Once the weather is warmer where i am I'll be doing this to my 2013 escape got the same issue and the head liner is stained in A pillar. Thanks for making this video...much more confidence to do the work myself now
After adding the factory roof rack to my 2013 Escape I developed leaks on both sides in the front. I had already used RTV sealant on the bolts and washers so that wasn't my problem. After more research I learned that the base of the channel is actually roof panel sealant that is painted over and that removing the channel cover and installing the roof rails had cracked this sealant allowing water to seep in. After several tries with more and more RTV I was finally able to fix the leaks using Flex Seal liquid painted along the entire bottom and sides of the channel. This liquid rubber compound is thinner than Permatex or other RTV material and flows into all the cracks. I masked off the top edges of the channel and built a "dam" across the front of the channel above the windshield with plumber's putty to prevent the liquid rubber from draining out. After reassembly, sealing the bolts as shown here, I've been leak free for over a year.
Hey Stan, thanks for the great input- that DOES make sense with some of the other observations we've seen on here- it flakes and cracks, so the fact that it's an applied sealant makes sense. Thanks for the tip on the Flex Seal as well as your approach to dam the material with the putty and then removing it. Great to know that your leaks have stayed away!
Stan Zamkow I’m trying to figure out where your talking about. So it’s not next to to bolt holes? I did the RTV last week and it’s raining today and the drivers A pillar is still leaking. Just trying to figure out how to get this water stop coming in.
@@ryanruiz3819 Sorry for the very late reply, I didnt' see this question until the notification of Rebecca's post. The entire bottom of the channel is actually covered in a material that seals the full length of the joint between the roof panel and the edge rails. This is hardened and painted over so it looks like metal but is not. If this material cracks it will allow water to leak into the interior. It may crack next to the bolt holes or anywhere there is stress. Without a roof rack there is nothing to cause the sealant to crack. If the seam leaks without a rack then it's a manufacturing defect. Adding a roof rack and the load you put on it puts weight on the entire area under the rack supports and it could crack anywhere in or near that area. So, there are two possible ways for water to get to the headliner. One is to leak past the bolt threads and down the bolt holes. This video shows how to eliminate that leak. The second and less likely is that the roof seam sealant is cracked somewhere and water seeps in through the crack. The bolt holes have to be sealed first. If it still leaks after that, try my trick of coating the entire channel with Flex Seal to repair any hidden cracks in the factory sealant.
I had the same thing happen on mine, cracked sealant. Mine actually came off in large chunks when removing the roof rack to fix the leak. I had to clean out large portions of sealant (2-3 inches for each screw) and re-sealed with RTV silicone. Installed roof rack while silicone was still wet. Now it's drying out, I'm really hoping it holds. Mine is 2014 just added OEM rack several months ago. I will keep in mind the Flex Seal, wish I knew abut this since it's tricky do get large surface coverage with silicone alone. Thanks for sharing
First of all thank you for the video. It took me two tries to nail it. In the second attempt, it seems as if those that had the rack factory installed already have a sealant (which hardens over time and fails). In my case, it was cracked so water still made its way inside as the permatex sat on top never creating a seal. I had to clean up the area by pulling off the factory sealant (paint matched to car on top, grey underneath) and then use the new sealant and presto, no more leaks. Now I need to clean up those water stains.
jimmy heights Yes! In my case the factory sealant was painted and cracked. I pulled it off with a flat head screwdriver just to clean around where the bolts go and then threw on the sealant in a generous amount. After putting if back together I let it sit to dry and not a single leak since.
Had the same issue on my 2014 after installing the oem roof rack. Used a lot of permatex black to sort-of recreate the sealant shape. Needed to do that on all 8 bolt holes! Not a fun project. Now it's drying up, we'll see soon if it holds. Thanks
This! I made this fix years ago, and it never really helped. I finally got around to taking a second stab and just realized that this layer needs to be broken up and peeled off - it blends in perfectly because of the paint job, and it's hard enough that you don't assume it's failed adhesive.
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews Perfect. We had a really heavy rainstorm a couple of days after I did your fix and NO leak! Thanks so much bro. Momma happy again, ha!
Just gave it a try on our 2016. Thanks for the video to ease the learning curve. Noticed that the passenger side black strip covering the channel is loose for about 1/3 of the length. Going to have to tackle that in the future.
