Devynn2007

I have a 2006 Chevy Equinox which I bought back on 10/31/2012 Since then I have had to replace the head gaskets and the radiator which was done last week. Now I am experiencing water under my feet and I can not figure out where the water is coming from. I took it through the car was on Wednesday that is when I noticed the water when I was vacuuming out the car but I do not know if it was there prior.

I took out the padding and dried it out and today at lunch I went to go check on it after driving through some standing water and it was wet again. I can not smell any antifreeze and it when I put a white towel down there it appears to just be water. I can not figure out where it is coming from. Everything that I have read august that it is from either the windshield or a seal or even the heater core. I don't think it is the heater core because I can not see or smell antifreeze. I also discovered water where the spare tire is located and I think it is the seal back there as well.

I have no idea where to look or even what I am doing so any help would be very appreciated!

Chevrolet Customer Service

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I am sorry you are experiencing this issue with your Equinox vehicle. Would you please PM me the last 8-digits of your VIN, so I may check my resources for any known issues?

I look forward to your reply.

Louis
GM Customer Service

luvmynox

Hi there,

I'm certainly no expert but I do have some info that may help. I have a 2008 equinox and also had a leak over a year ago just like the one you are describing. I took it in 3 weeks in a row to finally get it resolved. There was a "water guy" that happened to be working at my dealership the day when I brought it in for the 3rd time. I barely use my sunroof but the car was always parked in my driveway. There were tree branches that overhung the driveway. I did NOT have a leak around the sunroof inside the car. I only had a leak in the passenger side of the floorboard. Water was soaking the carpet & mats. It also appeared to be coming from the vents on the center console on passenger side. I did not have an odor either. The fluid appeared clear. If I remember correctly, there was a clog in the sunroof drain. I think the drain is supposed to channel the water away from the sunroof down to the right front tire well & out. I think that is what I was told. If you have a sunroof, It would be worth checking out. I actually had water in my right headlight that I didn't notice either. Once the sunroof drain was fixed, I have not had anymore issues.

My sister had an 05 nox. She parked her car on a hill. Water was running out the spare tire well. She could not get it fixed. No one figured it out. (She lives in another state & I did not have mine yet) Her floorboard was rusted so bad that she had to get another car.

I hope you get to the bottom of it!

Devynn2007

Thanx for the reply, I don't have a sunroof but I have been doing some reading and it seems that it might be the drain on by the windshield, and I also have the same problem with water in the spare tire and I have no idea where that is coming from, from what I am reading it is the tailgate seal. I am dumb when it comes to cars and I really don't want to take it to the dealer where they are going to charge me an arm and a leg to fix it =(

cfrezzell

I'm having the same problem. When it rains my floor boards in the back are soaked and it smells like mildew. From what I have read from other people GM refuses to acknowledge the problem.

tommy5377

Did you ever find out what caused your water leak? We had heavy rain last night. I had about 1 inch of water on the drivers side floor.

Redryder60

In the spring, I noticed my carpet was a bit damp under the all-weather mat. I found this a bit unusual because I am careful not to bring snow into the vehicle from my shoes/boots, and I could not figure out how it got under a mat with high sides all around. Nevertheless, I shampooed it and let the carpet thoroughly dry in the sun with doors open. Every 1-2 weeks, I wash the vehicle and clean the mats - it is still damp only under the driver side mat. I tried to dry it out - ran fans in that area for 2 weekends straight. Seemed like it was better, but not totally dry like it should be.

We got a lot of rain in the Detroit area 08/11. Two days later, there was a puddle under the mat! I brought it to the dealer today - I have the extended warranty through 10/18. The service adviser told me the sunroof was out of adjustment on the left side. Because of this, when I was driving through heavy rain, there was an overflow at the left front drain tube, causing the puddle to form on the floor. I'm very mechanically-oriented and fully understand water flow and drainage. I explained that if there was so much water where it could not all flow down the drain tube, the back up would be at the top - where the sunroof is. No water leaked in via the sunroof, nothing was dripping from the headliner, and the headliner was not even damp. The drain tube drains externally. "So, please explain how the water got on the floor." He explained the same thing, and then I asked the same question. I did not get a satisfactory answer. I need my vehicle, and am looking at a $300 repair bill because this is not covered under warranty. Really? I asked what that price includes. "Sunroof adjustment, water check, carpet and insulation dry out" was the answer. I told him I'll dry things out myself, and asked how much for doing the adjustment. He told me it would be the same price. I disagreed and told him why, we went back and forth, he then went back and spoke to the mechanic, and came back with reducing it to $200.

I have never experienced this drainage issue before with any of my other vehicle, and actually have never even heard of it. It's frustrating, but I need my vehicle.

It seems that I am far from alone when seeing all the water leak issues other Equinox owners have experienced. Is anyone aware of any service bulletins or recalls on this?

Sorry for the long post, but any information/advice would be appreciated.

ruley73

The front drain tubes exit about 4 inches above and 2 inches in front of the lower front door hinges. You're looking for a round, black rubber grommet that's roughly 1.25 inches in diameter that the drain hose connects to. You can see them when the doors are open, but need to remove the plastic front fender liners to access them. I'm thinking that the drain tube may have somehow disconnected from the this grommet and is now draining into the cabin. Another possibility is that the grommet is plugged and the pressure from the water backing up is enough to breach the seal between the hose & the grommet. Either scenario would allow water to drain into the cabin and onto your floorboard, but leave your headliner dry.

Be careful with those grommets because I believe they are no longer available from a dealership.

kfiscus

I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't. My '08 equinox is doing the exact same thing after the rain in Detroit last week. Trying to decide who I should take my car to to have it looked at - my regular mechanic or a dealership. I want to go in armed with info so they don't try to take advantage of me! if you are able to find any answers, let me know and I'll do the same. Ugh.

ruley73

The solution is in my previous post. The drain tubes plugging up is a common issue in general and is not specific to the Equinox or even GM vehicles. Most factory-installed sunroofs are designed to leak a little bit, but they are also designed to properly drain the water that gets by the sunroof seal. Anyone that says different has no idea what they are talking about.