[pericles]

Update, again it is leaking. This time on the A pillar passenger side.

After the dealer repair ? If so what did they do ?

Sry for your misfortune.

 

[k390394]

After the dealer repair ? If so what did they do ?

Sry for your misfortune.

Yes, after the dealer repair.
They replaced the headliner, and the mounting hardware for the roof racks.
I will say its no longer leaking in 3-4 spots, but still in one spot (new from the last time).
Still not acceptable. This could cause mold / mildew, and impact the curtain airbags.

 

[pericles]

Yes, after the dealer repair.
They replaced the headliner, and the mounting hardware for the roof racks.
I will say its no longer leaking in 3-4 spots, but still in one spot (new from the last time).
Still not acceptable. This could cause mold / mildew, and impact the curtain airbags.

Thanks for the reply.

You may want to check to see if they are using the different clips. I can't find the post but info is somewhere in this thread. Hopefully, @SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd will see this thread and reply.

 

[SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd]

Thanks for the reply.

You may want to check to see if they are using the different clips. I can't find the post but info is somewhere in this thread. Hopefully, @SeanBeanDiesInTheEnd will see this thread and reply.

Same, but I had a few images saved courtesy of @myang001 I still have had no luck seeing the part number for the new orange gasket, nor have I seen anyone across the pacific post having the new gaskets installed after repair.

@k390394 if you're feeling adventurous you can always check yourself, or ask the dealer to physically show you at the dealership what they used as the repair wasn't satisfactory within warranty.
'old' gasket = black
'new' gasket (thicker) = orange

This gasket is from my 2020 TRD. It is not an even thickness one. The inner portion is thicker, about 0.5mm (not easy to measure the thickness accurately since the gasket is soft).



This is from the video (2021 top model):

View attachment 160867

There are 5 clips in each side with thin gaskets that may cause problem in the future. The four bolts/nuts are very tight so there are no issues so far. I decided to use 8mm rubber plugs and Permatex gasket maker to seal them. Will also replace the double side tape and add double side tape on top of the rubber plugs.

The hole, the original thin gasket and the new rubber plugs to be used:

View attachment 160982

new gasket (timestamp 14:41)

 

[k390394]

Same, but I had a few images saved courtesy of @myang001 I still have had no luck seeing the part number for the new orange gasket, nor have I seen anyone across the pacific post having the new gaskets installed after repair.

@k390394 if you're feeling adventurous you can always check yourself, or ask the dealer to physically show you at the dealership what they used as the repair wasn't satisfactory within warranty.
'old' gasket = black
'new' gasket (thicker) = orange

Thank You!

 

[Mima]

Hey all. Just got my brand new 2021 Black edition, UK car (Japanese made i assume)
Do we know whether the leaking roof saga is confined to US market or European as well?
I have approached the UK forum and there were Zero reports of that, they were not even aware of this.
Are there any european/UK members over here that experienced roof leaks?
Many thanks.

 

[myang001]

Hey all. Just got my brand new 2021 Black edition, UK car (Japanese made i assume)
Do we know whether the leaking roof saga is confined to US market or European as well?
I have approached the UK forum and there were Zero reports of that, they were not even aware of this.
Are there any european/UK members over here that experienced roof leaks?
Many thanks.

I believe the design is same for all markets but a new improved gasket with orange color may be in use for 2021. There is actually a few leaking reported in US. There are much more reported in Japan and Taiwan where many owners used hose water test to “make” it leak because the large amount of water against drain channel direction can block the normal water draining and then accumulated water will leak from top/middle parts of the clips.

 

[Mima]

Can somebody confirm the orange design and whether it leaks please?

 

[Steph Fleites]

Before anyone’s warranty is up, if you have a 2019 RAV4 check your headliner for light bluish marks, if you have this, that means your roof racks aren’t properly sealed and water is leaking inside your car!!!! I just hade my passenger side rails resealed and headliner replaced❤

I had both passenger and driver side replaced last year October and the passenger side just started leaking again. Has this happened to you as well?

 

[k390394]

I had both passenger and driver side replaced last year October and the passenger side just started leaking again. Has this happened to you as well?

well that’s not good. Sounds like they (Toyota) just keep using the same junk quality hardware that caused the issue to “repair it”. I just had mine replaced so I’ll expect a leak around September or October.... yay.

by any chance do you know if they used the “orange” gasket?

