Water leak in the trunk...the last straw.

[romancommander]

So this will most likely be the last thread I start regarding my Fiesta ST. It was a fun little car, and the spirit of it is fantastic, but Fords quality issues and warranty antics soured me. The last straw was water leaking into the boot. Specifically the spare tire well.

We have been having a biblical winter here in Norcal, and after the first big rain I noticed my car was musty inside. I checked the carpets and everything was fine. Well then the next storm hit, and the next, and the interior started to stink. So I popped the hatch, pulled the cargo floor and sure enough the spare tire well had water in it. I dried it all out, mopped it up then set about trying to find where it was coming in. After searching the forums, there were a few hits that pointed to either the tail lights, the hatch hinges or the wing bolts being the culprit. So I sealed around the hinges, checked the taillights (really no way for water to get in here) and waited for the next storm.

Next storm came and same problem, 50 miles on driving on wet roads and 1/2" of water in the spare tire well. So then I pulled the side panels out and started trying to find the source. It appeared water was leaking in from both sides, when I got a flash light in there I found out why....So Ford decided to put the "airbrake vents" that allow you to close the door or hatch in the top of the rear wheel well. Then decided a fabric/carpet/paper wheel well liner that stopped short of the car body was going to keep water from intruding in. Sure enough, both sides, and water trails from those vents. I am out of warranty, and seeing that this was indeed a design flaw and sealing those vents with some sort of silicone would likely be a temporary fix, I cleaned it up, dried it off, and traded it in. So check your spare tire wells after driving in the rain, hopefully it is only a 2014 problem.

 

[2Hemis]

Sorry to hear. It's been a horrible winter. Now I'm going to check...

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[MichiganST]

Haven't noticed any smells from the trunk yet, and I've had the car for about 15 months now. I'll be checking on this later though.

 

[Maxpowa]

Do you have a sunroof?

 

[romancommander]

Do you have a sunroof?

Nope I didn't have one.

 

[Maxpowa]

Well, sorry to hear you had a less than stellar experience. I am pretty much in the same boat as you are. Great car to drive, terrible to own. I fantasize about keeping the car for years, but in reality, I think she'll probably be gone once the warranty is over.

 

[romancommander]

Well, sorry to hear you had a less than stellar experience. I am pretty much in the same boat as you are. Great car to drive, terrible to own. I fantasize about keeping the car for years, but in reality, I think she'll probably be gone once the warranty is over.

Yep. I went opposite end of the spectrum with its replacement. 2016 challenger scat pack, 485 hp 6MT, 4200lbs, lol I love it. It's a giant luxury car, with the best sounding stock exhaust ever. So far I lost 10 mpg, but gained many SPG!

 

[NJBooST]

Thabk you for posting this. I've been getting water in my spare too... Now I know where to look.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Yep. I went opposite end of the spectrum with its replacement. 2016 challenger scat pack, 485 hp 6MT, 4200lbs, lol I love it. It's a giant luxury car, with the best sounding stock exhaust ever. So far I lost 10 mpg, but gained many SPG!

CONGRATS!

While there are MANY on here who will say that you took a big "step backwards", I am NOT among them.

Those Mopars are WICKED machines, and about the only thing they might need is a minor diet.

 

[romancommander]

CONGRATS!

While there are MANY on here who will say that you took a big "step backwards", I am NOT among them.

Those Mopars are WICKED machines, and about the only thing they might need is a minor diet.

Thanks.

The internet and magazines tell you it's "too heavy". I bought into it and spouted it off too without driving one. The same contingent also said the ride is harsh. I can tell you after owning it that its all bullshit. It's not like they threw lead bricks in it for fun, all the weight serves a purpose...the car is designed well. It handles great, sounds fantastic, and is super quiet inside, all things you want in a daily driver. It's got super supportive fat guy friendly suede/leather heated and cooled seats and a heated steering wheel. The people who claimed the scat pack rode rough never owned a Fiesta ST, or Mini S, or anything on lowering springs let alone coilovers. The ride is fantastic.

And with 485hp and 475TQ I don't care how much it weighs, it turns the tires into smoke on a whim when you poke it, yet you can leave all the nannys on and drive it in the rain.

It also babies with more room than the Fiesta.

Sure it's not as fast around a track as a Camaro, but I'm not gonna take my brand new $40k car to a track and beat the crap out of it.

Speaking of which, A coworker just bought a new SS Camaro. He says it rides terrible, you can't see out of it and the seats suck, but it is faster around a track I guess.

If I'm being picky, the electronic power steering while adjustable with multiple settings isn't quite perfect, I don't trust front grip limit yet.

