Rain Leak (persistent)
 

My 2006 Scion xA leaks every time it rains. Does anyone else have the following problem or a solution to it? Toyota/Scion of Berkeley, CA and the factory field technician certainly don't! This is the 7th time I've taken it in since March 2006, 6 weeks after purchasing the car.

PROBLEM:
Water enters the driver's side door and dribbles onto the floor when it rains. The water accumulates on the outside of the door sill and makes its way into the car. Water entry is documented by placing newspaper on the floor, flush against the base of the door sill.

SOLUTIONS? NONE SO FAR.
At first Toyota/Scion denied there was a problem because they couldn't duplicate it. It leaked for me but not for them when they did the hose test. Maddening & frustrating.
Recently they finally determined that water enters when the car is on a slight slope towards the street gutter. The slope is only 5 degrees, following the camber of the street.
The door seals have been replaced twice. The car still leaks.
A vapor barrier was installed in the door. The car still leaks.
Carpeting was replaced after intial complaint -- soaked & moldy. The car still leaks.
The A/C is not the cause of the problem. The car still leaks.
The dealeship & Scion claim nobody else has this problem. My car still leaks.

MY CONCLULSION: STRUCTURAL DEFECT/DESIGN FLAW
This car is a LEMON & Toyota/Scion are incapable of fixing the problem.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? IS THERE A SOLUTION?
I'm sick & tired of this situation & being given the runaround by a bunch of incompetents.

Thanks for listening, Tinkuy

Most good dealerships will use an outside water leak specialist to determine and fix difficult leaks. They are usually mobile and will come to the dealership so noone has to drive your car to some far off place on the other side of town.

Ask you service advisor about this. If they're no help, call another dealership.

I have a suggestion: Since the dealer has tried unsucessfully several times to fix this most unusual water leak, I would ask around and find an independent body shop with an excellent reputation for workmanship. I would take your car to them and go over your problem and everything that had been done unsucessfully so far. A good body shop should be adept at fixing leaks and rattles: even the hard to find ones. This worked for me when my wife's previous Grand Marquis had a bad water leak the dealer could'nt find or fix. An excellent independent body shop fixed the problem on the first visit. It just took someone who knew what he was doing!!!!!

I beleive your car does fall into that lemon law act. I would check with a lawyer. That if you want the problem to just go away.

Thanks for the suggestions about the leaking xA. The car is still under warranty, so I feel it's the dealer's & Scion's responsibility to fix the rain leak. Brand new cars shouldn't leak!

The car has been back at the dealer for almost 2 weeks. Who knows, maybe they're finally fixing it. Yes, I've contacted a lawyer. If the car leaks again, the lawyer will get on the case.

I wonder if I am experiencing the same leak issue. In a certain touchless car was I frequent, water will come seeping in underneath the tweeter pod location on the door. The water will run down the door to the floor. I notice at first just a white residue on the door, but brushed it off as water that fell on the door when it was open and raining. Then I watched it come in as I was in the car wash one day. Is that about the same spot it is leaking?

Rainwater enters my xA at the base of the door right by my feet. Water pools on the outer sill. Instead of draining away to the exterior, water makes its way onto the floor. The point of entry is just forward of the seam/break in the plastic sheath that covers the bare metal on the sill but before the speaker. Sounds similar to your problem.

The leak may have something to do with the seal that comes only partway up the door. Notice the seal that ends halfway up the door & looks like a chewed-off Twizzler? Is Scion so cheap they have to skimp on rubber seals?

The car doesn't leak if it's on level ground. This is why it failed the hose tests at the dealer & why they told me they couldn't duplicate the results. Once they jacked it up, leaning towards the passenger side, they observe the water coming in.

Good luck. Scion will try to convince you that the problem doesn't exist.

Hmm...sounds like they skimped on proper seals.
I dismissed the dealer as an option long ago as a way to fix problems with my car. The system is broken and you have to learn to fix it yourself nowadays if you want it done right. In fact, I'm not sure why I should have to pay for a warrenty when I never use it. I prefer to find a fix myself. Dang I'm drunk...disregard everything I just said...or maybe it was good....I dunno..

All but 1 of the round seals on the underbody of my car have popped off. My backseat kept getting wet and I couldn't figure out what on earth was causing it. I had like 7 holes under the car, allowing water to get to the carpet and under the spare tire well. I just discovered this and have since sealed, sprayed, and geled the crap out of the holes in hopes that it won't leak again. Check your underbody seals if the water is getting in on the floor.