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2010 SRX - Water Leaking Under Glove Box When Raining Outside

84K views 154 replies 65 participants last post by  Tripwire  
#1 · (Edited)
Has anyone experienced water leaking underneath the glove box when driving in the rain. I own a 2010 SRX and have had other issues, but not water leaking inside the car. Posts on other sites suggest there might be a leak in the sunroof, a clogged vent tube, or a blocked evap core drain.

If you have taken your SRX in for this type of repair, please let me know what the diagnosis was and applicable costs (or if the repair was covered by the Cadillac warranty).

Thanks,
SavvymomTX
 
#3 ·
Hello SavvymomTX,

Welcome to the forum! We are happy to have you part of the Cadillac community. I am sorry you are experiencing a water leaking issue in your SRX. Please private message us and include your contact information, VIN and current mileage. I would like the opportunity to further discuss your situation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#4 ·
Thank you Westham for sharing this information - very helpful! Seems weird that water from the roof would make it's way down and underneath the glove box - but hey - I'm no automobile design engineer! :)

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Laura M. - Thanks for responding. It's nice to know that GM/Cadillac has it's Customer Care team trolling forums so as to respond to threads that include the term Cadillac; shows you care about your brand (and hopefully your customers)!

I'm not sure how to private message you, but if you provide an 800 number I'd be happy to call.
 
#7 ·
yeah our 2010 SRX filled up with water pretty bad. Same spot. Honestly I am not sure how that much water (had to be gallons) got past the seals on the sunroof. Dealer gave the same reason to us for the leak.

To this day I am pretty sure water makes it in the cabin, after car washes it smells like soap/water for days.
 
#9 · (Edited)
This happened to me 2 weeks ago we were getting a big Nor'easter here in VA and my front passenger floor boards were literally flooded. We don't have covered parking at work, so I rushed over to the Dealership. At first the advisor wasn't sure where the rain was coming from. Then he said it might be a sunroof drain issue. After 4 days of being in the shop, he called me and did confirm that was the issue. Now,GM has a "bulletin" out about this issue, however, its not a recall at this time. Now here is the tricky part with me.... My SRX's Bumper to Bumper had just expired 300 miles or so ago. However, since this is an on going issue with the SRX the advisor was able to cover most of it under warranty which I was pleased about. I paid $200 for the repair work. He did tell me that normally it would be closer to the $1,000 range due to the labor involved. He told me that they had to remove the seat and the carpet to dry the the floor out. Then fix the plug and reassemble everything. Needless to say when I got the car back it was dry and had no mildew smell. It has rained since I got the car back and its dry and still no smell. So they really did a great job on drying it out. Hopefully this will be a recall at some point...
 
#10 ·
This happened to me 2 weeks ago we were getting a big Nor'easter here in VA and my front passenger floor boards were literally flooded. We don't have covered parking at work, so I rushed over to the Dealership. At first the advisor wasn't sure where the rain was coming from. He said it might be a sunroof drain issue. After 4 days of being in the shop, he called me and did confirm that was the issue. Now,GM has a "bulletin" out about this issue, however, its not a recall at this time. Now here is the tricky part with me.... My SRX's Bumper to Bumper had just expired 300 miles or so ago. However, since this is an on going issue with the SRX the advisor was able to cover most of it under warranty which I was pleased about. I paid $200 for the repair work. He did tell me that normally it would be closer to the $1,000 range to the labor involved. He told me that they had to remove the seat and the carpet to dry the the floor out. Then fix the plug and reassemble everything. Needless to say when I got the car back it was dry and had no mildew smell. It has rained since I got the car back and its dry and still no smell. So they really did a great job on drying it out. Hopefully this will be a recall at some point...
Hello Amcberetta,

I apologize you experienced an issue with water leaking under your glove box when it rained. I am glad you were able to work with your dealership towards resolving this concern. Thank you for sharing your experience, we appreciate customer feedback. Continue to enjoy your SRX! If any questions arise, please contact me via private message so I can assist.

Sincerely,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#11 ·
This is a fairly common problem, with the 2010's anyway. There are many threads in hear about it. The drain line from the sunroof is a bit to short. It has a rubber fitting that plugs into a hole in the dash. The plug comes out, and any water on the roof runs into the dash and comes out under the glove box. Why there is no recall on this, I have no idea. I push mine back in every few months.
 
#14 ·
Hello sjmichel,

I am sorry you are experiencing a water leakage in your vehicle. Have you been able to speak with your dealer about this concern yet? If you would like my assistance, please send me a private message. Include your full contact information, VIN, current mileage and dealer name and location. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#15 ·
How can I be sure my 2010 SRX Luxury edition won't have the sunroof drain leaking into the cabin AGAIN? Before I bought the car, dealer records showed that a 'plugged sunroof drain tube' had flooded the interior...seats had to be taken out and the carpet professionally dried. Apparently, the rubber tubes go down inside the windshield posts. Why wouldn't the tubes be longer, in one piece - and go right down to the ground? Perhaps freeze up issues? But that would be ridiculous...Who has their sunroof open in the winter, anyway?

