Ford F150 - Fixing Rear Window Leak, 97-03 F150

Whenever it rained, I would notice my back seat was a little wet afterwards. I did some research online and found this to be a pretty common issue for 1997-2003 F150 owners. Here is a quick summary of how I fixed the leak. It isn't as hard as you would think. I recommend having a partner help you.

Instructions...
Remove the top of the seat belt, clothing hook, and back side panel from the truck. The side panel should snap off, but there are two clips holding it on so try to be careful not to break them. If I remember correctly, there are two caps in the headliner that pop out using a flathead screwdriver.
Now you are ready to work on the window. While removing the screws around the window, you will need to bend the headliner back a little. Only bend it back as far as you need to so you don't damage it permanently. You won't need to remove or loosen the seat, just pull back on the headrest and you'll see the screws.


After you are sure you have all the window screws removed, you will need to get a knife and scrape around the edge of the window (from the inside) to break the connection. After you cut around most of the frame, you should be able to push outward (apply pressure all over and not in one spot) and the window will start to come free. Have someone in your truck bed to hold on to the window.
After the window breaks free, scrape the rubber off the cab window frame. I recommend using a putty knife and NOT a razor. A razor will peel into the frame itself, especially around the glass.




While your scraping the old sealant off the cab, your partner can be working on the window. Scrape the old sealant off the window as best you can, but if you scrape too hard or use a razor it can start digging into the frame.



After you have cleaned off the old sealant, you can apply your new sealant. I will post what kind I used later because I can't remember the name of it right now. I purchased it at Lowe's. Apply the sealant to the glass and I think it was easier that way. Don't apply it to the cab AND the window, or else you will have too much and it oozes everywhere. Don't get sealant on the window screws.



You and your partner can line up the window to the frame and just push it back in place. I recommend tightening the screws in a circle a little bit at a time (similar to what you do with lugnuts) so that the sealant is applied somewhat evenly. Reconnect everything and your done.

It took me about 2 hours, so if you know anything about fixing cars it should take you about half that. The dealers quoted about $200-300 to do this repair.

Thanks! I will give this a go, I've been living with this for some time now!!!

thanks for the info. I have had this prob for a while now. It smells like a locker room in my truck after every rain!

mine did the same thing but the window frame is cracked..

FYI... we used Butyl rubber sealant, not sure what the brand was.

Thanks for all the informaiton I did the job as you said but most of my leaks were comming from the molding that goes around the rear window. Its only on with a few nuts and the rest are pushpins which are thru the sheet metal on the inside of the vehicle the rubber around the plastic molding has a rubber seal on it and it acts as a seal to prevent water from going behind the molding it was off and fell inside behind the molding. After thinking about i should have used the Buytl tape thats used to install the rear window it would have sealed to the cab and to the molding and prevented any leaks This was realy a bad design. I used silcone to seal it and it worked fine

Thanx for the info, been dealing with this for the last couple of yrs.

I fixed my window this afternoon, took about 3 hours, most of which was spent just cleaning off the old sealant. Butyl rubber sealant can be found under a few names, gutter and flashing sealant, gutter and roof, etc... so far fix was easy and seams to be holding well. Discovered that this fix works better if you only apply enough pressure with the bolts to maintain contact with the new sealant until it sets up for a while, this produces a tighter and better seal. If the frame isn't cracked the important thing to focus on a getting everything clean and replacing the rubber seal under the trim with a good quality product, as it is the first line of defense.

was a ford technician for 15+ years and the part number we used per the tsb for this problem back in the day is xw2z 19e523 aa. Your local ford dlr should be able to get you some of this stuff. it works cats pajamas...