Due to cracking in the body seam towards the roof on the A-pillar on the drivers side. During moderate to heavy rain water enters the cab of the truck and soaks the floorboard and thus soaks electrical components underneath said floor board. Ford motor company refuses to fix it under warranty and I fear it could cause issues with my windshield or electric components in the pillar or floorboard and cause a wreck or in jeopardize my safety in other manners. If you look online it has been documented multiple times and yet ford still refuses to fix it under warranty. I discovered the issue after a rain storm last week when I opened my door to approximately a 3 inch puddle in my floor board, and the vehicle is just outside of fords “factory warranty” which when I talked to ford customer service they said I would be out of pocket on it still as they wouldn’t cover it.
Ford F-150 water leak problems
156 of the 38,399 owner complaints about the Ford F-150 describe water leaks into the cabin, most of them for the 1997 model year.
- owner complaints
- 156
- worst model year
- 1997
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,200
- typical mileage
- 60,750
By model year
Often reported together
Wipers 14Stalling 6Loss of power 4Door locks 4Engine failure 3Battery drain 3Won't start 2Sunroof shattered 2
What owners say
The body control module was destroyed when water leaked on it. Apparently there is a failed windshield seal(maybe) that causes leaking down the A pillar. That pillar leads the water directly to the wiring harness for the BCM. When my BCM went out, wipers, blinkers, external lights, speedo/tach, power windows (in the front), all HUD, all stereo, and I think the security system too, stopped working. It was raining hard, it was a very dark day/difficult to see. I and others could easily have been killed. VERY, VERY DANGEROUS! Why the BCM isn’t in a sealed box, is mind blowing. The fact that the computer to my truck can get wet at all is nothing short of asinine. The vehicle was inspected by ICDI Diesel in [XXX] [XXX]). The part is currently on order and isn’t expected to be delivered until XXX. The truck is available for inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving in a rainstorm, rainwater leaked into the vehicle from the front driver’s side windshield seal onto the dashboard. The contact was concerned that the water might eventually cause electrical failures inside the dashboard. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, and an appointment was scheduled. The failure mileage was 31,000.
Due to a dangerous design flaw in the 2021 Ford F150, I was put in a potentially dangerous situation by completely losing all power in the vehicle on a backroad. Design flaw is the DCN module, which floods into the vehicles electrical system/body of vehicle through the cowel drain that can supposedly be blocked by a singular piece of pine straw. Due to the design flaw, the vehicle completely lost all power and all electronics failed while driving down the road at 45 mph, putting both me and my father (riding passenger seat) in immediate danger. Ford knows and is aware of the design flaw and has refused to issue a recall, not only affecting my safety, but now I am going back and forth with ford over the fix to the tune of $2800 that they refuse to fix (vehicle is a gold certified cpo, has extended warranty). When asked how to prevent in the future, ford was and is not aware of how to prevent in the future, and I can not get to the cowel drain clog without professional equipment and ford performing. There is no way to tell the cowel drain is clogged or not, and there is not anything in the ford owners manual related to maintenance of the cowel drain. Again, due to the inappropriately designed drain, this caused water leakage into my truck, posing an immediate threat to my life and others around me. I have all of the videos and pictures needed to show the failure of the system to provide to move this forward to get resolved. I had complete loss of power and electronics on the road. I tried to attach video but it would not let me. I can attach via email when requested.
The faulty panoramic sunroof is a known issue by Ford Motor Company. Yet they have done nothing to resolve it. The panoramic sunroof on the 2016 Ford F-150 is known to develop operational and structural problems, including sticking, binding, excessive wind noise, water leaks, and failure of the glass panels or sunroof mechanism to open and close properly. In some cases, the sunroof can become misaligned or the tracks and components can fail, resulting in expensive repairs and potential water intrusion into the vehicle. This recurring issue has been reported by numerous F-150 owners and can significantly affect the vehicle’s reliability, usability, and resale value.
There is a manufacturing defect that is causing water to to enter the vehicle when driving in the rain. Where this becomes a significant safety issue is that the water enters somewhere near the bottom of the windshield (source still not determined) and runs down the pillar over the fuse box and BCM (neither is protected from the water). This could lead to an electrical short on any of the major modules of the vehicle unpredictably. the leak is confirmed but source is still to be determined by the dealership after 2 visits. In searching the web, this seems to be a fairly common issue on this generation of F150 trucks. I'll attach the pictures I could get but can never get one with the water actually coming in live
Water gets into the truck from the front windshield. The water is leaking or getting into the cab of the truck on the passenger side of the truck. I have talked to an auto windshield replacement company about this issue, and I was told that it is a known issue with the 2016 to 2025 Ford trucks. I was told that the leak is happening because of the body seam sealant from the Ford factory was not properly done. Some of the trucks are showing up with larger than normal gaps in the panels. This has been happening for the life of the vehicle.
My truck panoramic sunroof is leaking water which is damaging the headliner, seats, console, floor carpet, lights between the seats. There is a recall 16S35 which is for yhe very same issues that Im having. This is a dangerous situation when driving and causes distractions during driving. This is unsafe and osses risk to driving the vehicle during rain, going theough car washes or snow. Please include my vin under this recall so yhe proper repairs can be made.
Taillight leaks water causing the blindspot sensor to burn up. Once the sensor is burned up the airbags, power door locks, power windows, heat/defrost, and the radio don't work. This is a known problem and Ford has no fix for it. It is several weeks wait to get it into Ford and costs several thousand dollars for a known problem that they are not addressing. Having no heat or defrosters in the winter make this a safety issue for everyone on the road not just the operator. Door locks and windows not working is a safety issue for the vehicle passengers.