WOW! Thanks for sharing and hi from way over here in the US! Glad you got your CMAX sealed up. These Fords are all so similar - with the good and the bad things haha. The roof leak is one of those little things you just need to spend an afternoon on and knock it out, but it's easy to put off. Not sure if you did, but we did at first. Glad it worked for you!
On my third fix attempt now, and I THINK I've fixed it... It's hard to know because my leaking is intermittent and hard to pin down. 1. As outlined in this video (thank you!!) - removed bolts from front and back, cleaned up the area, and added silicone generously 2. Redid this fix and cleaned up some of the flaking sealant around the bolt holes, spreading the silicone all over the area 3. Removed the entire rack, including the center strip and bolt, used rubberizing spray (this was really hard to keep focused on the channel - spray paint gets everywhere) to seal the entire channel, and then reapplied the silicone for all the bolts - front, back, and center
TmuxpridE worked great. I have a 2014 titanium and it solved it. Even after taking it in and getting the windshield re-glued didn’t. The only thing that I did different than him was that I used clear apoxy instead of black but it works wonders. Also, I made sure to clean out the spot under the screws really well so the adhesive would have a good area to stick to. And I was very generous with the adhesive (more than him).
@@aaronwelborn6365 cool, thanks for your help. I am really going to fix that leak on my truck thanks to this video. It just rained hard here in my town last night and noticed the passenger seat-belt was totally wet. Do you think the clear one is better than the balck one?
TmuxpridE the clear and black are the same. He probably uses the black in the video as the rack is black as well. I got clear because that’s the only one the store had and also, my car is white.
Yeah- you're right to have suspected some issues- it just wasn't flexible enough compared to the Permatex Black RTV gasketing silicone. Thanks for the encouragement and let us know if there's something else you'd like to see a video on :)
Thanks for taking the time to post your video.. This just looks like a design flaw once you get the front rack mount up.. There are little channels formed into the roof metal that actually funnel water right to the screw mounting holes in the roof .. If the factory foam seals adhered to the rack mounts don't get smash down into those channels or around the roof screw holes, water will be feed right to the hole causing the leak. I suggest people also fill those small channels in the roof metal around the holes with just enough black RTV to keep the water from getting to the holes in the first place. Don't use a lot of RTV as it would make it much harder to get that roof mounts off again if ever needed.. Also, I see no need to coat the heads of the bolts with RTV as they do not make contact with the roof holes but only pinch the 1/2" thick rack mount to the roof.. My sister has had both 2014 Escape front mounts leak, one side within the 3yr warranty and the other side Ford said nope!! you are just out of warranty, but they can sure charge us for their manufacturing design flaw.. This is a terrible Ford customer service issue for a simple fix they wont make right..
Mine is the previous generation with roof rack rust and leakage. I guess they changed some things but did not really get this right. I do wonder, however, why you didn't change to a different material for sealing. OK, you went from unknown brand RTV silicone to Permatex. I would have gone over to something different. Lexel, Geocel, maybe better 3M 4000 UV. Alternatively, a butyl tape.
Hey thanks for the video. I have this same exact problem on my 2014 Titanium Escape. Question: Did you ever create a video for "future video on how to clean the headliner of these watermarks"? I have major stains in mine. Thanks.
i am about to install roof rails on my 2013 kuga, they slightly different in Europe , my biggest concern was possible leak but thanks to your video I know what to do.
Awesome! Glad to hear! If you're buying the racks new, they should come with some thin sealing strips- really just foam with double sided adhesive. This is what is stock in the US at least and that goes around the screw holes. However, over time, these do wear/break down. The Permatex is a good backup solution to dab on there even if you have the foam strips. If you don't get strips with your roof rack, then by all means, goop it up! :)
Even if they are a bit different, hopefully this vid on OEM rack installs is helpful for you as well: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DMz38Ex8XUY.html
Interesting. I wonder if: A) The rack cargo weight capacities are different... we could probably look that up... B) The single mounting screw is more robust than the dual to compensate...if needed? Any ideas?
I´m having exact same issue with Ford Escape 2012, I removed just a bit of the weatherstrip in the ceiling to clean and add silicone but still the leak persists, I´m about to try to remove everything else on the ceiling and add silicone there, it really doesn´t make any sense as I´ve added so much silicone on the exterior already and I can´t seem to find the leaking source. Note; I don´t have a sunroof
Have you ever seen the roof rack leak causing water buildup in the spare tire area? I have a 2017 Escape SE with factory roof racks. Dealer couldn’t locate the leak. They want to pull the headliner. When they pulled the spare tire lining up there was a swimming pool on the bare metal. They resealed a gasket on my passenger side taillight but after drying it out I’m seeing new water on the metal tray for the tire. I suspect it is the roof racks but I haven’t pulled them off yet.
