2014 Nissan Frontier water leak.

[Dborch41]

Following a heavy rainstorm, there's always a musty smell inside the truck and quite the wet spot along the very edge of the carpet behind the driver's seat. I pulled back all the trim and there's no sign of water anywhere else besides the carpet. I checked the vent behind the rear seat as that's a common source of leaks in this model, but it was all dry. A visual inspection of the seals didn't show any obvious problems and I used a sheet of paper to check the tightness of the seal with the door closed. The paper could be moved with resistance, but it felt the same with all the other doors that aren't leaking.
A new door seal is less than $40 so I'm willing to take a chance replacing it, unless anyone else has a better idea where the leak might be coming from. Thank you in advance for any input.

 

[clinebarger]

Outside of make/model specific issues....The windshield....Especially if it's been replaced are a common source of water intrusion.

I'm assuming no sun roof?

 

[Dborch41]

Following a heavy rainstorm, there's always a musty smell inside the truck and quite the wet spot along the very edge of the carpet behind the driver's seat. I pulled back all the trim and there's no sign of water anywhere else besides the carpet. I checked the vent behind the rear seat as that's a common source of leaks in this model, but it was all dry. A visual inspection of the seals didn't show any obvious problems and I used a sheet of paper to check the tightness of the seal with the door closed. The paper could be moved with resistance, but it felt the same with all the other doors that aren't leaking.
A new door seal is less than $40 so I'm willing to take a chance replacing it, unless anyone else has a better idea where the leak might be coming from. Thank you in advance for any input.View attachment 284287View attachment 284288View attachment 284289

Outside of make/model specific issues....The windshield....Especially if it's been replaced are a common source of water intrusion.

I'm assuming no sun roof?

Nope, and no sign of any water stains coming down the B-pillar. This has actually been going on for over a year so some residue from higher up should be visible, but it all looks clean behind the trim panels. That little section of carpet gets saturated and nowhere else, and I checked only an hour or two after the rain stopped. It also happens while the truck is parked so it's not from driving through puddles.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[clinebarger]

Rear window, Third brake light?

 

[Dborch41]

Rear window, Third brake light?

All likely candidates, but all the carpet between the doorsill (where it's wet) and the back of the cab is totally dry. There is no sign of water anywhere except that little section of carpet in the pictures. It's a strange one.
I'm tempted to pull the trim back again and have my wife flood the outside of the truck with the garden hose. Maybe I'll get lucky and see a drop or two.

 

[Marcozi]

Has the vapor barrier in the door adjacent to the leak ever been removed?

 

[SC Maintenance]

What trim level? Do you have the factory roof rack? If you do could be leaking from there then down the door pillar(s)?

 

[D60]

Went through this on a '15 Lexus GX. It was not the sunroof drains like everyone will tell you.

Yeah, you've gotta pull as much interior trim as reasonable/possible. Then be somewhat scientific about where you apply water outside, go inside and be a little patient.

The Lexus would take a literal minute or two for a few drops to work their way down the a-pillar kick panel area. Once I suspected the lower windshield area, I found if I put paper at the base of the glass (cowl removed) outside and blew air inside just right I could consistently get the paper to move. It was subtle but repeatable.

They had the windshield resealed and said the problem vanished. It had been replaced by the Toyota dealer from whom they purchased just before they bought it.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

This seems to be pretty common on the frontiers. There's a spot where the roof rails would go and roof panels meet. Apparently on the 2nd and 3rd gen frontiers, it's common for this to leak. Nissan didn't paint it or seal it from the factory, they filled the cavity with sealant and painted over it.

This spot here.

 

[D60]

This seems to be pretty common on the frontiers. There's a spot where the roof rails would go and roof panels meet. Apparently on the 2nd and 3rd gen frontiers, it's common for this to leak. Nissan didn't paint it or seal it from the factory, they filled the cavity with sealant and painted over it.

This spot here.

View attachment 284365

This is timely as I'm supposed to be putting a Prinsu rack on an '18 TODAY. I'm most concerned about attaching to the roof and avoiding future leaks.

 

[JTK]

I'm pretty familiar with these trucks having had them in my family for years. Currently have a 2017 and a 2022. Sorry if I missed it, but is yours a crew cab or king cab?

Like you say, the rear cab vents between the rear bulkhead and the front of the bed are the most common culprit of water leaks. It sounds like you troubleshot those well.

You are on the right track with needing to peel back as much interior bits as you can, stay in the vehicle and have someone run water over the vehicle.

High mounted 3rd brake light leaks are rare on Frontiers. I was through that with both Ram 1500s I owned. I also had a rear window seal leak on my 2017 Ram 1500 due to a shoddy aftermarket glass install. I had to pay another shop to remove, clean and re-install the solid rear glass on that one.

The higher up leaks are easier to find as you'll see evidence easier IMO. It seems to me if it was the roof rail area, you'd have headliner and pillar stains. You never know though.

 

[Dborch41]

Has the vapor barrier in the door adjacent to the leak ever been removed?

Years ago when I upgraded the speakers, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to pop the panel off and take a look.

 

[Dborch41]

I'm pretty familiar with these trucks having had them in my family for years. Currently have a 2017 and a 2022. Sorry if I missed it, but is yours a crew cab or king cab?

Like you say, the rear cab vents between the rear bulkhead and the front of the bed are the most common culprit of water leaks. It sounds like you troubleshot those well.

You are on the right track with needing to peel back as much interior bits as you can, stay in the vehicle and have someone run water over the vehicle.

High mounted 3rd brake light leaks are rare on Frontiers. I was through that with both Ram 1500s I owned. I also had a rear window seal leak on my 2017 Ram 1500 due to a shoddy aftermarket glass install. I had to pay another shop to remove, clean and re-install the solid rear glass on that one.

The higher up leaks are easier to find as you'll see evidence easier IMO. It seems to me if it was the roof rail area, you'd have headliner and pillar stains. You never know though.

It's a crew cab. I'll probably try to use the hose, or wait until the next downpour!

 

[Dborch41]

What trim level? Do you have the factory roof rack? If you do could be leaking from there then down the door pillar(s)?

SV Crew cab, no roof rack.

 

[Dborch41]

This seems to be pretty common on the frontiers. There's a spot where the roof rails would go and roof panels meet. Apparently on the 2nd and 3rd gen frontiers, it's common for this to leak. Nissan didn't paint it or seal it from the factory, they filled the cavity with sealant and painted over it.

Last summer when I first started having this issue, I noticed a small amount of corrosion in those channels on the roof. Nothing major, just little spots of rust but some looked like they might be pinholes. I masked the channels off and prepped the surface for paint, which was several coats of Rustoleum rust reformer. I'm quite confident any potential holes were fully sealed up.
It didn't rain for nearly a month afterwards, but needless to say it didn't seem to help. Back to the drawing board!

 

[D60]

I don't understand why Nissan thought they had to put "sealant" in these channels???? Is there a seam there? And if so, who places a sheetmetal seam in a roof? I think it's one-piece solid, once again begging the question of why there is -- what Prinsu calls -- sealant.

Anyway, if the owner of this '18 didn't have leaks before, he might now . But this is what Prinsu calls for. In all seriousness he used lots of silicone and I think it'll be fine, esp here in our arid climate.