Sunroof leaks by make
Sunroofs leak the same way on almost every car, so most of this guide applies whatever you drive. This page covers the shared pattern, points to the model-specific guides, and clears up the two things most often mislabeled as a "sunroof leak": other water paths, and spontaneous glass shattering.
The pattern is similar across most makes
A sunroof is built to let some water in and drain it out through its corner drains. A leak usually means a drain is clogged, or a tube has slipped off its fitting, so the water backs up into the cabin. Clearing the drains gently resolves most leaks on most cars. If it does not, the water is getting in another way and the roof itself needs checking. See cleaning and testing your drains for the universal method, and remember: never use high-pressure air or stiff wire. The tubes are a slip fit, so both can pop a tube off inside a pillar or pierce it; even GM's own service manual warns technicians about air pressure on these tubes.
It is often not the sunroof at all
On many cars the "sunroof leak" is something else, because water travels far from where it enters. The usual impostors: a blocked air-conditioning condensate drain (wet floor when the A/C runs, no puddle under the car), a clogged cowl drain at the base of the windshield, a windshield bond, body seam-sealer voids, or roof-rail and tail-light seals. Confirm the source before taking the headliner apart. See find your leak.
Glass shattering is a different problem
Some makes have had panoramic glass spontaneously shatter. That is a glass and tempering issue, not a water leak, and is unrelated to drains. A few genuine recalls exist for glass that was poorly bonded and could detach (Hyundai Veloster, certain Subaru moonroofs), but most "exploding sunroof" reports are owner complaints and lawsuits, not recalls. If your glass cracked or shattered on its own, that is a separate safety topic.
The comparison table
One row per vehicle we have a guide for. The "what is documented" column is the point of this table: it separates what a manufacturer has actually published from what is only owner report, because those are not the same kind of fact and the difference changes what you should do next. Years are the years the document covers, which is often narrower than the years the car was sold.
| Vehicle | Years documented | Drains and exits | Top access | What is documented | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volvo XC90, XC60, XC40, S90, V90, S60, V60 | 2015-2024 | 4 drains. Fronts exit under the car just behind the front wheels, rears behind the rear wheels under the bumper. | Rear drains cannot be reached from the top. The glass comes off, three Torx per side. | Volvo TJ 35503.3.0 documents the rear seal gap. Rear-drain access and the transversal seal are from our own verified support notes. | Volvo (2015 and newer) |
| Volvo C30, S40, V50, S60, V60, S80, V70, XC70 | 2004-2018 | 4 drains. The front elbow at the A-pillar is the known failure point. | Front reachable from the tray; the elbow needs A-pillar trim off. | No model-specific bulletin on file. The elbow repair is an owner-reported pattern, not a published one. | Volvo (older) |
| BMW X3, X4, X5, X7 and M variants (G01, G02, G05, G07, F97, F98) | 2018-2024 | 4 corner drains running inside the pillars. | Drains from the tray; anything inside the pillar is trim work next to a curtain airbag. | SIB 54 04 21 covers the front seal gap. SIB 54 11 19 Rev 4 is a 30-plus cause diagnostic bulletin naming glass alignment, body and aero-acoustic seals, missing butyl and four separate drain faults. | BMW X-Series |
| Toyota Highlander | 2014-2015 and 2020-2022 | 4 drains down the pillars. | Top access normal; a kinked hose cannot be brushed clear. | T-TT-0322-15: the 2014-2015 panoramic drain hose kinks rather than clogs, and keeps a shape memory once pinched. T-SB-0021-23: HVAC drain hose off the evaporator case on 2020-2022, with an oily vent smell. | Toyota Highlander |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 2018-2019 (60E5), 2018-2022 LWB (60-19-04), 2018-2021 (warranty) | 4 drains. Fronts run to the plenum chamber, about 120 cm per VW's own tool note. | Front drains from the top; the lower end means the wheel-arch liner or plenum