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Old 09-04-2013, 07:03 AM   #1
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Many members have posted favorable reviews of their Jeep toad experience, so off I went to the dealership to have a look. As luck would have it, here was a 2003 Liberty 4x4 with relatively low mileage and a tow plate. I sat down for a test drive, reached out to close the door, and found my fingertips about an inch deep in water. On closer examination, there were obvious water tracks down both the driver and passenger doors below the armrest. The door seals appeared to be in perfect condition. There were no obvious water tracks above the armrest.

A Google search revealed many Jeep owners (assorted years and models) posting about water leak problems and many others saying "Mine too, can't find the source of the leak either". Some have paid dealers many hundreds of dollars to arbitrarily replace seals with no results.

Has anyone had success in tracking down the source of these leaks? If I have a handle on how to fix it, I might consider making an offer. If it means buying into a mystery, I'll walk away. My concern is that it is damaging the electrical and mechanical components in the door (window, lock, mirror, speaker).
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Old 09-04-2013, 07:23 AM   #2
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Interesting...... Never heard that about the leaks....

I am also in the market to replace the toad. I just looked at a 2012 with low mileage. I wonder if that issue was before a specific year or even on the newer models.

My son (into cars) said not to get a Jeep. He said they rank very low on customer reports and service.

I'm wondering about a Subaru Forester as an optional toad. Haven't looked at one yet, but heard it may be an option.
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Old 09-04-2013, 07:26 AM   #3
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My son (into cars) said not to get a Jeep. He said they rank very low on customer reports and service.
I've owned three Jeeps. A 1971 Wagoneer, a 1996 Grand Cherokee and my current toad, a 2006 Jeep Commander. All have been fine trouble-free vehicles. They are perfect for towing (with 4x4 and the proper transfer case).
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Old 09-04-2013, 06:52 PM   #4
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I owned 3 Liberties, the latest a 2012. None had any leaks as described here. The first 2 were 2001 to 2004 vintage (do not quite remember exact years).
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Old 09-04-2013, 07:23 PM   #5
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I had a 2008 Liberty. It had a serious leak. Problem was a seal under the windshield. Water came through the vent opening below the windshield. In a heavy rain, I'd get an inch of water on the floor on the driver's side which flowed into the rear floorboard on the left side. The dealer had to remove the dashboard to reseal the body and replace the carpet. That solved the problem. Sloppy work on the production line when the Liberty was built.

Never had any problems with the doors.

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Old 09-04-2013, 07:32 PM   #6
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I have a 2004 that I bought used. It now has 103,000 miles on it and I don't have any leaks and I have been in some good rain storms.
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Old 09-05-2013, 01:27 AM   #7
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most vehicles have drain holes in the bottom edge of the doors. sometimes the holes get plugged up.
on 2 new cars my door drain holes were plugged up by the rust proofer, tuff coat and ziebart.
when the doors fill up, the water is going to come out somewhere.
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Old 09-05-2013, 01:52 AM   #8
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I was working at a Dodge/Jeep dealership till 2007 and never came across this particular complaint; water in the door pull . Did the vehicle have a sun roof ?
Some times on sunroof equipped units the , water drain tubes come disconnected and the water flows across the top of the headliner and can come out in strange places.
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Old 09-05-2013, 07:05 AM   #9
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most vehicles have drain holes in the bottom edge of the doors. sometimes the holes get plugged up. on 2 new cars my door drain holes were plugged up by the rust proofer, tuff coat and ziebart. when the doors fill up, the water is going to come out somewhere.
This sounds like a plausible explanation. I have seen it on other Chrysler products, where I could hear water sloshing inside the door. I tried shaking the Liberty door and did not hear anything.

