Rear window leak

Blue5.3l · December 21, 2020

2 hours ago, Z71RAD88 said:

I’ve been following this thread for a while now and I believe it was first mentioned by another member, but you can order an AT4 with a solid window but the only package you can add which is very minimal is driver alert 1. When you get to the accessories tab you can what looks to be universal remote for your garage door(s). I would’ve really like some of the other options especially the Bose speaker system but oh well. I believe you can on an SLT too but you can’t get front bucket seats if I remember correctly.

Pretty much once you add a package to the AT4 or SLT trim GM puts the slider in there also. I see people in the future negotiating solid windows in their buying. Just hard to believe three years and still no permanent solution.

TNTSierra · December 21, 2020

1 hour ago, Blue5.3l said:

Pretty much once you add a package to the AT4 or SLT trim GM puts the slider in there also. I see people in the future negotiating solid windows in their buying. Just hard to believe three years and still no permanent solution.

When I bought my 19 in April it had the rear leak but I got it in the 1st week I purchased it. They took off the spoiler and stated that their wasn’t enough caulking/sealant holding in the window. I haven’t had an issue with it since.
What are the other issues with sliders?? I’ve seen so many issues here on forum (184 pages worth). How can’t other dealerships properly seal it like my dealership did. Or are there other areas where they leak??

Blue5.3l · December 21, 2020

1 hour ago, TNTSilverado said:

When I bought my 19 in April it had the rear leak but I got it in the 1st week I purchased it. They took off the spoiler and stated that their wasn’t enough caulking/sealant holding in the window. I haven’t had an issue with it since.
What are the other issues with sliders?? I’ve seen so many issues here on forum (184 pages worth). How can’t other dealerships properly seal it like my dealership did. Or are there other areas where they leak??

The sliders have a plastic frame that crack. The sealant is only a temporary solution. Some have had better luck then others. Sadly the 21’s are leaking to. The sealing of the window from the factory is poor. So the steps are sealant on top of the window may hold water out, removing the window and resealing, putting in a new window, and repeat till you get past the 3year 36,000 mile warranty.

TNTSierra · December 21, 2020

Well that sucks. Hopefully mine holds up
as for GM caring, compared to other brands. I think most during this time don’t care because they don’t know what the future holds. No excuse though because this needs to be handled properly instead of a bandaid patch.

WillGabriel · December 21, 2020

On 12/18/2020 at 11:27 PM, Transient said:

Yesterday wasn't hard rain.

I wash my truck every 2 weeks at a do it yourself carwash with high and low pressure water sprayers. I am looking for the leak after each carwash. Nothing so far. I'll keep everybody updated.

If I end up developing this problem, and GM tries keeping me off like a prostitute desperate for a quick $20, then I'm going to move on. GM wanted to fuss about Ram taking their #2 spot. Looking at how they've handled things from 2007+ with V8 engines cradling out begot 100k miles, cracked dashboards, and problematic 8-speed trans, they better start getting use to the view as 4th place. I'll switch to Ram or Toyota. This is GM's last shot in my household, and I get the impression a lot of people are feeling the same way. It's not enough for them to take care of me, but how they take care of everybody in general. If they're willing to screw everybody, then they're willing to screw me, too.

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I agree, 110%. It’s not just about me, but about the entire customer base. These are $50k+ trucks; FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. And GM can’t see fit to offer a solution that doesn’t entail a significant number of people being without their new vehicle multiple times - to include lost work time? No company or product deserves loyalty, much less a pass, for that. And to think many of the dealers - per this thread - aren’t even offering average customer service to include a decent loaner at no cost? GM got a loan from us about 13 years ago to remain in operation with terms not one of us are getting right now to buy their grossly overpriced trucks. Toyotas are more reliable and RAM and Ford sell more (with the 2500 series of all manufacturers who make them being much more reliable than their 1/2 tons).

