For the last year I have had my car in for pretty serious water intrusion that resulted in mold, the rusting out of the undercarriage of the seats and soaking of the carpet. It smelled terrible. They agreed in 7/2019 to cover the cost of repairs and replaced the drains. However, 6 months later we enter the rainy season and again, major water leaking near the sunroof. Now they tell me the grommet has to be replaced. We did that too.
Now again a month later, more drains and more grommets and another $428 not covered under any sort of warranty. I'm incredibly disappointed in Nissan and will never buy another car with a sunroof. When it rains, it literally pours inside of the car. Either the folks aren't doing the repairs they say they are doing, or this is a major vehicle defect.
Noticed white mold growing on floor board. Removed mats in front and back of 2017 Rogue to find wet floor board and carpet. No idea how long this was wet. Perhaps weeks. Nothing in any sort of manual or care guide suggested that the sunroof had a common reported problem of clogged drains until I started reading about the problem. I have had cars with sunroofs since the 1980's and never had a problem like this!
Right now I have taken it to the dealer and I have filed an insurance claim. I do not know if that claim will be paid. It is however very obvious that this is a problem that Nissan need to address. It appears to be a design defect and/or they need to warn customers that cleaning out the drains is needed several times a year. I never would have purchased this vehicle had I know about this problem. By the time you can tell you have the problem MOLD growing in your car, it is too late - it is damaged.
I believe Nissan needs a recall of the vehicle and permanent fix. Never heard of any other vehicle with a sunroof that needed the drains to be on a maintenance program! And to top this off Nissan did not suggest that the drains be maintained on a frequent basis with normal use.
Opened the car this past weekend (Saturday, 11/2/19) to find white bold right under the front passenger's seat. Upon further inspection, noticed that the entire area was wet, including behind the front passenger's seat and by the right, rear passenger's seat. The underside of the mats were wet, and the carpet beneath is sopped. Upon even further inspection, and after pulling the front passenger's seat up all the way, found more white mold underneath the front passenger's seat's mechanisms and vent. The carpet is totally wet and white mold is clearly visible. Even some white mold has begun to appear on the carpet of the rear passenger's seat.
This is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE and NOTHING in the maintenance materials or owner's manual says ANYthing about the owner being responsible for checking sunroof drainage plugs. There's no way for an owner to do it and the Nissan's service centers don't even recommend this type of service to be done. There's no information of it, anywhere. So, now, we're reading that owners have been responsible for the cost? That's preposterous.
I used to love Nissans - a lifelong Nissan fan! So, to say we're disappointed is a gross understatement. Nissan needs to have this issue fixed and taken care of without cost to owners affected by this design flaw!
Update from Jun 29, 2020: Poughkeepsie Nissan was great at diagnosing the problem and fixing this issue for us. Because we were still under full warranty and because something inside of the drainage system had actually broken - most likely due to the clogging - they were able to fix the broken part and clean out the drains for the sunroof, without cost to us. However, if the issue had happened without anything having been broken - and if the issue was due solely because of clogging and failure to drain the sunroof drainage system - they explained that we would have had to eat up the cost.
Now that the issue was fixed, we actually decided to purchase our 2017 Rogue off of lease because, aside from this issue, we really love the car! They explained that we should have them inspect the drainage system in order to clean it out, at least twice a year - once in the Fall and once in the Spring - in order to ensure that doesn't happen, again. But, that would be servicing that would be up to us to pay. They mentioned that this happens to other cars besides Nissan. But, truthfully, I've had other cars with sunroofs and have never encountered this problem.
If YOU are experiencing this issue, and you're still under warranty, INSIST that they (the dealer) pay for the fix, as most as you can. It's not fair that the cost of fixing this problem due to their design issue would fall on the customer.
2017 Rogue Star Wars edition. Water was collecting under passenger seat, took it to Nissan. Said it was probably the drain plugs to the sunroof clogged.They stripped it down to the metal said they were not responsible, that it was environmental. The last price they gave for repair cost was almost $6,000.
This is certainly a major defect in the design of the car that the consumer would not be aware of (the potential of drain water to back up into the cabin of the car causing health issues!) Buyers should be warned of this problem. Was told nothing, but all of a sudden the car dealership says they recommend the plugs to be blown out twice a year, Really?? Will never buy another Nissan.
The service guy seems to be doing everything he can. The problem is that Nissan says the leak is not covered under warranty. Then I am told that the hoses have to be maintained. Really? There is NOTHING in the manual about maintenance. They have had my car now for 10 days and still waiting. Sounds like there is no fix - if there is no fix then I don't want this piece of crap.
- Rosanne M.,
Toronto, ON, Canada
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When the sunroof drainage tube get clogged from leaves or other debris and the water builds up it floods the cabin. The water accumulated in the back seat passenger area where mold formed. The dealership had to remove the rugs and padding and clean the interior which resulted in most of the charge being labor.
Nissan had changed the design of the sunroof drainage from ending at the wheel well to now at the cowl under the plastic cover. to me this is a design flaw they created. There is a plastic piece which covers the tube which actually seems to make it easier to clog. There is no way an owner can do maintenance or observe the problem occurring until after your flooded. The flooding may not be obvious since rear rug appeared damp and we noticed it only after the mold produced an musky odor. Now producing a health hazard
You have to wonder if this problem exists with other Nissan models. If you live anywhere there are trees with leaves you may not want to buy a Nissan with a sunroof. This was my third car from them and I will never buy another.
Nissan will not warranty or reimburse for any of the damage.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
click to see larger images
For the last year I have had my car in for pretty serious water intrusion that resulted in mold, the rusting out of the undercarriage of the seats and soaking of the carpet. It smelled terrible. They agreed in 7/2019 to cover the cost of repairs and replaced the drains. However, 6 months later we enter the rainy season and again, major water leaking near the sunroof. Now they tell me the grommet has to be replaced. We did that too.
Now again a month later, more drains and more grommets and another $428 not covered under any sort of warranty. I'm incredibly disappointed in Nissan and will never buy another car with a sunroof. When it rains, it literally pours inside of the car. Either the folks aren't doing the repairs they say they are doing, or this is a major vehicle defect.
- Ann A., Windermere, FL, US