Problem Description: The rear sliding window track on my Ford F-150 has detached / become loose, causing the window to rattle, misalign, and leak water into the cabin. While there is a TSB (SSM 50337) for window rattling, my truck’s issue is more severe, creating a potential safety hazard if the window detaches while driving or allows water damage to electrical components. Additional Info: •Occurs under normal driving conditions •Photos/video available for review •This issue may affect other F-150s with sliding rear windows Desired Outcome: Investigation and determination if this defect warrants a recall or service bulletin to prevent safety hazards.
Related recalls
Structure: body: tailgate: hinge and attachments
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026-2027 F-150, 2026 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, and F-450 SD vehicles. The left-side tailgate cable may fail under certain heavy load conditions.
- Risk
- Tailgate cable failure may allow the tailgate to drop onto the rear bumper, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the left-side tailgate cable, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed December 14, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S78. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning December 7, 2026.
Recall number 26V689000 · Recall details
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Maverick, F-150, and Bronco Sport vehicles. Certain vehicle joints may be improperly tightened. This can lead to detached parts, unsecured cargo, degraded crash protection, electrical system failure, or a loss of vehicle stability.
- Risk
- Improperly tightened vehicle joints may lead to a loss of vehicle control, electrical failure, or detached parts, increasing the risk of a crash or fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and tighten the vehicle joints or repair and replace the joint retention mechanisms as necessary, free of charge. Owner notifications letters were mailed October 19, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S60. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on August 26, 2026.
Recall number 26V550000 · Recall details
Structure: frame and members: underbody shields
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150 vehicles. Underbody heat and noise insulators may loosen and contact the aluminum driveshaft, which could damage the driveshaft and cause it to fracture.
- Risk
- A fractured driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power, or a loss of vehicle control if the driveshaft contacts the ground. Additionally, unintended movement could occur while parked if the parking brake is not engaged. Any of these scenarios increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair the driveshaft, as necessary, and properly attach the underbody insulators, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 1, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S53.
Recall number 22V623000 · Recall details
Structure: frame and members: underbody shields
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150 vehicles. Underbody heat and noise insulators may loosen and contact the aluminum driveshaft, which could damage the driveshaft and cause it to fracture.
- Risk
- A fractured driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power, or a loss of vehicle control if the driveshaft contacts the ground. Additionally, unintended movement could occur while parked if the parking brake is not engaged. Any of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair the driveshaft as necessary, and properly attach the underbody insulators, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 4, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S56.
Recall number 21V986000 · Recall details
Structure: body: roof and pillars
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab pick-up trucks not equipped with a moonroof. The structural roof braces may be missing rivets at the attachment of the roof rail, thereby reducing the structural integrity.
- Risk
- If the structural integrity is reduced, in the event of a rollover crash, there may be an increased risk of injury .
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install the rivets for the roof brace attachments, free of charge. The recall began October 17, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S29.
Recall number 17V598000 · Recall details
Structure: frame and members: underbody shields
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford F-150 vehicles manufactured January 30, 2015, to January 31, 2015. The affected vehicles may have loose or missing underbody heat shields.
- Risk
- A missing underbody heat shield can lead to degradation or melting of the fuel or vapor lines, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for missing underbody heat shields and fasteners, and will install the missing components as required, free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S12.
Recall number 15V251000 · Recall details
Structure: body: door
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 f-150 vehicles manufactured from january 18, 2008, through november 30, 2009. The interior door handle housing embossment retaining the interior door handle spring may fracture during normal usage resulting in insufficient spring force to return the handle to the fully stowed position.
- Risk
- In the event of a side impact crash, the door handle spring can fail causing the door latch to open.
- Remedy
- Owners will be initially notified and instructed to take their vehicles to a ford or lincoln/mercury dealer if any interior door handle is loose or fails to return to the stowed position after activation for replacement of the affect module. Once parts become available, owners will be renotified and instructed to take their vehicles to a ford or lincoln/mercury dealer for inspection of each interior door handle. Depending on the results of the inspection, the dealer will either add a spring embossment reinforcement or replace the interior door handle module free of charge. The safety recall began on february 10, 2011. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 11V049000 · Recall details
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 f-150, f-250, f-350, f-450, f-550, edge and lincoln mkx vehicles. During a six-day production period, the supplier of the body control module manufactured modules that may have the potential for an internal short.
- Risk
- If an electrical short develops, an overheating condition may occur which can result in an unattended vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealer will replace the body control module if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on january 11, 2011. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 10V659000 · Recall details
Structure: body: bumpers
- What is wrong
- The u-clip style nuts that retain the front bumpers to the front bumper inner arms can fracture.
- Risk
- If one of the u-clip nuts fractures, the bumper will loosen and rattle causing fracture of the remaining u-clip nuts, resulting in separation of the bumper from the vehicle. If the bumper were to detach from the vehicle while it is being driven, a vehicle collision could result.
- Remedy
- Inspection and replacement of the four u-clip nuts and the associated bolts.
Recall number 94V018000 · Recall details
Structure: body: door
- What is wrong
- Water can enter the door latch release cable. If the vehicle is operated in below freezing temperatures, the water in the door latch release cable can freeze and cause the latch mechanism to malfunction.
- Risk
- The malfunction of the door latch release can result inthree different problems: 1) the door will not be able to be relatched, 2) theinside door handle can become inoperative, and 3) the door could appear to belatched when it is not, allowing the door to open unexpectedly if it is jarred,and increasing the risk of injury to the adjacent seat occupant.
- Remedy
- Revised door release cables and water shields will be installed.
Recall number 92V006000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford F-150 water leak
Which Ford F-150 years have water leaks into the cabin problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1997 (18 complaints), 2010 (14 complaints) and 2016 (13 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix water leaks into the cabin on the Ford F-150?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,200 (median of 14 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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