no water marks on the surface

they explained that the water will now drain out the rear of the car from the top
not sure i see what they are saying
perhaps the educated can comment on my note and clean it up

they did say that this was teh first SRX they saw with this problem
probably because nobody looks in the jack well unless they need the jack or read this board
thanks OP

we'll see if it is fixed

they also told me to use my parking brake as much as possible execpt when freezing to keep the brakes primed and prevent soft braking anyone know about this - they tell me it's common knowledge - i've never heard of it
 
#23 ·
Thanks to all of you on this board for the heads-up on this one. After reading this post I ran outside and check the jack compartment and guess what?.....Yep, about 2" of water and rust starting to form on the jack. Sponged out the water and added several days worth of newspaper. The next day I bought a container of moisture removing crystals and put that in the jack area along with several other small packets of this material and an odor inhibitor container. My assembly date is 04/04 so I'll be going back to the dealer on the jack compartment problem as well as the mis-aligned front fenders. Thanks again to all of you for keeping on top of this vehicle. Everything I read here is a true education in SRX ownership. Let's hope we can fix all these petty little details and enjoy this great auto in the near future.
 
#24 ·
Red tornado,
you have now taken care of 40% of the water situation. There is more water under the carpet where the foam insulation is. If you stick your finger around the spare lowering nut you will find more water. Only way to get rid of this is to remove the rear sill cover ( slide off the cargo fastening hook bezels, and pull up the sill cover-it snaps into place and off). With your jack area empty of everything (don't forget to remove the jack securing plastic nut) slide your hands between and under the carpet/foam and inner sill area. Pull up the carpet and place two small blocks of wood (3-4 inches thick) between the metal floor area and the foam insulation. Leave it like this for about a week and it will dry, as long as more water does not come in.
Let us know where your leak came from.
 
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