[C.N.]

Update: So I got my 21' BE back after being at the dealer for one day. I went there myself today so that they could show me themselves that they couldn't find a leak. The rear seat was removed and some of the carpet lifted. After an hour of hosing it down, it did NOT leak. I was dumbfounded, I couldn't believe it. The foam spot underneath the rear driver's side that was soaked when I first discovered it, was DRY and not wet at all from the hose at the dealer. I ended up taking my BE home and advised the dealer I would be back if i discovered the carpet/foam to be wet again.

Here's the kicker: I did NOT have my tonneau cover on while it was being serviced at the dealer. I now am suspecting that the tonneau may have something to do with my leak. Idk if its from the water gathering on it and forcing more water into the rear cab wall, or the weight of the tonneau on-top of the bed, or what. All i know is, after dousing it in gallons of water at the dealer (minus the tonneau cover), no leak was found. But for the first two months of owning it and having the tonneau on while sitting outside in the rain, I found the foam/carpet to be soaked.

For those of you that has discovered water intrusion, do you guys have a tonneau installed?

 

[wjfyfe]

For those of you that has discovered water intrusion, do you guys have a tonneau installed?

You may have something there where from the very beginning we have had a tonneau cover installed, (though not the OEM.)

Bill

 

[zroger73]

@C.N., although a leak is more likely based on the history of reports, it's possible the sunroof and/or windows were left open before you purchased the vehicle.

 

[Cbayman]

Update: So I got my 21' BE back after being at the dealer for one day. I went there myself today so that they could show me themselves that they couldn't find a leak. The rear seat was removed and some of the carpet lifted. After an hour of hosing it down, it did NOT leak. I was dumbfounded, I couldn't believe it. The foam spot underneath the rear driver's side that was soaked when I first discovered it, was DRY and not wet at all from the hose at the dealer. I ended up taking my BE home and advised the dealer I would be back if i discovered the carpet/foam to be wet again.

Here's the kicker: I did NOT have my tonneau cover on while it was being serviced at the dealer. I now am suspecting that the tonneau may have something to do with my leak. Idk if its from the water gathering on it and forcing more water into the rear cab wall, or the weight of the tonneau on-top of the bed, or what. All i know is, after dousing it in gallons of water at the dealer (minus the tonneau cover), no leak was found. But for the first two months of owning it and having the tonneau on while sitting outside in the rain, I found the foam/carpet to be soaked.

For those of you that has discovered water intrusion, do you guys have a tonneau installed?

Water intrusion can be very dependent on the attitude of the vehicle while it is exposed to rain or water. See post 116 above.

 

[C.N.]

You may have something there where from the very beginning we have had a tonneau cover installed, (though not the OEM.)

Bill

I had the OEM tonneau installed at delivery. Now that it is currently dry, and remained dry while sitting in the rain and also while being hosed down for long periods of time, I'm going to put the tonneau back on to see if it leaks with that on it.

@C.N., although a leak is more likely based on the history of reports, it's possible the sunroof and/or windows were left open before you purchased the vehicle.

I almost rather that be the case, instead of having the common seam leak! I'll be very happy if I indeed do NOT have a leak. Because so far, I have had no other issues with this 21 BE and LOVE it!

Water intrusion can be very dependent on the attitude of the vehicle while it is exposed to rain or water. See post 116 above.

The dealer had my Ridgeline parked on a slope facing downhill when it was raining and when we hosed it down. Still nothing.

I will continue to monitor and update you guys with any further. My only regret now is that I let the dealership service guys tamper with the interior of my RL, and also leaving hard water spots on the black piano trim along the rear window while doing the water tests

 

[KeizerDuck]

I have never had a tonneau cover on my truck and it was still wet under the back seat on the drivers side. The suspicion seems to be the two slot drains at the lower corner of the back window. If parked down hill slightly I could see that all the water from the cover could wind up there and maybe the quantity of water from the cover could make a difference.

As for my truck the dealer said they found the leak that left the back drivers side wet AND an additional leak. They have repaired them both and will have my truck back to me today. They were caused by faulty panel seems is what I have been told.

 

[C.N.]

I have never had a tonneau cover on my truck and it was still wet under the back seat on the drivers side. The suspicion seems to be the two slot drains at the lower corner of the back window. If parked down hill slightly I could see that all the water from the cover could wind up there and maybe the quantity of water from the cover could make a difference.

As for my truck the dealer said they found the leak that left the back drivers side wet AND an additional leak. They have repaired them both and will have my truck back to me today. They were caused by faulty panel seems is what I have been told.

Wish my dealer was as competent as yours seem. I let a hose flow freely at the two slots you mentioned while at the dealer and no signs of water under the carpet. I'm still utterly confused. I have yet to put my tonneau back on. I just ran it thru a touch-free car wash. Still dry. I'm scared that once I put the tonneau back on, the water is going to miracle itself back into the interior

 

[ToadVine]

I have never had a tonneau cover on my truck and it was still wet under the back seat on the drivers side. The suspicion seems to be the two slot drains at the lower corner of the back window. If parked down hill slightly I could see that all the water from the cover could wind up there and maybe the quantity of water from the cover could make a difference.

As for my truck the dealer said they found the leak that left the back drivers side wet AND an additional leak. They have repaired them both and will have my truck back to me today. They were caused by faulty panel seems is what I have been told.