Since it is monsoon season in South Florida, severe thunderstorms with extreme rain occur almost every afternoon. It is possible that if the drain holes are almost completely blocked, they would have caused the door to fill to the point of overflowing from the top into the pull. The water then slowly drips away through the drain hole, emptying the door. Was the problem with the rustproofing products that they covered the holes with a coating on the outside, or were they plugged by spraying inside the door? Filling the doors with water to rustproof them. An interesting concept.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip426 View Post
I was working at a Dodge/Jeep dealership till 2007 and never came across this particular complaint; water in the door pull . Did the vehicle have a sun roof ? Some times on sunroof equipped units the , water drain tubes come disconnected and the water flows across the top of the headliner and can come out in strange places.
No sun roof. I assumed that the roof rack rails were held by a few screw holes through the roof, but some posts I read suggested that there is a significant opening in the roof under the rails. True?

If water runs along the top of the headliner, will it soak through or is it waterproof?
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Old 09-05-2013, 11:17 AM   #10
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No sun roof. I assumed that the roof rack rails were held by a few screw holes through the roof, but some posts I read suggested that there is a significant opening in the roof under the rails. True?
If water runs along the top of the headliner, will it soak through or is it waterproof?
The roof framing under the rail mounts , is not a solid trough , many places for, any water that gets in, to get out.
The back side of the headliners , is what I'd describe as a closed cell foam , not water proof , but resistant to penetration under most conditions.
Side note , biggest complaint I heard about those little Jeeps was fuel economy.
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Old 09-06-2013, 12:36 AM   #11
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I own a 2003 and a 2012 and don't have any such leaks as mentioned. I too have never heard of this but then again ya never know.
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Old 09-06-2013, 07:48 PM   #12
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I have a 2012 Liberty as our toad. No leaks so far.


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Old 09-06-2013, 10:29 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TwelveVolt View Post
Many members have posted favorable reviews of their Jeep toad experience, so off I went to the dealership to have a look. As luck would have it, here was a 2003 Liberty 4x4 with relatively low mileage and a tow plate. I sat down for a test drive, reached out to close the door, and found my fingertips about an inch deep in water. On closer examination, there were obvious water tracks down both the driver and passenger doors below the armrest. The door seals appeared to be in perfect condition. There were no obvious water tracks above the armrest.

A Google search revealed many Jeep owners (assorted years and models) posting about water leak problems and many others saying "Mine too, can't find the source of the leak either". Some have paid dealers many hundreds of dollars to arbitrarily replace seals with no results.

Has anyone had success in tracking down the source of these leaks? If I have a handle on how to fix it, I might consider making an offer. If it means buying into a mystery, I'll walk away. My concern is that it is damaging the electrical and mechanical components in the door (window, lock, mirror, speaker).
I believe a lot of the "leaky Jeeps" issues come from the Wranglers with removable hard tops. If the gaskets aren't smooth when the tops are put on, a gap occurs and there can be leaks. I haven't heard of Libertys having a leak problem, but apparently the one you saw does! I think I would steer clear of that particular Jeep.
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Old 09-06-2013, 10:58 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TwelveVolt View Post
This sounds like a plausible explanation. I have seen it on other Chrysler products, where I could hear water sloshing inside the door. I tried shaking the Liberty door and did not hear anything.

Since it is monsoon season in South Florida, severe thunderstorms with extreme rain occur almost every afternoon. It is possible that if the drain holes are almost completely blocked, they would have caused the door to fill to the point of overflowing from the top into the pull. The water then slowly drips away through the drain hole, emptying the door. Was the problem with the rustproofing products that they covered the holes with a coating on the outside, or were they plugged by spraying inside the door? Filling the doors with water to rustproof them. An interesting concept.



No sun roof. I assumed that the roof rack rails were held by a few screw holes through the roof, but some posts I read suggested that there is a significant opening in the roof under the rails. True?

If water runs along the top of the headliner, will it soak through or is it waterproof?
the rust proofing was on applied on the inside of the doors.

it is possible that the jeep with the water on the floor could be a flood car. there are a lot of cars and trucks being shipped around the us and sold with ''laundered'' titles. there was a recent show on abc about this practice. carfax doesn't always catch this.
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