# Water in the passenger floorboard?



## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

About a month ago after a heavy rain the previous night, I got into my 2012 Cruze ECO to find a large puddle of water in the passenger floorboard. I assumed that the passenger door had not been shut completely and cleaned the water then went on about my day. I installed Husky All Weather floor mats the day after I bought the car to protect the carpet, and in this case was thankful for them.

Last week, we had a few days of very heavy rain and I noticed that the puddle had reappeared. This time, I investigated further. The water could be seen on the floor mat from where it had dripped. The piece of the dash in front of the passengers knees wraps under the glovebox and stops before reaching the interior firewall. This is where the water appears to be dripping from and down onto the floor mat. When I reach under that piece of the dash, I can get my fingers in behind it and it feels like a there is a piece of water saturated foam in there.

I just passed 14k miles on the car, and also purchased the extended warranty. 

What could this problem be, and will the factory warranty cover it? Has anyone else encountered this as well? 

(Apparently I have to take the car in for the brake recall, so I plan to have this looked at as well. However, I'm afraid that the techs will not be able to recreate the problem to fix it.)


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

If there is a leak it would be covered by the warranty.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

I'm thinking it's the windshield seal leaking, but I'm not convinced that the seal is the only viable option causing the problem. With that said, I've learned to NEVER go into a shop and tell them what you THINK the problem is. 

I know that my warranty doesn't cover glass, but does it cover the seal? Needless to say that I will be pretty perturbed to find that it's not covered after owning the car for only 7.5 months/14k miles.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

The bumper to bumper warranty covers everything even manufacturing defects in the glass. However wear items(clutch, brake pads) or physical damage to glass or any other part is not covered.


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## Dragonsys (May 27, 2013)

airbornedave said:


> I know that my warranty doesn't cover glass, but does it cover the seal? Needless to say that I will be pretty perturbed to find that it's not covered after owning the car for only 7.5 months/14k miles.


Yes, it would be covered, as that would be a defect


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

airbornedave said:


> About a month ago after a heavy rain the previous night, I got into my 2012 Cruze ECO to find a large puddle of water in the passenger floorboard. I assumed that the passenger door had not been shut completely and cleaned the water then went on about my day. I installed Husky All Weather floor mats the day after I bought the car to protect the carpet, and in this case was thankful for them.
> 
> Last week, we had a few days of very heavy rain and I noticed that the puddle had reappeared. This time, I investigated further. The water could be seen on the floor mat from where it had dripped. The piece of the dash in front of the passengers knees wraps under the glovebox and stops before reaching the interior firewall. This is where the water appears to be dripping from and down onto the floor mat. When I reach under that piece of the dash, I can get my fingers in behind it and it feels like a there is a piece of water saturated foam in there.
> 
> ...


airbornedave,

Sorry to hear of your vehicle concerns. I understand how frustrating that can be. We'd be happy to monitor the service visit on your behalf and remain in communication with the service adviser during the entire process. Feel free to contact us privately if we can offer that additional assistance.

Kindly,

William R. (assisting Jackie & Erica)
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Ft. Bragg ? Which unit , how many jumps , who ahh 
Welcome to the cruze talk Be Cool Stay Cozy Keep Cruzen and My very Best Wishes to a CoPatriot !
Now take that cruzen to your Dealer and tell them Brian V sent you to have them fix this leaking mess that you have found yourself with , on the double .


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

brian v said:


> Ft. Bragg ? Which unit , how many. ny jumps , who ahh
> Welcome to the cruze talk Be Cool Stay Cozy Keep Cruzen and My very Best Wishes to a CoPatriot !
> Now take that cruzen to your Dealer and tell them Brian V sent you to have them fix this leaking mess that you have found yourself with , on the double .


Ft Campbell, 101st AB Div. 2/502, Charlie Co. 9 jumps


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Have you checked to see if leaves have blocked the drains under the hood at the firewall. There is a drain on both sides that can get blocked and leave water no where to go. If partially blocked will only cause problem in heavy rain. Worth a look at least.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

I checked for leaves, and everything was all clear. I'm dropping the Cruze off to the service department on Wednesday to fix this issue, get an oil change, and to change the trunk latch relay so that it doesn't continue to open with the button getting pressed once in my pocket. 