I am going thru this right now with my 2017 Escape Titanium that I purchased back in August of 2020. I wont post the whole story here but you can read my posts over at the fordescape.org forum starting on page #3 post #43 (my username is MurphysLaw) www.fordescape.org/threads/2017-2019-water-leak-problems.71754/page-3
Believe it or not, it is the horizontal body seam ( where the roof and the rest of the car are press-fit and spot welded together) under the weather stripping at the top of the tailgate. Gently remove those top plastic fake pieces by the struts and gently pull back the tailgate weather stripping. Remove the panels in that area just to make things easier to go back together. I used Gorilla Tape to seal that up, and the vertical body seam just above it. It seems to act as a channel for water into the car. I had previously removed both roof racks and caulked the bolts that were not caulked from the factory, but that did not solve my problem completely. Most of my leaking is in the right side rear. Unfortunately there are a bunch of electronics in that area, and I've pulled my spare tire a few times to dry that out. Good luck! Share with others.
Thanks! I'd say gob it on the screws and around the holes and put the screws in with the mounting brackets immediately. You want the curing to happen while everything is in place for a good seal.
Thank you for the tips! I've tried this a few weeks ago. We just had a heavy rain night last night and I checked. Unfortunately I still have bad leaking on the same area. Are there additional things that I can do to attempt a fix?
Not a bad idea- they would have to be SUPER conforming and not degrade over time- that was the supposed benefit of the Permatex Black RTV because it forms AND BONDS exactly to the components squishing it all together.
Great video. I am having a leak on my passenger side A pillar and in the rear. I am betting it's the same issue. I will try this. Thank you! BTW how did you get the stain out?
Hope this helps, Brent! Thanks for the comment! I actually ... haven't gotten the stain out. Our headliners are very strange- I bought a few different upholstery cleaners but each one just seemed to look like it worked for a few hours, but then would dry and I'd realize I was just pushing the stain further out. I unfortunately don't have much good advice to give on the headliner stain cleaning at this point in time but I'll be sure to check back if/when I find anything helpful/useful.
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews I've had good results with denatured alcohol. It evaporates quickly and to the surface so it pulls dirt out. Apply, rub gently, let dry, repeat. After a few times you're there!
I resealed my roof rack bolts, replaced my windscreen and still have water ingress in the same spot as you 😢 are there any other bolts/seals along the weatherstrip?
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews no sunroof. Just a plain old pair of roof rails. Do you think it could be the bolt in the middle under the weatherstrip?
I have this issue and did everything in the vid but the next night we had rain and the back pillars were wet still and leaking water. Is there any other solution? Could it be from the weather stripping itself? It's only my back pillars that have the water issue any help would be appreciated.
I don't have a roof rack but I think the leak is still happening under my weather stripping. Would the fix be similar? Do you have a video or info on how to remove the weather stripping?
We do! Check this link for the weather stripping- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-erTHopmgL7w.html you should be able to apply the same type of fix- clean it well and use the black rtv permatex silicone:) good luck!!!
Just started removing mine to do this. My 2013 never leaked. Pano roof was repaired a few years ago. It was parked in the rain a few days. After the rain I noticed heavy moisture/water trailing down on the inside of my windshield (ALMOST LIKE HEAVY SUMMER DEW BUT WAS IN 20'S HERE). Both front a pillars have some very new water staining. Next morning there was frost on the inside of hatch. My front driver screws did have black silicone. Not sure when was done. Rear driver had no silicone. Have not pulled passenger side. Broke a christmas tree clip. Ford does not sell one to replace it. Anyone know of a fitting replacement ?
How do I know the roof rack is where the leak is coming from as opposed to entering via the sunroof drains? I have a 2013 Ford Escape & today, for the first time, water was dripping from the rear passenger-side light just above the door. Freaked me out, as I've been in rain before and never had this problem.
Yikes, an active drip would make me nervous too... That's a good question- I haven't experienced a leak through the sunroof glass but you can may be able to inspect it for loose or creased weather stripping or a cracked seal along the glass perimeter? In contrast, most leaks people have experienced from the roof racks just shows up as a wet spot in the headliner at the top of the A or B pillars on either side of the windshield... the fact that it's worked its way a foot or so back to your ceiling light is strange...hope this helps a bit- if not, let me know what other questions you may have or if you've experienced more leaks! Good luck!
