Finally solved water leak in cab '16 Tacoma

Figured this may save someone else a bunch of time. I've been fighting this water leak in my truck for over a year. Every time it rains, the cab smells musty and takes forever to get it back to normal. I've finally figured it out after multiple 3rd brake light replacements and hours of racking my brain. The vents on the back of the cab have absolutely no seal left to them and were pouring water during every rainfall. I've unclipped them and pushed them out as far as they would go until hitting the bed. Wiped them clean and caked on a tube of E600 sealant. Time will tell, but at least now I've finally found the issue. Hope it helps

 

So they are now sealed shut?
Have you looked at carpet and floor?

 

Yeah, they are sealed now, vents are still functional. Just resealed the outer part. Pulled back seats out and raised carpet to look for any rust mold etc. seems to be ok. Only other option was to take the bed off and install new vents.

 

Thanks for sharing your issues with this. Hopefully this will help others.

 

Glad to hear you were successful in chasing this problem down before your interior was finally completely ruined by mold and mildew. Water leaks into the interior are almost always a nightmare to trace and resolve.

Why would the designers and engineers ever approve a part to be located in a spot where it cannot be easily R&R'd without removing the whole bed? (or the Cab for that matter). I have had all kinds of vehicles, some with these relief vents, some without. Most of them were on a door-jamb. All they do is make the doors close easier and the HVAC fan work a little easier. Ridiculous.

 

Yea I couldn't believe it either. I barely touched it and could see daylight. Very bad design for sure !

 

I have had this dreaded issue a couple of times over the years in a couple of cars. There is nothing worse than opening a door and catching that musty damp smell for the first time... or even worse: seeing the windows fogged on the inside on a cold spring or fall day after sitting in the weak sun for a while.

 

Absolutely ! Every time I would change the 3rd brake light, I knew that just had to be the problem. Low and behold, another rain, another day of musty smell and fogged up windows

 

It’s no so much a bad design as it is a cheap piece…. that rubber seal looks like it came out of a 30+ year old vehicle!
I’m not surprised, the plastic and rubber trim on my truck is nasty cheap.
Good find, thanks for posting it.

 

Thanks. The seal actually felt more like a piece of old clay rather than rubber. Definitely a cheap piece of equipment for sure.