UPDATE: The water is coming from the sunroof back, right side and they also found a lot of water in the trunk. The dealer will unmount the sunroof and the top car interior tomorrow for more checks.

Though, my biggest concern is that the water that got into car affected the electric components and there might be problems in the future. Somehow, I expect things to start failing one by one.

 

Dang, that sucks to hear that you've had water penetration due to a faulty seal or drain in your sunroof. It doubly-sucks that as a result of the water penetration, your car actually became inoperable or difficult to operate.

I've worked in automotive (HQ; not at a dealership). I've seen massive datasets on vehicle warranty service (and post warranty service), and I've worked very closely with vehicle product teams on design of new vehicles as well as support (aka cost cutting) of in-flight models.

My advice to you, which you are free to ignore if you wish, is after your car fixed and operates normally...

1) if this is a lease; I suggest that you play out the remainder of the lease since exiting a lease is extremely difficult; and this is a short term problem.

2) If you purchased the car, I suggest you should sell the car as soon as you can. I realize you may be upside down on a car loan; or you will lose a lot of equity due to the depreciation curve of the vehicle. There are countless reasons you could use to rationalize why selling your car is a bad idea. But my advice is to overcome those blockers. Get this car out of your life, and replace it with a different car when you are able to do so. Hopefully at a time when the car is still covered under the manufacturer's warranty so you aren't stuck trying to fix this without the warranty. The second car will come with its own possible set of problems; but it won't be the problems caused by this rather extensive leak of your sunroof.

Electrical problems are borderline impossible to remedy over time. Even if your car is working now, your likely future outcome of encountering an unrecoverable failure/problem has now magnified like 10,000x versus a normal unaffected vehicle. This is further compounded by the fact that the water actually caused your car to stop functioning. It's not like a bit of water got into your footwell and caused a speaker to cut out. You got water on the main harness that controls major functions... and the water actually caused your car to stop operating drive functions.

I've seen cars get totalled with 60,000 miles because the ignition became unreliable and no amount of work could fix the car. I've seen cars with water damage on the TCU that shut off the car while it was operating at highway speed (not fun or safe for the driver). For the remainder of your ownership of this vehicle, you'll just have this seed of doubt in your mind that the vehicle you're operating isn't up to snuff. Then when the likely outcome of failure happens, it's almost impossible to fix those types of issues since your warranty may be over.

And yes, as a counter to my argument; there is a chance that when your car dries out, that it lasts 25 years and a million miles. So you should do what you want. I just know having seen countless examples of water damaged vehicles (even if it is "only a bit of rainwater"), that I would separate myself from this type of situation as soon as possible.

 

Thanks a lot for taking your time to write this extensive comment. I totally agree with what you said and supports my reasoning. I truly hope Volvo will stand behind their saying that "safety is [their] one priority" and replace the car (it is 2 years old, still under warranty and has only 33K kilometers) and never get this car back on the road ever again, unless they replace all electrics. I'll keep you updated.

I wish I could've spec'd my XC60 sans sunroof. I only open it ~2 times per year. ¯\(ツ)/¯

Me too. I got the sunroof only because I wanted 2 other extra-features and bundling all 3 together was a better deal.

 

99% of the time, it's the sunroof cassette leaking or plugged drains.

I wish I could've spec'd my XC60 sans sunroof. I only open it ~2 times per year. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

I thought sunroof design was fixed ~MY2018? Maybe not?

Just curious, how do original & extended warranties cover this kind of situation?

 

I thought sunroof design was fixed ~MY2018? Maybe not?

Just curious, how do original & extended warranties cover this kind of situation?

This car is made for the EU market. Maybe they use different components for the US?

 

I’ve been burned by sunroof leaking as well. I actually wish they didn’t open at all and were hermetically sealed six ways to Sunday. I get very little enjoyment from actually opening the thing up but enjoy the light.

 

Update: They removed the sunroof and identified the problem. I'm waiting for an offer from the dealer to purchase the car back, though it will probably take some days.

The water leak is caused by debris that got in the water drainage system. There is actually a gap of about 10x5mm in the sunroof seal where the debris gets in - photos below. I believe that it is there since I bought the car, a design fault maybe.

If you have a sunroof on your Volvo, I urge you to check this seal and make sure there is no leakage. Also, I'd recommend asking the dealer to check the sunroof yearly when doing the regular maintenance (would probably cost around €100). Ask them to write that on the service records so you can prove it if any water leaks from the sunroof.

 

I had the exact same gap in the seal in that 2nd pix. Fortunately, I caught it early. I'm sure it left the factory that way and the problem showed when the drain plugged up. Your advice for people to check this is sound.