Funny, watched your first video and wondered why you didn't clean the channels prior to installing, and knew that silicone caulk you were using wouldn't do the job the way you were just adding inside the holes
Great question! We have had no leaks since this fix even with the escape not being garaged until a few months ago. I think a bigger test would be if you actively use the roof rack to flex the fastening points to the vehicle- but no, we have been happy with no leaks! You can be very generous with the permatex black rtv silicone and that will help :) let me know if you have any more questions!
@@flash21502 no problem at all- thanks for the comment and for checking out the channel :) if there is something you are looking for and don't see it in our video library give a shout and we can see if we can make it happen:)
How important are the Christmas tree rivets that connect the foot of the rack to the weather stripping? Any tips on where to buy replacements (and what size or brand)? Autozone wasn’t sure what to suggest.
Hi Elisa! I would say it would help mostly to just keep things from popping out of place during assembly as well as over the long term. The feet of the rack are of course held to the roof by means of the long screws, but the christmas tree rivets just keep the weather stripping tucked under the roof rack feet and don't allow them to move around. The center mounting bracket holds the center of the weather stripping to the roof of the vehicle, but the christmas tree rivets are the only thing holding them to the feet I believe. Tasca Parts is an excellent site to navigate factory part numbers and stock items, but I can't seem to see the christmas tree rivet in there- if you have one that is even mangled or beat up you could probably match it in size (or do as close as you can) and as long as the weather stripping is held to the roof rail feet, it will serve the purpose of the original christmas tree rivet. Link to the diagram of the roof rail system is here: www.tascaparts.com/v-2013-ford-escape--se--1-6l-l4-gas/body--luggage-carrier
I'm not sure any auto shop will know of a part number to suggest, but IF you have access to the old rivet, you can probably make a good go at getting close to the same length, head size, and retaining barbs or rounds to have it achieve the same function. I have used aftermarket rivets for things and as long as it's close and it holds, it should be fine :) Sorry I can't give you much more info than that
How To Escape: DIY, Tips, and Reviews love your videos! Where is the sunroof drain? We just bought a 2013 that showed significant watermarks on roof liner. Dealer re-sealed sunroof and cleared clogged drains but after watching your roof rack video, I fear that is the actual issue. The roof liner above cargo area was fully stained as well as sunroof/pillar areas. Seems logical cargo area leak was from rear rack bolt holes. but I do not want to disassemble the rack if drains may have been the issue. Thoughts? FYI liner is now pristine and rain is coming!
Not necessarily but if you're going to take the rails off to do the front you may as well do all at the same time. If you fix the front only, you may have to rip it out later and redo it if your other contact points started leaking. Just a thought to be proactive.
I installed new OEM rails on my 2014 escape. Used black rtv, a lot of it. I still got drivers side A pilar leak at first bad rain. Instructions that came with the kit did not have me remove the center brackets so they were left in place and re used. any suggestions?
The center bracket shouldn't have any correlation to the leak in your driver's A pillar- sounds like you're on track there. As for the leak, sorry you're experiencing that... were you able to clean all of the surfaces well before adding the RTV? Would you mind quickly just bulleting out the steps you took? Thanks and thanks for checking out the channel!
Thanks for responding. I removed the weather stripping and the front and rear feet. Cleaned the channels. pierced the holes in the front and back. put Permatex® Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant, 81158, in the screw holes and around them liberally, also on the screw threads. Then screwed it down. I got just a small amount of water after the first heavy rain about t week later. I tried to isolate the windshield and the rail by I spraying water around each separately. It leaked when I sprayed the rail not the windshield. Again just a small amount. Yesterday I removed it, cleaned it up and reinstalled using the same steps but this time I sealed the middle foot and made sure I had enough sealant around the holes and surrounding area. I'l wait another day and test again. What do you think?
Hey @Lou, the center rails still shouldn't change much in my opinion. If the leak was there, you'd see it in the headliner in the passenger section. However, I COULD be wrong, but it just doesn't make sense to me if that were the case... Your process seems right (in comparison to what I did, which is still holding dry). Good idea to isolate the windshield and then the front area of the weatherstripping! Yeah, maybe check for cracks which may have formed in the sheet metal. I didn't crank the screws down too hard when tightening either- basically to hand tight. I was afraid that they would strip or remove the black RTV which I put in that area. Think any of that could be your cause by any chance? Hope we can figure this out!
