Symptom Chart - Air Leak And Wind Noise

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2006 Mercury Mariner and 2006 Ford Escape. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

SYMPTOM CHART - AIR LEAK AND WIND NOISE

Condition	Possible Sources	Action
Air leak around the door perimeter	Loose fit seal	PINCH the seal carrier to improve retention on the seal flange.
	Seal installed incorrectly	INSTALL the seal correctly.
	Door misaligned	ALIGN the door correctly. CHECK the door gaps and fit in the door opening and ADJUST as necessary.
	Scuff plate installed incorrectly	INSTALL the scuff plate correctly.
	Seal or seal pin-type retainers damaged	INSTALL a new seal.
Air leak around a glass run	Door glass misaligned	ADJUST the door glass.
	Glass run installed incorrectly	ADJUST the glass run. INSERT foam in the glass run carrier.
	Leak path behind a glass run	INSTALL foam rope behind the glass run.
	Glass run channel spread wide	PINCH the glass run channel to reduce the size of the opening.
	Blow-out clip bent or contacting the door glass	ADJUST the blow-out clip or INSTALL a new glass run/blow-out clip molding assembly.
	Glass run damaged	INSTALL a new glass run.
Air leak at the inner belt line	Belt line seal installed incorrectly on the flange	ADJUST the seal. (Do not bend the flange.)
	Belt line seal integrated with door trim installed incorrectly (no glass contact)	INSTALL the door trim correctly.
	No contact with the side glass	ADJUST the door glass.
	No contact with glass runs at both ends of the belt line seal	ADJUST the belt line seal or ADD foam at the seal ends.
	Belt line seal damaged	INSTALL a new seal.
Air leak at the outer belt line	Belt line seal installed incorrectly on the flange (no glass contact)	ADJUST the seal.
	Belt line seal does not contact the glass	ADJUST the door glass.
	No contact with the glass runs at both ends of the belt line seal	ADJUST the belt line seal/ADD foam at the seal ends.
	Belt line seal damaged	INSTALL a new seal.
Draft at the inner door handle/speaker opening	Hole in the watershield	SEAL the hole with a suitable tape.
	Watershield misaligned	ALIGN the watershield correctly. INSTALL a new watershield if the pressure sensitive adhesive fails.
	Exterior door handle seal misaligned/damaged	ALIGN the seal correctly or INSTALL a new seal as necessary.
Wind noise from the exterior rear view mirror	Exterior rear view mirror housing misaligned	ALIGN with the edges shingled correctly and no gaps.
	Mirror sail gasket folded/misaligned	INSTALL with the gasket unfolded and aligned correctly.
	Mirror housing trim cap installed incorrectly	INSTALL with the edges shingled to the air flow.
	Air leak through the mirror housing hinge	Fully ENGAGE the mirror into its operating position/USE foam to block the air path through the hinge.
	Inner sail trim installed incorrectly	INSTALL the sail trim correctly/ADJUST the door trim.
	Inner sail gasket/barrier installed incorrectly	INSTALL the trim cover with the gasket/barrier aligned correctly.
	Air path through the wiring bundle/fastener access holes	BLOCK the air path(s) with foam/tape.
	Exposed fastener access hole on the mirror housing/sail	INSTALL a new cap if it is missing.
Air leak around the perimeter of fixed glass	Gaps in the adhesive bead	APPLY an approved adhesive. If the windshield is the source, RESEAL the windshield. REFER to WINDSHIELD RESEAL .
	Air traveling up the windshield molding along the A-pillar	INSTALL foam rope the full length of the A-pillar.
	Windshield/backlite misaligned or not installed correctly	INSTALL the windshield/backlite correctly.
	Rear hood seal at the base of the windshield misaligned/damaged	ALIGN the seal correctly or INSTALL a new seal as necessary.
Air leak at the cowl	Cowl gasket misaligned/damaged	ALIGN the seal correctly or INSTALL a new seal as necessary.
Air leak around the liftgate perimeter	Loose fit seal	PINCH the seal carrier to improve retention on the seal flange or INSERT foam in the carrier.
	Seal misaligned	INSTALL the sea correctly.
	Liftgate misaligned	ALIGN the liftgate. CHECK the liftgate fit in the body opening and ADJUST as necessary.
	Scuff plate misaligned	INSTALL the scuff plate correctly.
	Seal or seal pin-type retainers damaged	INSTALL a new seal.
Air leak around the liftgate flip window perimeter	Loose fit seal	PINCH the seal carrier to improve the retention to the seal flange.
	Seal misaligned	INSTALL the seal correctly.
	Glass misaligned	ALIGN the glass correctly.
	Seal damaged	INSTALL a new seal.
Wind noise from the antenna	Shape of the antenna	INSTALL an antenna boot or a spiral antenna.
Wind noise from the antenna	Air leak around the antenna cable access hole	INSPECT the antenna access hole grommet. REPAIR as necessary.
Air leak from the closed roof opening panel	Seal installed incorrectly	INSTALL the seal correctly.
	Roof opening panel glass/door misaligned	ALIGN the roof opening panel glass/door correctly.
	Roof opening panel damaged	INSTALL a new roof opening panel. REFER to ROOF OPENING PANEL .
Buffeting from an open roof opening panel	Wind deflector inoperative/damaged	REPAIR or INSTALL a new wind deflector as necessary. REFER to ROOF OPENING PANEL .
Buffeting from an open roof opening panel	Wind deflector height incorrect	ADJUST the wind deflector higher.
Wind noise created by airflow over or behind body panels	Fender splash shield misaligned	ALIGN the fender splash shield correctly.
	Body panel misaligned (exposed edge)	ALIGN the appropriate body panel correctly.
	Hood misaligned (front margin)	CHECK the hood gaps and fit. ADJUST the hood as necessary.
	Front grille edge noise	APPLY foam in the hollow areas behind the louvers.
Wind noise created by the grille opening panel	Grille relationship to the leading edge on the hood	ADJUST the grille opening panel forward to eliminate the wind noise.
Wind noise created by the grille opening panel	Sharp edges due to material imperfections	REMOVE the sharp edges (no damage to visible surface).
Wind noise from the air extractor	Air extractor housing seated incorrectly	INSTALL the air extractor housing correctly.
Wind noise from the air extractor	Air extractor housing or flaps damaged	INSTALL a new air extractor.
Noise from the roof rack	Roof rack rails or crossbars loose	TIGHTEN the fasteners.
	Roof rack fasteners missing	INSTALL the approved fasteners.
	Roof rack crossbars installed backward	INSTALL the crossbars correctly.
	Roof rack rub strips partially lifting from the roof	APPLY adhesive or fasteners or INSTALL new rub strips as necessary.
	Roof rack gaskets loose or misaligned	INSTALL the gasket correctly.
Wind noise from the bug shield/exterior windshield sun visor	Turbulence created by the location and shape	REMOVE per customer direction if it is a dealer installed option.