 

I've seen the seal shrink in other threads too. I believe the cause was the seal adhesive failing and allowing the seal to move/shrink.

 

It believe the seal shrinked because of differences in temperature. I'll see if there is any way for me to get this covered under warranty.

 

Wow yeah, there's a post about this on the XC90 subforum as well (although the owner didn't have the water/flooding problem).

Sunroof weather seal

2020 XC90 - Is the dead end of the weather seal on the sunroof supposed to have this gap in it? I'm guessing not but wanted to check with you fine folks. It's the same in both sides

www.swedespeed.com

That is an astonishing amount of shrinkage on an EPDM material that doesn't get a ton of wet/dry cycles. I mean this seal is being used on a car roof, not some assembly press where wet/dry cycles are happening 12 times an hour.

EPDM roofs last 50 years... and EPDM collars used on roofing applications like solar installs typically last 25 years or more. And automotive EPDM typically lasts 10 years or more.

But it doesn't look like the seal is loose; it just looks like it never really fit to begin with. I'm really interested to learn how many Volvos this affects.

@Tech have you seen this type of thing in the shop? Like is this normal for the newer Volvos? Luckily my sunroof doesn't look like this, but I hardly get to drive due to this COVID thing.

 

We bought our 2020 XC60 and the gaps in the sunroof were there. I read earlier that it is designed that way.

 

Yeah, here's another post about this on the XC90 forum. It's been happening there for years.

Is this one of the causes of sunroof leaking?

i was in the midst of installing a roof rack and came across this. I'm like WOW! The gap is the same on the other side. I opened the sunroof thinking that I could "coax" the gap closed. But it's not possible. It actually seems like the rubber seal SHRANK that much over time equally on both...

www.swedespeed.com

There's even a request to make this a class action lawsuit in the USA:

Volvo Drivers Seek Cert. in Sunroof Leak Class Action Lawsuit

The plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit alleging certain Volvo vehicles have defective sunroofs are urging a federal judge to certify their proposed class in a new motion.

topclassactions.com

I don't see a TSB on it though... the only TSB I see is the "roller shade" gets loose or something vague. Maybe I'm missing something...

 

There's a TJ for that seal. It won't cause a leak on its own. However, it can cause more debris to get into the tray and drains causing a clog and then problems like this.

 

Thanks Tech! Here is the one for the XC90. I can't find one for the XC60 though. I wonder what the guideline is for Volvo to do in the event there's such a massive leak the interior of the car has pooling into the harness connectors.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/SB-10075246-5448.pdf

Lol whenever I see "TJ" I just think "Jeep".

 

That's not the TJ I'm referring to.

TJ 35503

I've had one with a good amount of water under the carpet. Pull the carpet, remove water, disconnect and blow out any connectors and all is well. If any modules are submerged, they should be replaced.

 

That's not the TJ I'm referring to.

TJ 35503

I've had one with a good amount of water under the carpet. Pull the carpet, remove water, disconnect and blow out any connectors and all is well. If any modules are submerged, they should be replaced.

@Tech by looking at the pictures with the cables submerged in water and the errors received would you recommend keeping the car after fixing it? I'm attaching 2 PDFs with more pictures.

 

Here are pics of the 2021. One side has a noticeably larger gap than the other. It has 11k miles on it.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

Go and fix it before you get in deep trouble of debris get in. They should replace it under warranty.

 

Thanks, @Tech. I really value your thoughts. About 2 months ago, I started to get some weird unpredictable "camera parking not available - service require" errors and the dealer never figured it out. Also, this week the passenger seat started to move out of the blue once. Might these 2 things be related to a module affected by water? I noticed that there is a fuse box in the cargo for camera and power seats. If water has been in there, there are also other fuses for critical modules such as airbags and seatbelt tensioners that worry me.

 

It's hard enough to track these things down with VIDA and wiring diagrams, doing it over the internet is near impossible. There are a lot of variables. Generally, my process would be to scan codes and print what is stored, clear them and see what is permanent. Then dry everything out and see what is left and fault trace those as needed.

 

I do have a gap (1/8in) on one side of the sunroof, is there a way to check if the drain is clear without removing the seal or the interior lining?

 

Update: They've almost cleaned the car and dried it by now. Tomorrow, I'm meeting with an executive from the Volvo importer to discuss the situation and a possible buy-back. Any idea how much of the initial price does an XC60 worth after 2 years, perfect condition and 34000km?

 

Trade assist or buy back?

 

Then it’s trade assist. Any idea how much value is left after 2 yrs?

 

Then it's trade assist. Any idea how much value is left after 2 yrs?

It would be amazing if Volvo helps you with a trade assist and you can reach a happy conclusion.

