Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Water leaks into the cabin
Most reported: 2019 Ram 1500 with 63 reports. Across the 96 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 1,105.
- 1,105owner reports
- 96model years affected
- 47,000median miles
- 2involved a crash
- 11involved a fire
These owners find water where it shouldn't be: a soaked carpet, a wet footwell, water pooling in the cargo area, and often a musty smell before they find the source. The smell is the most common thread, mentioned in more than four in ten of these complaints.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of water leak reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12019 Ram 1500recall634% of its complaints32k mi
- 22017 Ford Explorerrecall614% of its complaints60k mi
- 32016 Ford Explorer1 firerecall532% of its complaints58k mi
- 4384% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 5364% of its complaints45k mi
- 62015 Ford Explorerrecall352% of its complaints80k mi
- 72014 Ford Explorerrecall312% of its complaints67k mi
- 8304% of its complaints40k mi
- 92018 Audi Q5recall2211% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 102020 Ram 15001 firerecall224% of its complaints30k mi
- 112021 Ram 1500recall223% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 122014 Jeep Cherokee1 firerecall211% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 132018 Ford Explorer1 firerecall203% of its complaints55k mi
- 14202% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 152015 Jeep Cherokeerecall181% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 162014 Chevrolet Impalarecall163% of its complaints70k mi
- 17153% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 182018 Ford F-150recall141% of its complaints37k mi
- 19142% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 20131% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 212020 GMC Sierra 15001 fire133% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 22135% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 232014 Nissan Roguerecall123% of its complaints80k mi
- 242022 GMC Sierra 1500recall122% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 252015 Nissan Roguerecall112% of its complaintsfew mileages
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe water leak. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12019 Ram 1500recall634% of its complaints32k mi
- 2364% of its complaints45k mi
- 3384% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 42017 Ford Explorerrecall614% of its complaints60k mi
- 5304% of its complaints40k mi
- 62016 Ford Explorer1 firerecall532% of its complaints58k mi
- 72015 Ford Explorerrecall352% of its complaints80k mi
- 82014 Ford Explorerrecall312% of its complaints67k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ram 1500136
When it happens
449 of the 1,105 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 26,177 and 74,000 miles; the median is 47,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of water leak, grouped by the model year of the car. 2 involved a crash and 11 a fire. 9 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 1,105 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
The water gets in through the openings. About a quarter of complaints here mention a door or a seal, around one in ten the sunroof, and about one in ten the trunk, hatch or cargo area. Firestone points at the same places: the rubber seals around the windows, sunroof, doors and windshield, which let rain and snow in once they're damaged. It adds one leak that isn't water at all. A failed heater core can push coolant into the cabin, with a sweet, syrupy smell, a greasy film on the glass or liquid behind the dash. A puddle under the car is usually a different matter. Clear, odorless water dripping near the front after the A/C has been running is normal condensation, Firestone says, and a few drops from the tailpipe on a cold start is too.
What turns a leak from a nuisance into a safety complaint is where the water goes next. In NHTSA's investigation PE22-009, water leaking into 2014 to 2016 Jeep Cherokees was believed to damage the electronic parking brake module, which could then apply the brake while driving. A related recall, 15V-393, dealt with water getting into the power liftgate module in nearly the same vehicles, where the damage carried a fire risk. Nissan's 22V-024 replaced under-dash connectors on some 2014 to 2016 Rogues after water and road salt from the driver's footwell corroded them. And an older case, EA05-015, followed water through a windshield seal into a fuse box and electronic module.
It's a small group, about 1,100 complaints across the vehicles covered here, with a median mileage of about 45,000. The 2019 Ram 1500 and the 2016 and 2017 Ford Explorer lead it.
Finding the entry point starts with the seals. Firestone's advice is to look along the rubber for cracks, tears or crumbling and to feel for seals gone brittle or soft. Ask the shop to check any modules or connectors near the wet area as well, given how many of the recalls above began with water.
Don't just dry it and move on. If you've seen warning lights, electrical glitches or a parking brake behaving oddly alongside a leak, say so, and have it checked before relying on the car. Photograph where the water collects and when (after rain, after a car wash, after parking on a slope).
Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup. For leaks on a car still under warranty, get it on a repair order; the FTC says a defect reported during the warranty period must be fixed even if the warranty ends before the repair.
Sources
- Why does my car have condensation inside?, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Two common reasons your car may be leaking water, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- NHTSA investigation PE22-009, electronic parking brake water ingress, Jeep Cherokee, citing recall 15V-393 (NHTSA investigation file)
- NHTSA recall 22V-024, Nissan Rogue under-dash connector
- NHTSA investigation EA05-015, windshield leak causes electrical failures (NHTSA investigation file)
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.