Bad news. I still get the same penny size water spot on the A pilar right at the where the the soft ends and the hard begins. I started pouring about 24 oz. of water over the area, nothing. Then a gallon, nothing. Then 1 minute with the hose simulating heave rain, nothing. Then 3 minutes with hose simulating heavy rain and I got the leak. Not sure what to do now. When I reinstalled this I tightened the screws tight with the wrench but I did not stand on it. Maybe a piece of rubber sealed to the area then repeat?
It may be slightly different if at all, but the body change from the '13-'16 wasn't super dramatic so the same principles should apply for construction methods and disassembly/reassembly. I'm assuming you have a roof leak then- sorry you're going through that! :/
Brand new 2017 Ford Escape Titanium with roof rack leak at passenger rear mount. Leaks like crazy as water drips down the side interior behind the panels and then drips from a vent down into a recessed area on the rear hatch floor. The roof liner inside is wet right under the mounting points of the rear roof rack. There is also a fuse box right where the water drips down inside the rear panel. Is there a recall or tech service bulletin on this? Had I known this I would not have bought this car. I guess if they can't fix it, I will. There are so many other ways to seal things the right way, too bad Ford can't figure this out. An intelligent service tech should be able to figure this out. I will give them one chance to fix it.
Hey @Andy, sorry about your new FE- that really stinks. Sounds like a fairly serious leak. I can check for recalls or complaints here, and you can do some of your own research: www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2017/FORD/ESCAPE/SUV/AWD#recalls. Hope you can dig up some info or solidarity if anybody else has experienced it with your year and make. Also, yes, if you have to do it yourself, hopefully this video can help!
Update; the Service Tech states its the lift gate wiring harness seal that was leaking. There are two entry points for two wiring harnesses and one was leaking severely allowing rain water to enter where the wiring harness enters the body near the roof...it caused other damage and the they are ordering the parts to fix it.
Ugh- well at least they identified the source and it wasn't anything structural! Are you talking about the rubber boots that are supposed to seal where the wires of the lift gate go into the top of the Escape? Sorry about your troubles @Andy_Shrack. I hope everything comes back together soon!
Yes to the boots. But they had a whole lot more than that disassembled. I went back to see if they had put my car inside after They called me and told me they needed to order more parts. I just had a bad feeling so I went to the dealership to check. Well my car was outside. I took pictures. I'm in the panhandle of Florida and it has been raining like crazy. The dealer had my car outside in the rain with all the boots and seals removed so more water leaked in again. I took pictures and made the service manager immediately put my car inside for the weekend. Its sad really. They don't care about my car or me. I'm hoping my brand spanking new car is truly fixed after all of this. The service manager tried using his talk Judo on me to distract me from their poor customer service and while doing so he mentioned that they do a lot of repairs like this. Ford needs to do an official recall.
I'm sorry man, that sounds awful. Agreed, there are way too many reports of leaks in these cars. I hope you can get some satisfaction from those guys over at your dealer. Good work on not letting them pull a fast one on you.
I did all the steps and it still leaks. I noticed on the foot there are small rubber blocks or tape which I assume are attached with double sided adhesive. mine ripped apart. should I just use thick double sided tape?
John Peters hi John, the foam is the original seal from Ford. Over time, they do break down. Normal double sided tape or foam will still shift or rip through a season of driving- rtv black Silicone is a great sealant if you can identify where your leak is. With the Ford factory rack, the only places to seal should be he threaded holes- did you notice anything else?
Man- that's a bummer. Do you have any pictures of your procedure or application? Where is your leak located? Did you fully remove all previous foam and residue? I literally drove through a rainstorm up the east coast all this past weekend with no leaks- I do not say that to brag in the least- moreso just to know that the material does hold and that there's still hope for this method- I recognize, each time you do this has to be frustrating- hopefully we can find the solution without too much more of your time. Thanks and looking forward to hearing back-
Wow- headliner work is no joke- are they going to replace it? Sometimes the water comes in and stains the headliner but I am hesitant to do anything like that as I am afraid of things never looking like they use to- Do you have a serious leak? Do you have a roof rack or just weather strips?
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews They said the problem was a trough or something like that, part of the roof rack that keeps water out. Has to take the headliner out, but I don't think they're replacing it. I honestly feel like I'm getting ripped off, but I don't have a garage and it's been raining a lot. Plus the leak is in the back, near the rear fuse box. Pretty sure the ice and snow did the damage. Water probably leaked in and froze.