I'd like to be sure that this doesn't happen to me (like it did with the previous owner, but under warranty!)...

Can someone supply pics of where the tubes are and where they go through the firewall (and where the water goes)? The manual does say not to leave the sunroof open, because dust and debris could get into the tubes and block them.

I've had lots of cars with sunroofs and never heard of this sort of problem before.

Toronto-SRX
 
#16 ·
It never rains in California...but it did last week (a lot) and the passenger floorboard on my 2010 SRX had at least an inch of water on it and there was evidence that it came in just under the glove box on the side of the floorboard. The repair is at least $1,000 and said to be a cowel (spelling?) that is broken. They said they checked the air conditioning drain but it is clear. Now I am reading here that it may be a problem with the drain from the sunroof?

The darned car is barely 3 years old so I'm having a hard time believing that a part has already warn out. Any other possibilities for what the problem can be? I really don't want to spend the money if it could be something more simple and less expensive.
 
#18 ·
Hi CaddyKathie,

I can understand how frustrating rain getting in your car would be. I would like to assist in the handling of this issue. If you would like to PM me your VIN and contact information I can look into it. If you cannot PM me, email me at socialmedia@gm.com with “Attention: Austin” in the subject line.

Austin J.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#24 ·
I see with the rainy season here, this thread has picked up life again. I will try to be more descriptive on how to access the problem. First, remove the interior cover for the "pillar" on the passenger side - that is the cloth covered piece that runs in the corner formed by the windshield and the door. It runs from the dash to the roof. It will be lose, but not completely removable with out disconnecting the plastic retainer - this piece is designed to be knocked free by the air bags, but, not turned into a projectile. Use caution around the now exposed air bags! I also disconnect the power connectors at this point, and completely remove the cover. You will see the whitish/clear tube that runs out of the roof liner, down the pillar, and under the dash at this point. If you use a small mirror and flashlight, looking down the windshield, you can follow the tube until it meets is large, black grommet. The grommet will probably be most of the way in the hole in the firewall where it belongs. But, not all the way (especially at the bottom). My fat fingers where unable to fit well enough to push the grommet in squarely - so I bent up a piece of 3/8 metal rod - with just the right bends to push it in. Even still, and I have done it 3 or 4 times, it is a bit of a trick. When you "think" you have it, put some paper towel on the floor (or anything that will show water easily), and run the garden hose over the sunroof. You will know right away if it is leaking still. I was going to shoot a vid, but, it is very difficult to see the actual connection. Hope this helps.
 
#27 ·
I had the same problem in my 2011 SRX. Very easy to check - pop off the interior panel on the front A-pillar (the A-Pillar is the post between the windshield and the door). You can pry it off with your hands, no tools needed. After it is off you will see some wires and a white plastic tube about 1/2" diameter. That white tube runs from the sunroof drain channel in the roof (one of several) down the A-pillar into the firewall just below the dashboard at the very bottom corner of the windshield. It has a black rubber fitting that fits into a hole in the firewall and that is what pops out. So when it rains, the water runs down the top of the glove box, drips on the carpet in the passenger footwell. This is a big issue as it runs right over the electronics and the ECM - this will cause BIG problems if not fixed (aside from the inevitable damp stink).

If you use a flashlight and peer from the outside of the car in the corner of the windshield on top of the dash you can see how it connects (you must remove the A pillar cover first). It is extremely difficult (impossible) to use your hands and pop the fitting back into the firewall. You can either disaasemble the dash or like I did make a long bent special tool to push the black boot/tube back in. Tip - use some dish soap as a lubricant.

If you need a quick and dirty fix (or a test method), tape the entire sunroof from glass to roof to seal it. Hose the car and if the problem is gone, you found your problem.

I will try and post a pic.
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Good afternoon, Your CF account is activated. please use the Profile and Settings tabs to update your profile to reflect proper birth date, approximate location, car owned and time zone - or do you really live in London - GMT ?
 
#33 ·
We recently had this sun roof drain tube problem too. Got at least an inch of water in the passenger floor board. I vacuumed it out and put a fan on it for two days to get it dry. The next rain, it happened again. That's when I found this forum and saw what the problem is. I took the car to the dealer and 4 hours and $450 later he said it was fixed. I asked what the fix was and he replied "Adhesive on the tube". I had to think that would have been a brilliant idea to use during manufacturing.

Fast forward to a month later and I've got a "Check Engine" light and the SRX won't run. Had it towed to the mechanic that works on my other cars. He tracked the problem to an electrical connector under the driver's seat that was full of water and was shorting out. He said the wire goes to the gas tank to measure pressure or something like that. He said GM has a TSB out about it that would cost me about $400 to fix. I declined in hopes the sun roof tube fix will now keep water out of the cabin. $150 later, we're back in business.
 
#34 ·
Mine is going into a body shop Tuesday as they say that they know how to fix it. I had talked to the service writer at my local Cadillac Dealer and I discovered that he couldn't care less about helping me solve the problem. Being a known problem you'd think that they would have had some experience with it.