Hopefully they can find and fix the water issue. That's my biggest concern with the car.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi airbornedave

Please keep me posted on your next service visit and let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything that I can do to assist you. 

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## ChrisWorldPeace (Jun 24, 2013)

have you tried a shamwow to absorb the water until the problem can be fixed


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

ChrisWorldPeace said:


> have you tried a shamwow to absorb the water until the problem can be fixed


I'm not sure exactly where the water is coming in from. I dropped the car off at my dealership last night, and they are fixing this and a few other things today. Hopefully they can find the problem because I haven't been able to recreate it to trace the leak.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

So I picked my Cruze up from the dealership today. After having it all day, they could not recreate the issue and fixed nothing. Informed me to bring it in again sometime and they would have Safelite Glass come in with electronic test equipment to find the leak. 

Does Safelite have such a thing? And I'll have to take ANOTHER day off from work because they don't give loaner cars.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Do you by any chance have a Sun Roof? These are notorious for leaking.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

Aussie said:


> Do you by any chance have a Sun Roof? These are notorious for leaking.


No sun roof. I avoid those like the plague due to that exact reason.

I've checked the A/C condensation, and it drips to the ground like it's supposed to without pooling up anyplace. I've checked both drains at the firewall for leaves/debris, both are clear.

This has happened every time we have had a heavy rain for several hours, and ONLY when there's heavy rain. Both times the car has been sitting in the driveway, so I can't attest to what it dies on road.


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## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

It seems your dealer wants Safelite-Glass to do a fix they perhaps are just lazy to really check out the underneath of the dash to see a trail stain left by the water. I wonder perhaps the water is leaking from the cabin filter did they at least look into that area. Way to many dealer have reached a point if it throws no error code then lets wait till it does.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

airbornedave said:


> So I picked my Cruze up from the dealership today. After having it all day, they could not recreate the issue and fixed nothing. Informed me to bring it in again sometime and they would have Safelite Glass come in with electronic test equipment to find the leak.
> 
> Does Safelite have such a thing? And I'll have to take ANOTHER day off from work because they don't give loaner cars.


No every Chevrolet Dealership should give a loaner or give you a ride to work demand the rental or ask them to pay for your day off I would.

Sent From An Antique,
My Original Droid.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

I've wondered about that, but at the same time if Safelite can do it quicker and more precisely I'm all for that. But why not do it today while they had the car instead of me having to take it back for another full day. 

The only answer I can think of is because they don't want to put me in a loaner.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

airbornedave said:


> I've wondered about that, but at the same time if Safelite can do it quicker and more precisely I'm all for that. But why not do it today while they had the car instead of me having to take it back for another full day.
> 
> The only answer I can think of is because they don't want to put me in a loaner.


Remember customer is always right demand that rental.

Sent From An Antique,
My Original Droid.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

It sounds to me like you have a leak around your windshield. Many dealerships contract glass work. Safelight will bill the dealership and the dealership will bill GM for a faulty seal.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

obermd said:


> It sounds to me like you have a leak around your windshield. Many dealerships contract glass work. Safelight will bill the dealership and the dealership will bill GM for a faulty seal.


The windshield seal is the only thing I could think of being the problem. However, I'm not exactly up to speed with these newer cars and there could be a million other options outside of my area of knowledge.


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## jmaotto (Jul 29, 2012)

My grandson had the same problem. The dealer finally found a weld missing from the windshield area. They repaired it and no more problem.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

jmaotto said:


> My grandson had the same problem. The dealer finally found a weld missing from the windshield area. They repaired it and no more problem.


Would it be possible to get more information on this, i.e. where the weld was located? If this turns into an ongoing issue of chasing ghosts, I would love to be able to have this possibility examined. It would be greatly appreciated.