Speaking of which, if GMC were acting as an honorable business that cared for its customers having multiple issues with the Silverado / Sierra 1500 (not just the rear window, but the touch screen apps issue on 2021’s too), which they won’t be able to fix until they redesign and improve the integrity of the cab around the window, here’s what they could (should) do:

1. Immediately offer to a customer who has a documented issue that occurs a second time to buy back the vehicle at 95% of what the customer paid for it. That’s not too high considering the headaches endured by the customer and the risk of further erosion in the reputation to GMC that they absolutely cannot afford, lest their Consumer Reports rec go from 12% to 0% and Nissan pass them in sales.

2. The Silverado / Sierra HD trucks are not experiencing the same window issues from what I’ve read. If a customer with a second occurrence of the documented issue so chooses, they can trade in their 1500 at the 95% deal AND get 20% Off the MSRP of any new 2500 with a free 5/60,000 mile $0 deductible full coverage service and maintenance warranty included. This option keeps the customer in a GMC product they will likely prefer to their 1500 and lead to more positive word of mouth to improve market share.

Edited December 21, 2020 by WillGabriel

TeamDagger · December 21, 2020

I agree, 110%. It’s not just about me, but about the entire customer base. These are $50k+ trucks; FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. And GM can’t see fit to offer a solution that doesn’t entail a significant number of people being without their new vehicle multiple times - to include lost work time? No company or product deserves loyalty, much less a pass, for that. And to think many of the dealers - per this thread - aren’t even offering average customer service to include a decent loaner at no cost? GM got a loan from us about 13 years ago to remain in operation with terms not one of us are getting right now to buy their grossly overpriced trucks. Toyotas are more reliable and RAM and Ford sell more (with the 2500 series of all manufacturers who make them being much more reliable than their 1/2 tons).

Speaking of which, if GMC were acting as an honorable business that cared for its customers having multiple issues (not just the rear window, but the touch screen apps issue on 2021’s too) with the Silverado / Sierra, which they won’t be able to fix until they redesign and improve the integrity of the cab around the window, here’s what they could (should) do:

1. Immediately offer to a customer who has a documented issue that occurs a second time to buy back the vehicle at 95% of what the customer paid for it. That’s not too high considering the headaches endured by the customer and the risk of further erosion in the reputation to GMC that they absolutely cannot afford, lest their Consumer Reports rec go from 12% to 0 and Nissan passes them in sales.

2. The Silverado / Sierra HD trucks are not experiencing the same window issues from what I’ve read. If a customer with a second occurrence of the documented issue so chooses, they can trade in their 1500 at the 95% deal AND get 20% Off the MSRP of any new 2500 with a free 5/60,000 mile $0 deductible full coverage service and maintenance warranty included. This option keeps the costumer in a GMC product they will likely prefer to their 1500 and lead to more positive word of mouth to improve market share.

This would be great but first they have to admit that there is a problem that can't be fixed. They won't even admit it!!! The other issue, since there is a TSB, they think that is the final fix. Then the dealership service departments are terrible. My truck is all damaged on the inside. I'm waiting for a phone call from "customer care". I emailed pictures of the damage along with pictures of the window still leaking after the 2nd time sealing it. If the headliner was not ruined initially, I would have fixed the leak myself or have a solid window installed. I for sure will not be returning to the same dealership, I'm looking at trading now somewhere else.

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DarkSky20 · December 21, 2020

We’ll see what happens when I get it back, sometime this week I hope. If it leaks again I’m starting to lean towards driving straight to Ford or Ram and trading it in

SilveradoRST · December 21, 2020

3 minutes ago, DarkSky20 said:

We’ll see what happens when I get it back, sometime this week I hope. If it leaks again I’m starting to lean towards driving straight to Ford or Ram and trading it in

5th gen Ram’s have a leaking rear window as well.