 

[sbecker]

Has anyone had any success with getting this issue fixed by Toyota after their warranty expired?

 

[pfischer]

Before anyone’s warranty is up, if you have a 2019 RAV4 check your headliner for light bluish marks, if you have this, that means your roof racks aren’t properly sealed and water is leaking inside your car!!!! I just hade my passenger side rails resealed and headliner replaced❤

Did you do it under toyota warranty or on your own?
My electrical system is wrecked, and toyota i asking me to file an insurance claim. Denied warranty coverage at 35k miles on an 2019 Adventure Rav4

 

[pfischer]

Thanks for the heads up.

I have the exact same problem on my Rav4 Adventure.
$4k of electrical damage due to water leaks and Toyota Bernardi in Framingham is blaming it on me and clogged ducts due to trees.
Wrecked electrical system wiring.
Can't believe this is toyota quality

 

[Lowcountry Rav]

Did you do it under toyota warranty or on your own?
My electrical system is wrecked, and toyota i asking me to file an insurance claim. Denied warranty coverage at 35k miles on an 2019 Adventure Rav4

Good old dealer lies. If its under 36K miles it should still be covered under warranty. Your next step is to call Toyota - page 7 of your warranty manual:

If the dealership does not address your
concern to your satisfaction, call the
Toyota Customer Experience Center
at (800) 331-4331.
Please have the following information
ready when you call:
• Your Toyota’s vehicle identification number
(located on the driver’s side corner of the
dashboard, under the windshield)
• Current mileage on your vehicle
• Name of your Toyota dealership
A Toyota customer relations representative
will assist you in working with the dealership
to find a satisfactory solution.

If that doesn't work then you will need to ask for arbitration - also in the manual. I doubt it will get that far.

 

[Lowcountry Rav]

Could someone with the water leaks post a pic - for the benefit of the rest of us to know what were looking for?

 

[uga]

Could someone with the water leaks post a pic - for the benefit of the rest of us to know what were looking for?

LOL! Start at the first page of this thread.............................................

 

[jrav11]

Its one of those things hit or miss dealership repair on warranty. Dealership dont want repair and not get reimbursed from corp. Some here got it repaired if you scroll thru entire thread. Going thru toyota 1800# who knows waste of time/money or arbitration. If its something that will stress you out or affect your life best to cut losses trade in/sell call it a day. Seems more case by case at this point but if more are reported maybe toyota has no choice but to repair. By that time all the earlier models are out of warranty anyways. Customers never will win moral of the story.

 

[Boldgiant]

I am new to the forum and have read every thread on the RAV4 roof leak. I have a 2021 RAV4 XLE fwd. Some of you may disagree with what I am going to write, so let me apologize in advance. The clips used on the low profile rails are a very bad design. We all spent a lot of money on our vehicles and deserve to have a dealership fix the problem. Unfortunately, most will make the problem worse. If you have the dealership do the work probably 9 times out of 10 pieces won’t fit back properly (head liner) and you will have some kind of rattle. I do have a solution to the leaking issue but you will have to do it yourself. A gentleman posted the materials way back in earlier posts.
1. Remove the low profile rails. A 10mm 1/4 inch drive socket is really all you need.
2. Remove the rail, starting from the rear, use enough force to have the rail pop up.
3. When you get close to the front you will encounter a clip different from the rest. It is tricky to remove. If you break the clip or the plastic inside the rail don’t worry about it, you don’t need it either.
4. The last obstacle is the small piece of double stick tape.
5. You now have 5 holes on each side. Clean each area around the holes with an alcohol pad and dry with a micro fiber cloth.
6. These holes are 8mm. Go to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up 10- 5/16 Hillman nylon hole plugs. Get some Permatex clear silicone sealant.
7. Put the sealant around the edge of the holes. The plugs will snap right in. Gently wipe away the excess. Do this on each one.
8. Re install the rails in reverse order. Make sure you you use new 3m double stick tape in the front and clean the area with an alcohol pad. Remove the white clips in the rail they are useless, as well as the front clip. The two 10mm bolts and blue clips are all you need to hold the rail.
9. Your done. No more leaks. No more headaches.
I did this a couple of months ago. I have done the hose test, car wash, power washer. This solves the problem. The dealership is not going to fix this like you can. Here are the pictures.