cover. | Service Action 60E5: moist debris at the front outlets, red flaps removed. TSB 60-19-04: wet front headliner from the body-side seal, not a drain. Warranty extension VWP-23-06: prorated to 7 years / 80,000 miles, covering consequential interior damage. | VW Tiguan |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 2021-2023 (WL), plus an undated STAR case | 4 corner drains; the lower front hose runs behind kick-panel insulation, not the wheel well. | Rear hose passes above the side-curtain airbag. Leave inside access to a shop. | TSB 23-102-23: dual-pane sunroof leaking, cause given as the wind deflector trapped in the panel, not a drain. STAR S1623000034: drain tube missing or misrouted from new. | Jeep Grand Cherokee |
| Nissan Rogue | 2021-2023 (T33), with build-date cutoffs | 4 drains; T32 drain ends sit behind the firewall and are awkward to reach. | Top access normal. | NTB23-072: gurgling noise after rain, front drain grommets replaced (74816-6SA0A). ⚠️ It describes a noise, not a cabin leak. NTB21-097B: water at the upper windshield corners from a roof-rail clip. | Nissan Rogue |
| Honda CR-V | 2018-2019 (roof area), 2019-2020 (windshield) | 4 drains, slip fit with no clamp. Fronts down the A-pillars, rears down the C-pillars. | Top access normal. | AER19020 and two dealer messages, VIN prefixes 2HG then 2HK. ⚠️ Honda states no cause and no repair, only a request to report cars. A separate 2019-2020 investigation covers a windshield leak. | Honda CR-V |
| Ford Escape | 2013-2018 (TSB), 2014 build window (recall) | 4 drains; fronts run down the A-pillars toward the firewall. | Clear from the tray. A-pillar trim sits next to the curtain airbag. | TSB 17-2218 covers headliner staining after a leak from the roof opening, fixed glass, roof rails or ditch mouldings. Recall 14V403000 covers about 1,867 cars built 15-22 October 2013 with an uncured glass bond. | Ford Escape |
| GM Traverse, Acadia, Enclave | Per bulletin | 4 drains; early rear hoses were reported short of their exits. | Top access normal. | TSB 10-08-67-001C. GM's own material warns technicians about air pressure on these drains. | GM Traverse and siblings |
| Subaru | Not established | 4 drains, push fit inside the pillars. | Top access normal. | ⚠️ No manufacturer document on file. Everything on our Subaru page is owner-reported and should be read that way. | Subaru |
Where a row says no document is on file, that is not a judgement about the car. It means we have not found a published bulletin, and we would rather say so than dress up a forum thread as a manufacturer position.
Other makes, in brief
| Make / models | What owners report | Bulletin / recall |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Highlander / RAV4 | Clogged drains; the A/C drain is often the real cause | T-SB-0021-23, T-TT-0322-15 |
| Lexus RX / ES | Clogged drains; A/C evaporator drain the common impostor | A/C-drain class action |
| Honda CR-V / Accord | Slip-fit tubes clog and detach; right-front drain shares the plenum | AER19020 |
| Honda Pilot | A windshield leak explicitly NOT the moonroof | MC-10237028 |
| Ford Escape | Clogged drains; A/C drain confuser | TSB 17-2218 |
| Ford Edge | Spontaneous glass shatter (not a leak) | complaints, no recall |
| GM Traverse / Acadia / Enclave | Clogged drains; early rear hoses too short | 10-08-67-001C |
| Cadillac SRX | Cowl seam-sealer void below the drain grommets | TSB PI0044C |
| VW Golf / GTI | Cracked plastic water channel | 60-16-10 |
| VW Tiguan | Clogged drains; cowl/plenum often the real cause | owner reports |
| Hyundai / Kia | Clogged drains; glass shatter is a separate issue | 13V051000 (glass) |
| Nissan Rogue / Murano | Clogged drains; tube detaches at the firewall | owner reports |
| Subaru Outback / Forester | A/C drain often the cause; glass-detachment recalls | 26V346 (glass) |
| Mazda CX-5 / CX-9 | Drip-rail leak after a high-pressure wash | SB-10060487 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee / Cherokee | Usually cowl / firewall seam / A-C, not the sunroof | Cherokee TSB 23-015-16 |
Volvo and BMW get their own full guides (the seal-gap fix is specific to them). Most other makes are a drain-maintenance story, so the tool that helps is the drain brush, not a gap filler.