DSW1519 · December 21, 2020

42 minutes ago, DarkSky20 said:

We’ll see what happens when I get it back, sometime this week I hope. If it leaks again I’m starting to lean towards driving straight to Ford or Ram and trading it in

I get how frustrating the window issue is. Mine started leaking within the first 10 days of ownership. It does suck that GM hasn't properly addressed this.

Regarding an F150 - I traded in a 2018 F150 Platinum. Here are the issues I had with it within the first 20k miles:

1. Door latch recall. The truck's door latches would freeze in the colder weather. The doors would either not open at all, or fail to latch closed. When this happened the truck was basically undrivable. It took 4 trips to the dealer to finally fix it.

2. At 20 k miles the ecoboost cam phasers started making serious noise. The truck sounded like it didn't have any oil in it. I changed the oil every 5-6 k miles and didn't beat on the truck. This is strictly a design flaw and a known issue. Pretty involved repair requiring a few days at the dealer. Needless to say having the engine torn apart in the first 20k miles doesn't give much confidence in the long term reliability. In checking online this has been an issue going back to 2011 or so, and is still an issue with the newer gen Ecoboost engines.

3. Seat issues - wiring harness for the drivers seat had to be replaced. Sometimes the heated/massage seats worked and sometimes not. 3 Trips to the dealer to finally correct this issue.

4. Moon roof rattle - This started about 4 months after I bought it. Every time I took the truck in I asked them to fix the rattle. Super annoying and they could never fix it. There is a bunch of info online about this issue as well. Still rattled the day I traded it in.

Regarding the 3.5L Ecoboost, the turbo lag was very noticeable, and the turbos were noisy. On the plus side the gas mileage was pretty good, and when in "sport" mode the truck really hauled ass. Loved the power but all the other issues with it in the future If I were to consider buying another Ford I would only consider the 5.0 V8.

For me the Ford was a disappointment in many ways. I really liked the platinum features and how the truck looked, and really wanted to like it. Given they sell almost a million trucks each year, and the cam phaser issue is still going on these many years later is ridiculous. The media loves to say how great the F150 is, but my experience was very different.

I'm pissed that my SLT window was leaking right from the start, so I feel your pain for sure. They fixed it (so far) and the next time it leaks I'm paying to have a solid window installed. Otherwise I love the truck and like it better than the Ford in so many ways. I hope this info is helpful.

DarkSky20 · December 21, 2020

30 minutes ago, DSW1519 said:

I get how frustrating the window issue is. Mine started leaking within the first 10 days of ownership. It does suck that GM hasn't properly addressed this.

Regarding an F150 - I traded in a 2018 F150 Platinum. Here are the issues I had with it within the first 20k miles:

1. Door latch recall. The truck's door latches would freeze in the colder weather. The doors would either not open at all, or fail to latch closed. When this happened the truck was basically undrivable. It took 4 trips to the dealer to finally fix it.

2. At 20 k miles the ecoboost cam phasers started making serious noise. The truck sounded like it didn't have any oil in it. I changed the oil every 5-6 k miles and didn't beat on the truck. This is strictly a design flaw and a known issue. Pretty involved repair requiring a few days at the dealer. Needless to say having the engine torn apart in the first 20k miles doesn't give much confidence in the long term reliability. In checking online this has been an issue going back to 2011 or so, and is still an issue with the newer gen Ecoboost engines.

3. Seat issues - wiring harness for the drivers seat had to be replaced. Sometimes the heated/massage seats worked and sometimes not. 3 Trips to the dealer to finally correct this issue.

4. Moon roof rattle - This started about 4 months after I bought it. Every time I took the truck in I asked them to fix the rattle. Super annoying and they could never fix it. There is a bunch of info online about this issue as well. Still rattled the day I traded it in.

Regarding the 3.5L Ecoboost, the turbo lag was very noticeable, and the turbos were noisy. On the plus side the gas mileage was pretty good, and when in "sport" mode the truck really hauled ass. Loved the power but all the other issues with it in the future If I were to consider buying another Ford I would only consider the 5.0 V8.