Not sure how Belgium works, but in the USA for a trade assist they typically use a calculator like the Auto Lease Guide (ALG) as a starting point. So based on a car's mileage, trim, and general state they can estimate what the car's value is worth at wholesale or retail to arrive at the fair market value. Naturally this value will seem "low" since it factors in the very high depreciation where new cars rapidly lose value each year compared to a used car over the same timeframe.

Since my body of experience is in the USA, I'm going to convert your 32000 km to miles (21127). My gut tells me if your car were not flood or water damaged and in your car was in pristine perfect condition with all service records, then it's worth about 75% of what you may have paid for it when it was new. So if it's Volvo giving you this 75% value or you try to sell the car in the used car market, you'd expect to get about the same value.

 

Is there a remove / replace procedure for the rear panorama roof panel posted anywhere?

 

I would certainly file WARRANTY claim on 2 yr old car.

 

Just want to say thank you for bringing awareness to this issue. after reading this thread, i checked on my sunroof and found that the gap on the weatherstrip is considerably larger on one side than the other. i expressed my concern to my dealership, and they were able to replace it with a new one under warranty. Thanks again!

 

Update: They've cleaned and dried the car and replaced the sunroof seals.

In the meanwhile, I got to discuss with the executives from the importer and they offered to trade-in the car and buy a new one with the same specs by paying 23% of the price I paid initially. The car is 2 years old now and it is in perfect condition (no scratches, no accident, just replaced the brake pads a month ago). What do you think about this offer?

 

They're giving you a better initial offer than what I thought they would (I thought you'd pay 25%). If you're only paying 23% to get re-set I'd say that's fair and "no-stress-hassle-free" assuming you wanted to stay with the Brand and have the money. Trying to finance the 23% with a car loan is actually kind of difficult on this... but it is possible.

Everything is a possible negotiation though if you have the appetite for it. Maybe you push them to say you think you should only pay 20% of what you paid before... and make sure this gets you all the way out the door (no additional taxes, paperwork fees, weird whatevers). They may take 20%... they rarely offer their best position as their first offer. But maybe in Belgium this type of thing is non-negotiable or is poor form to negotiate. I don't know your car-buying culture.

But if can save 1,500 EUR in the negotiation... get yourself a new watch or something. But only you know how much stress you're willing to go through when Volvo is already giving you a pretty good solution on the trade-assist.

 

Final Update: I traded in and ordered a new XC60. I had to pay roughly 22% of the price I paid initially for the same car specs. In the end I gave up on some optionals that I don't find so much value in, sunroof included, and the final price difference is only 17%. It will be ready only at the beginning of 2022, but I agreed with the dealer to get a replacement car in the meanwhile.

Thanks for your support and advice! Don't forget to check your sunroof once in a while for those gaps!

 

Yep, it’s Romania. Though, I believe the country matters less in the global world we live today.

 

I'm amazed that Volvo has so many seal problems in recent-year models -- water/dirt getting in through the sunroof seals, the rear door (lack of seals), the shark antenna.... Sounds like they need some change in the engineering-design department...

 

It's not a design problem , Volvo needs to change their parts supplier, it's not always good when you buy cheap

 

Seems I’m next in line with my XC60 R-Design 2019 (US)
Once in a while heard some funny water sounds, maybe could best be described as when emptying a water bottle.
Didn't think much more of it, assumed it's some drainage hos safely fitted somewhere outside the interior, somewhere in the frame..
Happened to see some water drops in the trunk, coming out at the bag hook area. Great design! as that finally made me open the plastic trims, only to find some 1 liter (1 qt) of water in the bay behind the left side tail light, meaning I have the problem around the C pillar. I can see a trail of the water in the roof liner.

@stefancutrei happen to recall which of the sunroof drain hoses was clogged causing the sever damage you showed?

Trying to evaluate what to do.. Didn't observe any electrical issues so far. If it's an easy fix, with a clogged hose, is it worth taking to the dealer.., while on the other hand, maybe it could be good to have them evaluate if water has found it's way somewhere else..

Then on the other hand, I also came across this post, where Volvo is refusing any coverage. Btw. my Volvo is still under the 4 year factory warranty.

2019 Volvo XC60 sunroof leaks, warranty denied - Volvo Forums - Volvo Enthusiasts Forum

Volvo XC60 - 2019 Volvo XC60 sunroof leaks, warranty denied - https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/volvoforums.com-vbulletin/747x1012/enlargeddebris_a6521ab058cf3969e88f21070861bfd98a593537.jpg Hi all, I am a Canadian owner of 2019 Volvo XC60 T5 AWD, and I want to share my bad experience with Volvo to...

volvoforums.com

Thanks in advance!