Same problem with my G37S .. need to replace the roof drain tubes, and replace body control unit due to water damage from the sun roof. Infiniti Dealer charging $3K.
I agree this should be a recall!!!

 

I'm going to repeat myself. This isn't a safety issue. This is a maintenance and lack thereof issue. NHTSA doesn't care about your leaky sunroof from a clogged drain.

 

please explain how a drain that drains inside the car because of bad design is a lack of maintenance ????? do you understand how water flows ? it doesnt just fall off the drains, it ****ing runs along them and goes straight back inside the car....... making the said drain USELESS. thats a DESIGN ISSUE, not a maintenance issue...

 

Does it really matter? You signed up just for that comment?

Some consider it a maintenance issue as crud can build up in the firewall grommet thus allowing water to backup and overflow. Any drain can clog over time. Even if you "never open the roof" dirt and debris can still leak past the glass seal. By routinely "snaking the drain" to keep the passages clear, the idea is that the water will flow freely and exit normally.

Others, like myself, consider it a design flaw as the drain lines should have extended past the firewall or been routed through to the floor. Relying on a cheap, rubber gasket to seal the grommet to the firewall was Nissan being cheap. As Nissan has revised this same grommet multiple times and it is still a problem tells me that it was a bad design.

Either way, it is what it is. The issue exists. It is not a matter of if the drain will leak but when. Kvetching about it is not going to move the needle. Be proactive and address it yourself or just move on.

 

Because crud build up is not the fault of the manufacturer. It is the fault of the owner/operator for not cleaning and maintaining the drains. It's no different than ignoring oil changes, or other fluid change intervals. The owner is at fault, not the manufacturer.

 

I have dealt w/this sunroof drain tube leak issue twice already and am on my 3rd time.
First time it got into the BCM and was handled by the dealership.
2nd time I retrofit fixed it myself by modifying the grommet at the firewall.
This time I rerouted the the drain tube and tied it in w/the AC drain line through the floor hoping to never deal w/it again.
However, when "testing" to make sure everything was working correctly, I poured water into the open sunroof rail and it LEAKED!!!
Removal of the headliner to make sure the tube was not still clogged somewhere (blew it out w/air, poured bleach down to clean it, all clear) and "testing" again and I can see the water is leaking from elsewhere! The other side was NOT leaking originally so I filled the rail on that side to see if this is "normal" and it leaked over there as well.
QUESTION: is this sunroof going to leak if open and too much water is in the rail and this is NORMAL? Or is there an alternate problem?
I cannot seem to get an answer to the question if the sunroof WILL LEAK if it is open and sufficient water fills the rail. Anything I find says a sunroof should NOT leak even if open it should drain in the drain tubes.

 

What do you mean "if open." The glass being retracted? With the glass closed any amount of water that seeps through the seals should drain fully. If the drains are clogged/ obstructed then the water might overflow the drain pan and saturate the headliner- depends on the ability of the rear drains to handle the load.

Where is it leaking: headliner or firewall? If you rerouted the front sunroof drains to the AC drain and there is still leakage at the firewall then you have a separate issue going on. Are you sure the drain tubes are not damaged (cracked, split, etc.)?

In comparison, I can easily take a 20oz. bottle of water and pour it down the drain and it flows fast and freely to the ground. Also, with the 16" of rain we received last week there has been, thank God, no leaks.

 

Thank you for the response! Yes by "'open" I mean w/the glass retracted. After finalizing all connections and "testing" to make sure the issue was resolved, w/the sunroof retracted I used a hose to put water in the rail of the sunroof by the drain. I am not sure if it is too much force, or too much water, and it is normal therefor that it still leak or if there is another issue.

When I did this, b/c I had already done this and it leaked seemingly from the connection of the drain hose, I partially removed the headliner to expose the drain tube. It was perfectly connected but I disconnected it and blew it out and cleared it w/some bleach water. Once reconnected and "testing" again w/the hose I could see the water leaking from another area near the drain tube but not from the drain tube as it was working perfectly.
Questioning if maybe it was the use of the hose, I did the same on the other side (had not been leaking) and it leaked as well.
I am trying to find out if this is "normal" b/c it is not meant to handle that amount of water? Or if there is some other reason for the leaking.
I intend today to test by just pouring a cup of water, similar to as you mention about 20 oz and see if that does NOT leak.

 

You used a garden hose to test the drains? A garden hose delivers roughly 10gpm (gallons per minute). Under no circumstances was this drain system designed to handle that much water. No wonder the system overflowed.

Take a bottle of water. Pour it at each corner. If it drains normally to the ground with zero leaks into the cabin then you are fine. If there is leakage then something else is going on.

 

Well...yes. Yes I did. BUT...I didn't just let it run. I gently squeezed the nozzle to put SOME water, similar to pouring from a cup...but maybe apparently still too much!

I have now poured the water from a cup and aside from what my shaky hand got over the edge of the opening, it appears that it is NOT leaking.
Fingers crossed...b/c the passenger seat is now removed, drying out carpet and replacing underliner...for the SECOND time this year and I REALLY do not want to have to do all this ever again!

NOTE TO FUTURE SELF: Add periodic (apparently quarterly) blowing out of the sunroof drain tubes to your life to do's. At some point near future, reroute the drivers side to tie into AC drain line, too.

thank you again for responding!