For me the Ford was a disappointment in many ways. I really liked the platinum features and how the truck looked, and really wanted to like it. Given they sell almost a million trucks each year, and the cam phaser issue is still going on these many years later is ridiculous. The media loves to say how great the F150 is, but my experience was very different.

I'm pissed that my SLT window was leaking right from the start, so I feel your pain for sure. They fixed it (so far) and the next time it leaks I'm paying to have a solid window installed. Otherwise I love the truck and like it better than the Ford in so many ways. I hope this info is helpful.

It’s very helpful and I thank you for sharing your experience. I’ve been looking at other forums and see Ram has plenty of issues too. Like you said, it’s frustrating. I’ve never owned or thought I’d own a vehicle, let alone a truck I paid this much for. I’ll just take a deep breath and deal with it if it happens again. Thank you again.

DarkSky20 · December 21, 2020

1 hour ago, SilveradoRST said:

5th gen Ram’s have a leaking rear window as well.

Lol.neighbor has a Ram, hasn’t said if he’s had any issues yet.I know he has air ride, something I’d shy away from if I went that route, as it gets cold here in the winter and I’ve seen issues with the air ride leaking. Other Neighbor has a Tundra. Man I hate the interior in that thing. I stuck with GM because that’s all I’ve ever owned. I really have no problem with the interior of the GM’s either. I love the ride as well. Hopefully it’s a one time deal with the window.

DSW1519 · December 21, 2020

39 minutes ago, DarkSky20 said:

It’s very helpful and I thank you for sharing your experience. I’ve been looking at other forums and see Ram has plenty of issues too. Like you said, it’s frustrating. I’ve never owned or thought I’d own a vehicle, let alone a truck I paid this much for. I’ll just take a deep breath and deal with it if it happens again. Thank you again.

No problem - happy to help. One other thing to consider is the quality of the service dept at the dealership. In reading through this thread you can see all levels of competence and quality of service. Specifically with the window leak issues - using an auto glass specialist seems to bring the best result. The specialist my dealer uses did a good job, and I couldn't tell the truck had been touched even though they dropped the headliner and removed the spoiler to seal the slider.

I have to say the service Dept at my local ford dealer was really good, and they really tried to make things right and to fix all of my issues with my F150. I know they didn't build the truck, and every one of my issues were due to design flaws and production issues, and nothing the dealer was responsible for.

I'm also very lucky that my GMC dealer (different owner than the Ford dealer) has a great service dept. and I know the service manager personally. It makes a huge difference when you get good service and they don't dismiss your issues like it's no big deal. Let's face it - with a $60k+ MSRP truck and you should get really good service.

Edited December 21, 2020 by DSW1519

Transient · December 22, 2020

I was at my son's baseball practice last week, and parked next to another dad that has a brand new Tundra. We some how got into a comparison between mine and his truck. There were a lot of things he hated about his Tundra, such as no storage under the rear seat, but there were also things he liked, such as longer rear seat cushion, more tilt to the rear backrest, and a few other things. He said the Trail Boss was a very close #2, but the Toyota dealer bent over backwards to get him into the truck. I told him about the leaking rear window, and it affirmed that he made the right purchase.

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Duramaxsky · December 22, 2020

We’ll see what happens when I get it back, sometime this week I hope. If it leaks again I’m starting to lean towards driving straight to Ford or Ram and trading it in

Go Ford. Ram quality went bad now that they are Fiats.

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Duramaxsky · December 22, 2020

Years ago I always owned Ford trucks and GM cars. Mostly Corvettes but 1 Camaro and 1 Trans AM. Wife likes Malibu. In 95 I bought a 454 2500 Chev. Then the 03 Duramax I still have. Now this 20 Trail Boss. I am kinda wishing I hadn't bought this new one. I drive the 03 more. I like it better. Yesterday it snowed hard on the way home. The LED headlights suck. No heat is generated and the snow covers them up. It's a nice truck but the old one is built better.

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