Sunroof Drain Clogged leading to complete engine harness failure??

It’s not like they can claim “lack of maintenance” I would want to know on what grounds it was denied

 

Yeah learned the hard way on sunroofs. 100% the route I am going to take, looking around for an independent shop. My thought too, wouldn't be surprised if they've made this way worse then it is and just decided on "lets replace the whole harness". Wasn't even having electrical issues besides the occasional engine light and trac off light coming on, stay for a day and then not show again for awhile. 100% a water leak though as a mildew smell started before I took it in

 

Yeah I am going to call the warranty company for their explanation, the shop just said denied due to water being the issue that caused it all

 

Wow… sorry about that. Someone with the skill, patience and a spare car is able to replace the harness slowly, and it would cost $350.

 

Of course they did, never ever purchase a third party extended warranty. Only purchase extended warranty backed by the manufacturer.

 

Ask for a picture of exactly where the water would have gotten into the harness. I can not think of any of the Toyotas I’ve worked where there is a connector that sits on the floor where at a low spot where water could collect that it would be sitting in water. The dealer needs to show you where the water got into the harness and caused an issue. The engine harness under the hood gets wet all the time.

 

How and where would you locate and inspect this drain hose? Seems like they should be able to show you the clogged hose. How could have this drain water get trapped inside? Sounds far-fetched.

 

Sounds like some good advice. Get a complete explanation and documentation. Photos and the damaged parts if possible. Show them your serious and don’t get steam rolled.

 

I asked for photos today as my insurance needs them too. They claim the wiring and connector under the carpet on the passenger side is what is corroded and they can't just fix that part or that wiring, need to replace the whole thing. Good to know under the hood gets wet all the time, no background working on cars here so just learning as I go

 

Agreed, there is a hole near the sunroof that drains and from other photos online I see it runs down the frame towards the feet of the passenger side and driver side. How it ended up pooling up under the carpet is what i don't know or if they're making this up. The fact they told me this drain was clear at first, a few days later into it said they can't figure out where the water is coming from and then a day after that said the drain was clogged now makes me not believe a thing

 

My old Escape had a leaky moonroof. I discovered it when seeing water dripping down under the passenger side dash and onto / under my weathertech mats... My shop vac got a workout. I probably pulled gallons of water out of the carpets.

Did some research. Rain is dirty, and has particles in it. Over time, the drain holes become clogged. Also, the drains dump water into the wheel wells, and that could be another source of blockage. Then there is the chance that a bug decided to make a home in the drain... I used weed-wacker cable to snake the drains. Once I snaked them (there were four of them), I was able to pour water into the moonroof track and watch it get dumped out in the wheel wells. No more water in the passenger compartment.

YMMV. Good luck with your claim.

 

This makes me glad I went out of my way not to have a sunroof.

Sorry this happened to you OP.

 

I just spoke with insurance to make sure the photos of damage got to him before the weekend. The dealership's email explained what was happening and only sent a picture of the repair cost of $4200. They also stated the sun roof was clogged but the water leak is still undetermined, yet they told me on the phone that was the cause. I may need to research some lawyers this weekend

 

I don't know about the other area distributors but in the Southeast Toyota Distributors area you cannot purchase a factory Toyota extended warranty, nor can you use Toyota Financial Services. Southeast Toyota Finance and Fidelity Warranty Services, both owned by SETD, are as close to "official" Toyota as you can get here.

 

If you take this to an attorney be sure you control how much time he or she is going to spend on this and discuss fees up front. If not you could easily exceed the cost of just paying out of pocket for the repair very quickly. They won't take this on contingency.

 

This type of thing is what steered me away from a sunroof on my Tacoma. Had one in my Platinum F150 and it was nothing but leaking and problems, and I never even use the damn thing anyway. The hard part is when you buy vehicles a lot of them have a sunroof especially in the upper trim levels. Theres no way around not having one. Which annoys me.

 

I am a fan of the moonroof. I just love driving with it open.

That being written, I too was concerned about leaks when I bought my Escape back in '06. But I had to have it.
It didn't leak until summer of 2020.

I would have loved one in my Taco, but since I needed an Inferno Taco, and the only way to get one was via the used car market, beggars cannot be choosers in this climate.

Snake the drains once a year with weed wacker twine, and you will prevent clogs.

 

What exactly was damaged?
Connector(s)?

I know there was TSB on the 2nd Hens for a similar water intrusion problem.
It usually damaged a couple of connectors.

Surely, someone out there could remove and repair the connectors and pins.
Yes, it’s time consuming to lookup the parts and numbers. To solder/splice new pins and repin the connector(s). But I wouldn’t think it would be over $4,000?

 

I am sure the quote includes not just repairing the harness / connection, but pulling all wiring back to the next take-down joint / connector, and replacing ALL the wiring that touches this damaged joint... I can only imagine what you need to take apart to accomplish all that...

They want take off, and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...

 

Dang, sorry to hear that.

That a lot money, for not know “exactly “ what needs repaired.
Did you happen to get a copy of the estimate?
That just seems like a lot to me?