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## jmaotto (Jul 29, 2012)

I do not know. I don't if he knows. The dealer just told him what they found and they repaired it. He was not there when the repair was done.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

Well.....got in the Cruze to take the young one to school and the floorboard is flooded. About an inch of standing water across the entire passenger side. THANK GOODNESS for the Husky floor liners or there's no telling how much carpet would have absorbed water, possibly without me even knowing. 

Went to the dealership, they weren't interested in SEEING the water or the places in the dash that were wet, they want me to just bring it in tomorrow (when everything is dry again and the problem would be harder to diagnose)


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Take pictures to show the dealership. I'd also give our friendly Chevy Customer Care folks a PM. Include your VIN and pictures so Jackie can see the water.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

You can definitely send me a message. I would be glad to assist you. Please include your VIN, current mileage, the dealership that you have been working with and a link to this thread or a brief description of the issue. I look forward to hearing from you.

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

Thanks Jackie. Message sent.


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## airbornedave (Jan 26, 2013)

OK, the technicians are confident that they found and fixed the problem. I'm told that it was the fresh air inlet not installed correctly from the factory. It's in a tricky spot deep behind the CAF. They put it securely into place, washed my car twice to test for leaks and sent me on my way. Time will tell if this did the trick.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

airbornedave, 

Yes, please be sure to keep us posted. 

Erica Tiffany (Assisting Jackie)
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## swmiller67 (May 19, 2016)

Hi airbornedave. I have a 2013 Cruze with 36k miles on it that has the same leak you describe. Did the fresh air vent repair fix your leak issue? I'm out of warranty so trying to fix this as inexpensively as possible. Thanks.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

swmiller67 said:


> Hi airbornedave. I have a 2013 Cruze with 36k miles on it that has the same leak you describe. Did the fresh air vent repair fix your leak issue? I'm out of warranty so trying to fix this as inexpensively as possible. Thanks.


Hi Swmiller67,

I am so sorry that you are having leak in your Cruze. I understand you that you are seeking possible insight from other members. If you find that a dealership visit is needed, please send us a private message. I would be glad to assist you with setting up an appointment.

Kindly,

Cristina Y
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## TGrayEco (Feb 25, 2011)

I am having this same issue as well. I'm at 39k miles, no longer have a warranty so really don't want to take it into a dealer. A few months ago saw a little bit of water when heading to work. I dried it up and forgot to check it out later on. This morning after a lot of rain there was quiet a bit in the floorboard. Thank goodness for my Husky floormats!


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## Tmiller39 (Oct 18, 2016)

My issue is in the passenger rear floor can’t locate where it’s coming from. I checked the sunroof drain holes.does anyone have any idea?


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## jrd48 (Mar 8, 2013)

Found this posted on a forum quite a while back and it may apply to everyone's situation and the dealer should take care of it:

Front Passenger Floor Water Leak
September 18, 2014
After a hard rain or large amounts of melting snow, a water leak may be noticed on the frontpassenger floor of some 2011-2015 Cruze models. This condition may only be evident when thevehicle has been parked on an incline and may be caused by water running down the windshield,under the air inlet grille panel and entering the body air inlet of the HVAC system.
To prevent water leaking onto the front passenger floor, install an air inlet deflector over the HVAC airinlet.
First, remove the passenger-side air inlet grille panel and clean the surface around it (Fig. 9) where itwill contact the air inlet deflector with LORD Fusor 703 Adhesion Prep/Cleaner or equivalent.
TIP: Trial fit the deflector to see where the adhesive will bond with the part.


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## Tmiller39 (Oct 18, 2016)

Do you have any pictures?or a link where it was discussed


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## jrd48 (Mar 8, 2013)

The forum post is no longer available unfortunately. It was talked about in an earlier post on this forum:
https://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-g...074-help-water-front-passenger-floor-mat.html
I had saved the info back in 2014 for future reference. Apparently there is a TSB floating around somewhere about the problem.

This might help:
https://www.automd.com/tsb/bulletin_b501828/


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