Wet headliner/water stains in back of cab

jpfanner · February 17, 2020

Anyone had this issue? 2014 Silverado... any ideas?

tlaw91 · February 17, 2020

Yeah all the time needs a third brake light almost every time.

Hope this helps

GM tech

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btj_z71 · February 17, 2020

55 minutes ago, jpfanner said:

Anyone had this issue? 2014 Silverado... any ideas?

Agree with tlaw91. Very likely it's the seal around your third brake light on the cab. Replace the third brake light and you should not have a leak anymore.

The next problem is the mold and other damage already done to the headliner. May need to be replaced to avoid respiratory health issues.

paumat · February 18, 2020

Is the gasket available by itself or does one have to buy the whole light assembly?

dieselfan1 · February 18, 2020

Is the gasket available by itself or does one have to buy the whole light assembly?

I would just silicone the shit out of it and get a new headliner

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Donstar · February 18, 2020

1 hour ago, paumat said:

Is the gasket available by itself or does one have to buy the whole light assembly?

Your local GM dealer has plenty of experience dealing with this issue. I'd see them and get an estimate to have this problem resolved and remediated. The cost will obviously be more than DIY but it will get fixed properly. If the leak persists after a dealer repair, it will be their problem to repair. A couple of years ago my shark fin was allowing water into the cab. My dealer, under warranty. made the "silicone the shit out of it" type of repair. My experience is never good with this type of repair and this time was no exception. My shark fin leaked again, out of warranty, and my dealer installed a new shark fin and remediated the damage at no charge.

tlaw91 · February 18, 2020

Your local GM dealer has plenty of experience dealing with this issue. I'd see them and get an estimate to have this problem resolved and remediated. The cost will obviously be more than DIY but it will get fixed properly. If the leak persists after a dealer repair, it will be their problem to repair. A couple of years ago my shark fin was allowing water into the cab. My dealer, under warranty. made the "silicone the shit out of it" type of repair. My experience is never good with this type of repair and this time was no exception. My shark fin leaked again, out of warranty, and my dealer installed a new shark fin and remediated the damage at no charge.

There’s a bulletin for that? They didn’t do it correctly. You can remove the two T20 torx screws and pop the lens out. It will be obvious if it’s leaking.

-GM Tech

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Donstar · February 18, 2020

19 minutes ago, tlaw91 said:

There’s a bulletin for that? They didn’t do it correctly. You can remove the two T20 torx screws and pop the lens out. It will be obvious if it’s leaking.

-GM Tech

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I believe they did the fix authorized by GM but was surprised it was a repair and not a replacement. It wasn't until I suffered the experience of a second leak that this information was provided.

jpfanner · February 19, 2020

Anyone know what a headliner replacement might cost?

RichardG · February 20, 2020

Anyone know if this is more prone on certain years? I have an 18 LT DC - I don't think it's leaking but I haven't looked. Moved from TX to TN so there is much more rain.

My wife has a 2016 Malibu and it had the same problem but GM issued a recall on it and extended the warranty milage to 72k for this repair. Had the Malibu's 3rd brake light and headliner replaced at the dealer at no cost. TBH I hadn't noticed until 1 the letter came in the mail and 2 I noticed a bag I keep in the spare tire wheel well was wet (the bag is cloth and contains clothing for emergencies) which I found shortly before receiving the letter but dismissed it to a hard rain and we grabbed something out of the trunk.

Pacfanweb · March 3, 2020

On 2/18/2020 at 10:48 AM, dieselfan1 said:

I would just silicone the shit out of it and get a new headliner

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I would NOT silicone it.

First off, a 2014 is 6 years old already. I'd put a new light in it.
If you don't want to replace it, get some 3M Ribbon Sealer and use that to replace the seal on it. It's a roll of butyl. When you need a new bulb, you don't have to cut and scrape it off...you can put a razor knife in the butyl and cut it, then it will "heal" back to itself when you reinstall it.
Silicone is a mess if you have to remove it, plus it's not always forever. It peels loose eventually. Butyl is what rear windows used to be installed with.

I am a water leak/wind noise/sunroof repair specialist and this is how I've done it for 16 years now.

Pacfanweb · March 3, 2020

On 2/18/2020 at 10:05 PM, jpfanner said:

Anyone know what a headliner replacement might cost?

Clean it. You can likely get most of that stain out. Try Tuff Stuff. There are other products that may well work, too.

AE1M · March 4, 2020

On 2/18/2020 at 12:32 PM, tlaw91 said:

There’s a bulletin for that? They didn’t do it correctly. You can remove the two T20 torx screws and pop the lens out. It will be obvious if it’s leaking.

-GM Tech

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I replaced the lame high light with a new one as the old one had crack & water in it also. Sealed around the lens and put LED bulbs in, looks great now.