Cabin air filter soaking wet

[LocStar320]

I've been finding my cabin air filter soaking wet after heavy rain. I had my windshield replaced a couple months ago and this is the first major rain since. Is it a pretty good bet it's the windshield or maybe something else?

Tnx

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[22F150XL]

If not the windshield check under the hood, there is a small drain hole where the metal cowl connects to the inner fender. Mine was clogged and water would drip from the truck for days then would leak in to the cabin filter.

 

[LocStar320]

If not the windshield check under the hood, there is a small drain hole where the metal cowl connects to the inner fender. Mine was clogged and water would drip from the truck for days then would leak in to the cabin filter.

That was it! Thank you!! It took longer than I expected to drain all the water.

 

[Jekyll]

Now that is a great forum story! Short and sweet in 3 posts!
1. I have a problem.
2. Try this.
3. Fixed!

4. Unassociated comment.

 

[22F150XL]

That was it! Thank you!! It took longer than I expected to drain all the water.

Awesome! Glad it worked out for you, also check your floor board wire channel for water. I had to do some moister mitigation, damn vinyl flooring!

 

[Porpoise Hork]

If not the windshield check under the hood, there is a small drain hole where the metal cowl connects to the inner fender. Mine was clogged and water would drip from the truck for days then would leak in to the cabin filter.

THANK YOU!

I have been chasing a mystery leak for months thinking the source was the rear cab vents and that was one area that needed attention. However the mildew smell would randomly return after a particularly heavy rain but no wet spots to be found. Only after the heavy rains yesterday did I discover the cabin filter and passenger floor were both soaking wet. Checked this little port and sure enough it was clogged and a ton of water came rushing out after clearing it!

Dried everything out yesterday and had more rain overnight and no water spots or mildew smell this morning.

Really a piss poor design by Ford on this one.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I've been finding my cabin air filter soaking wet after heavy rain. I had my windshield replaced a couple months ago and this is the first major rain since. Is it a pretty good bet it's the windshield or maybe something else?

Tnx

Hi Scott! I can look into your F-150's leak concern on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your F-150’s VIN?

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Hi Scott! I can look into your F-150's leak concern on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your F-150’s VIN?

This is what I have to do because not one but two different Ford dealers are saying it's not covered under warranty due to the piss-poor cowl drain design being clogged up with a small amount of dirt which resulted in the absolute flooding of the passenger side carpet of my truck.... Both wanted to charge me nearly $2K on a two year old truck with under 15K miles on it to do this exact same thing... ?

So it will sit in my garage for the next 2-3 days drying out...

So much for bumper to bumper warranties..

 

[Davecp114]

I had the same problem with my 2021 SuperCrew. The cowl drain was clogged on the right side causing water to pour into the HVAC fresh air intake. The PCM would have been submerged if the water got any deeper. Poor design @Ford Motor Company.

 

[2Lazy2P]

Porpoise Hork, why didn’t the factory warranty cover the cost to remedy this for you? 2 yo truck and under 15k miles should qualify for a no charge repair.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Both dealerships I took it to claimed the leak was caused by a lack of maintenance which led to the drain being clogged with dirt. Stating that if it were caused by a defective/failed part or incorrect installation then it would be covered. This is not the fist time Ford dealers have pulled this crap with me when there was a water leak.

I had a 2020 Ranger Lariat that was basically a sieve. Had to take it to 4 different dealers before one of them actually confirmed there was a leak despite it smelling like a cat box for days after it rained while they had it.

Six months later (mostly waiting for parts) the 4th dealer claimed to have finally fixed it after replacing the AC accumulator housing, both driver and passenger front door seals, and rear window (twice). Basically gutting the truck 3 times in the process. Well.. They didn't fix the leak, so I ended up trading it in for the F150. It took 8 months for me to not anticipate the cat box smell each time when I got in the truck after it rained...

Guess what's back now...

 

[Pedaldude]

Yeah, the fit and finish of the aluminum body F-150 trucks is Lada/Yugo quality!

My body seams, trim and cowl on my 2001 Navigator which is basically an Expedition, which is pretty much a 10th generation F-150 is top notch and still tight and dry despite sitting in the desert sun for seven years and being 24 years old.

All the rubber shit on my 2021 was all warped and shit straight from the factory and as far as the windshield rubber; Stevie Wonder, or any other blind person could have done a better job at installation!

The awful door fit on every single gen. 14 truck is shameful! Ford needs to get their act together on this.

 

[TexAg08]

FYI, on the phone right now with Ford Customer Care because Gullo Ford in Conroe is denying warranty claim for this very issue. Truck has 34K miles on it, and do have extended warranty purchased. Both Ford Corp and Gullo Ford are saying its not a warrantable item and failed because of improper maintenance.

Nevermind the fact that I cannot maintain it myself because there is no way to access it to clean it!


Note: I have taken it to Gullo for everyone 5k mile service, and not once did they say anything about cleaning this area as standard maintenance, and no where in the manual does it say to do this "routine" maintenance.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

FYI, on the phone right now with Ford Customer Care because Gullo Ford in Conroe is denying warranty claim for this very issue. Truck has 34K miles on it, and do have extended warranty purchased. Both Ford Corp and Gullo Ford are saying its not a warrantable item and failed because of improper maintenance.

Nevermind the fact that I cannot maintain it myself because there is no way to access it to clean it!


Note: I have taken it to Gullo for everyone 5k mile service, and not once did they say anything about cleaning this area as standard maintenance, and no where in the manual does it say to do this "routine" maintenance.

Sucks that I'm not the only one being told this crap by Ford dealers.

On a different note, the cowl drains are actually easy kind of to get to. Well the passenger side is at least. The driver's side has a bunch of stuff near it so reaching a tool or air blower in there is kind of a pain in the butt. For the passenger side, either get a long skinny screw driver or an old credit card and you can reach back in there to the drain area to clear it. Even better, if you have an air compressor get an air gun attachment with a 5-6" nozzle end and blow the crap out of the drain while pouring about a gallon of water on the passenger side to ensure it's clear.


And you are absolutely right, @Ford Motor Company how the hell are we supposed to know that clearing these is considered a maintenance item when there's ABSOLUTELY NO DOCUMENTATION ON THIS ANYWHERE AND NOT ONCE IN THE MULTIPLE TIMES THE TRUCKS HAS BEEN IN HAS ANYONE SAID CHECK THE COWL DRAINS?!?!?!

 

[INADAZE]

Damn! I don't have this problem, but I'm bumping it just for visibility. This is horrible customer service.

How often should we be checking these drain holes? Particularly the passenger side.

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