Maybe you could get whoever fixed it at the dealership to point out the exact locations of the leaks. If they can't show you because the truck has been reassembled, perhaps they could point it out on the diagram in the service manual.

 

[KeizerDuck]

Well I got my truck back. It was put back together but basically one of the seems on the C pillar was not properly sealed. They took off the cover inside the wheel well to gain access and then fully sealed it. They they let the seal set up overnight and then put it under their sprinkler area and let it "rain" for some significant period of time. They verified that it was no longer leaking. At the point they put everything back in place and I've got it back. I'll keep an eye on it but have every reason to think they did a complete and adequate inspection and expect that all is now good. They had the truck for 2 days and the morning of a third. They were nothing but helpful thorough the whole process.

They didn't replace all the carpet and I didn't ask them to. It was defiantly wet but was never a huge amount of water. The truck was on their lot for less than 4 weeks and I had it two weeks. I'm confident the carpet is fine and would rather not have the whole interior disassembled if didn't seem to be needed. I know every dealership is different but I'm really happy with the way it was handled in my case.

 

[Mach]

I took my 2021 Ridgeline to the dealership after finding the underside of the rear right passenger carpet was wet. The dealership said the rear right door seal was improperly installed from the factory, installed a new door seal, water tested and said it was good. When I picked it up a few days ago, the foam under the rear right passenger carpet was still damp. It seems to retain moisture for a loooong time. I got it to dry by propping up the carpet with an old credit card and letting it air out for 48 hours. Then I water thoroughly water-tested, starting with the bed, then rear window, roof, right side window, left side window, and finally an overall “spray everything” test. Both right and left sides remained dry.

I’ll monitor and check after big rainstorms to be safe but all evidence points to the rear right door seal being the issue and I have been unable to replicate any water intrusion since the fix.

 

[RogersRTS]

They didn't replace all the carpet and I didn't ask them to. It was defiantly wet but was never a huge amount of water. The truck was on their lot for less than 4 weeks and I had it two weeks. I'm confident the carpet is fine and would rather not have the whole interior disassembled if didn't seem to be needed. I know every dealership is different but I'm really happy with the way it was handled in my case.

The carpet replacement dilemma came up while discussing this with my dealer's service manager. I'm personally not in favor of replacement giving the limited degree of contamination inside my truck vs. the labor & materials needed to replace the carpet. Still think it's easier to saturate the affected area of carpet & under-padding in a mildew-killing disinfectant, let soak for awhile, then vacuum that out will a commercial grade upholstery vac and possibly block excess moisture from underneath with towels. Then, if still damp use the AC to dry out the remaining moisture. Still think this problem is more easily fixable than most think as long as the leak is found & fixed.

 

[Celltech]

In the first attempt of fixing my leak the dealer let me know they were specifically not replacing the carpet because the foam padding kept it from being damaged. I don't know what steps they took to clean/disinfect it, but it was dry....at least until I washed the truck

 

[bluegrass]

I don't know what steps they took to clean/disinfect it,

I can very easily answer that for you...they did NOTHING to clean/disinfect it.

 

[RogersRTS]

I can very easily answer that for you...they did NOTHING to clean/disinfect it.

Trust me you will know... The stank will come back to life at the 1st signs of new moisture and leaving it parked in the sun with the windows closed. Just takes a little moisture baking in that carpet padding to wake it up.

 

[Trackrider54]

I haven't owned my 2021 long enough to get it wet (outside of me washing it), but it did sit on the dealer lot for about 2 months and in that time we have had some hellacious rain and flooding. Since it sat on the lot during all that rain, I suspect that wonderful "new car smell" would have been replaced by a musty wet mildew smell. I am not sure where to check for leaks, but if I notice a foul odor, I'll pull up the rear carpet and take a look.

So far, so good. My 2019 was also dry...despite it getting driven through about 18" of water...no leaks whatsoever.

 

[Clayton Gripslee]

All the attention on this post made me curious about my 06, it basically never rains here so I wouldn't know about a serious leak until it was too late

I took it through a car wash and checked for water leakage and was pleasantly surprised it was 98% sealed and dry, the right rear door leaked but it is missing the panel and only the footstep was wet

The trunk took on about 1/4" of water and I noticed there was a bunch of debris in the seal so I cleaned all that out and it should be good to go

At least now if it rains I won't be surprised

 

[tru1man]

Picking my 20 up tomorrow- dealer couldn't find source of leak. I will do my best to dry out the soggy sponge under the carpet and monitor for the expected recurrence.

 

[911medic]

After a couple of car washes and some time parked out in the rain, I checked my padding on both sides today: dry. Thankfully. I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[tru1man]

If you find moisture after removing the sill plates, the plastic bar that the rear seat legs rest on is also removable, but takes a stronger tug. After removing these 3 pieces and also the trim plate at the base of the rear seat hinge area (left side in my case), I propped up the carpet and placed a small heater/fan on low, sitting on a bucket at the door opening. Looks like it will take about 24hrs to dry out. I will leave the trim pieces out for awhile and monitor for continuing trouble. No mold or mildew so far.

 

[CentexG2]

Just context for my "No" response:

• No tonneau / bed cover
• Never garaged
• Has suffered through many rains from light to deluge for hours on end, both driving and parked
• Parking about evenly split between nose-up, nose-down, and ~level (got 'em all at my house)
• Never even a hint of 'stank' or mildew odor
• I'm knocking on wood as I post this

Good luck if your experience is otherwise!