I also don't like the gas pedal placement just like the Fiesta, but just like the fiesta I'll make a spacer and fix it.

Overall it is an amazing car, and I urge everyone to discard magazine stereotypes and go drive everything, because those guys are pansies.

In the mean time....

I never ever thought I'd have these two cars in my garage.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Tires are easy to change out for stickier ones if needed (for front, or rear, grip).

You're NOT the first owner I've heard say that the heft barely hurts these cars, handling wise.

I'm just saying that consider just how INSANE this car would be with 200 lbs.-300 lbs. shaved off (IF that is even possible).

 

[romancommander]

Tires are easy to change out for stickier ones if needed (for front, or rear, grip).

You're NOT the first owner I've heard say that the heft barely hurts these cars, handling wise.

I'm just saying that consider just how INSANE this car would be with 200 lbs.-300 lbs. shaved off (IF that is even possible).

Right now the problem is traction. More power just equals more smoke. All the 6.4 Hemi and hellcat guys are running the stickiest 275/295/305 section width tires they can find and still going up in smoke. The Scat pack ships with 245/40/20 all seasons. Hit sport mode and it's a smoke machine. Drop a few hundred pounds and the problem is worse.

Stock Scat Packs on 295 summer tires are hitting 12.0-12.4 in the quarter. Completely stock my car is 0-60 in 4 secs, and quarter in 12.7-ish.

It's interesting, the Fiesta you drove at 9/10ths everywhere, "Slow car fast" is fun. The challenger you drive at 3/10ths and it's stupid fast. You spend so little time at WOT, in a thousand miles I doubt Ive spent longer than 5-10 secs total.

But it would be cool to get some lighter wider wheels for summer with some 295 NT 555's or similar.

But if I want handling, my Nova has a 400hp LS, T56, weighs 3200lbs, revs to 7000rpm and with a full speed tech protouring suspension and coilovers. It is glued to the pavement.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Yes, I understand the traction problem, and I've always said, right from their first release, that no one is going to be able to put enough (street/road race) tire under those things (ESPECIALLY the Hellcat! ) to even slow down the smoke show, let alone let them launch off of a corner apex, even at speed!

If I owned one it would definitely get the stickiest (<100 tread wear IF made) 305 section width tires available at all four corners (WIDER IF made and will fit) on it for half the year, and yup, I know just how $$$$$$$$$$ that would get given the size co$t, and the way those cars vaporize rubber (back AND front)!

Coming from an LS1 f body, I now have to get used to the whole "slow car driven fast" thing, instead of the other way around, like you have now, which YES, took A LOT of restraint when I had the Z28, to keep from ending up in the pokey.

That Nova sounds EVIL, and it is just the type of thing I would want to build to be a little different than the 'usual' Chevelle, or 1st/2nd gen f body pro touring/USCC ride (I always liked that body style more than the others, and wished that more were made into rides that COULD turn left and right, and brake very well, instead of just run 6-10 second quarters as a SOLE purpose.)

The other one I think would be cool and different (and I LOVE the body style), albeit gaining in popularity, is the Maverick/Comet 'fastbacks'.
Throw a worked, NA, Coyote (or even better yet a Voodoo, if you have the coin, and they become available as crates), a TR6060, and do up the suspension, and wheels/tires to the max, and it would be KILLER!!

 

[Pete]

I had the same problem and noticed it right away back in 2014. I had removed the vents and used silicone to hold them in place and haven't had an issue since. Going on 2 years of no more leaks but it did annoy the crap out of me.

 

[CB022481]

anyone have pics of this?

 

[Pete]

I think I do somewhere on my computer

 

[MrFord619]

Congrats on the Challenger! I had a 09 and loved it, I had to get rid of it due to the transmission going out on me twice in 26,000 miles and they refused to just replace it after rebuilding it twice. I found it weird because the Challenger shares the same transmission as the Viper. I would still have it today if that didn't happen, I loved that freaking car. Good luck with yours, it's awesome!

 

[aborbs87]

Anyone else running into this issue? I just noticed a good amount of water where the spare tire is after a lot of rain. Never noticed it before I have a 14


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[XR650R]

If someone could post pics of what you're talking about, I'll go look and see what it looks like on my '17. Seems like something they'd have fixed by now.

 

[draxxus131]

She issue here, fixed it though. While at work my 5'2" 96lb girlfriend took it upon herself to pull my rear bumper off and found my leaking issue. The factory did not connect the roof drain line on the passenger side, instead they put a body plug in and painted over it. That wonderful lady reached in and connected the drain line. Issue solved, dealer wouldn't touch my car without using an engineer.

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