 

[Mark S]

Just finished sealing the rails, here's some images in case anyone wants to attempt. Got to wait for it to finish curing (24 hours), but from what I see it already feels a lot less flimsy and secure.

Tools you'll need:
-10mm socket
-Black silicone
-a bit of extra strength 3M double sided tape
View attachment 159645


The rail trim itself is fairly easy to remove, you just need to get access to this bracket and remove the 10mm bolt (4). If you have cross bars remove those first and give them a clean while you're at it:

View attachment 159647


Next is removing the plastic rail itself held by 7 clips (5 white, 2 blue) and a tab of 'very' sticky double side tape (circled in red). Get a plastic trim removal tool and be gentle prying it off. There's a rubber gasket held by double sided tape along the entire bottom of the rail trim that you risk damaging if too forceful.

View attachment 159646

Once removed give the exposed roof gutter a clean, removed plastic rail, and clips with some iso 70% alcohol. Let dry. NOTE: Be careful not to lose the anti vibration black circular pads on the white trim clips (5 for each side)

• Once prepped go ahead and apply the silicone onto the clips (be liberal, but not oozing).
• I had some black polyurethane sealant available so I smeared some on the front and back of the rail gasket as well since that will hug the roof tighter.
• If your double sided tape got damaged or peeled off in the process now would be a good time to replace it (circled in red)

View attachment 159648

That's it, line the roof clips with the holes and be careful not to get any of the sealant onto your paint. Because of the silicone paste you won't hear a very audible click when the clips go in so give it a good fist pound to ensure it's in. Install the 4 removed bolts and tighten to 7-9lb-ft. torque.
Have a beer! 🍻

If you want to go the extra mile and seal the crossbar bracket to ensure ALL holes are sealed you're going to have to get to the bolts under the headliner which is a little exhausting. Maybe another day, but here's a good tutorial if anyone wants to tackle it, it's for an adventure trim but the principles are pretty much the same:

Just finished sealing the rails, here's some images in case anyone wants to attempt. Got to wait for it to finish curing (24 hours), but from what I see it already feels a lot less flimsy and secure.

Tools you'll need:
-10mm socket
-Black silicone
-a bit of extra strength 3M double sided tape
View attachment 159645


The rail trim itself is fairly easy to remove, you just need to get access to this bracket and remove the 10mm bolt (4). If you have cross bars remove those first and give them a clean while you're at it:

View attachment 159647


Next is removing the plastic rail itself held by 7 clips (5 white, 2 blue) and a tab of 'very' sticky double side tape (circled in red). Get a plastic trim removal tool and be gentle prying it off. There's a rubber gasket held by double sided tape along the entire bottom of the rail trim that you risk damaging if too forceful.

View attachment 159646

Once removed give the exposed roof gutter a clean, removed plastic rail, and clips with some iso 70% alcohol. Let dry. NOTE: Be careful not to lose the anti vibration black circular pads on the white trim clips (5 for each side)

• Once prepped go ahead and apply the silicone onto the clips (be liberal, but not oozing).
• I had some black polyurethane sealant available so I smeared some on the front and back of the rail gasket as well since that will hug the roof tighter.
• If your double sided tape got damaged or peeled off in the process now would be a good time to replace it (circled in red)

View attachment 159648

That's it, line the roof clips with the holes and be careful not to get any of the sealant onto your paint. Because of the silicone paste you won't hear a very audible click when the clips go in so give it a good fist pound to ensure it's in. Install the 4 removed bolts and tighten to 7-9lb-ft. torque.
Have a beer! 🍻

If you want to go the extra mile and seal the crossbar bracket to ensure ALL holes are sealed you're going to have to get to the bolts under the headliner which is a little exhausting. Maybe another day, but here's a good tutorial if anyone wants to tackle it, it's for an adventure trim but the principles are pretty much the same:

Do the 4 10 mm bolts hold the plastic rail on? I just want to plug the holes. Thanks

 

[Boldgiant]

Do the 4 10 mm bolts hold the plastic rail on? I just want to plug the holes. Thanks

Do the 4 10 mm bolts hold the plastic rail on? I just want to plug the holes. Thanks

The 4 10mm bolts and the 4 blue clips.