2015 Trail with Sunroof Issues
- Thread starter SirWilliamGoes
- Start date
LandCruiser
New member
My sunroof pops and creaks, ironically it does this mostly at highway speed.
The stronger car washes around here can push water past the seals, but that's not really a 'leak.'
The stronger car washes around here can push water past the seals, but that's not really a 'leak.'
My '99 SR5 had a sunroof, no issues.
My '02 Ltd. had a sunroof, no issues.
My '05 Ltd. had a sunroof, no issues.
I think your problem is an anomaly and not indicative of the most 4Runners. As far as why the TRD Pro comes without one, IMO it's a profit issue. Charge the customer almost Limited money by keeping production low yet off-road content high while somewhat de-contenting the "luxury" items. But I think the biggest reason is reduced roll-over protection that the sunroof may cause. Honda used to have a rear sunroof on their Element EX but discontinued it when it was found to reduce roll-over protection.
In the 4Runner lineup the TRD Pro will likely find itself upside down more so than the others....
My '02 Ltd. had a sunroof, no issues.
My '05 Ltd. had a sunroof, no issues.
I think your problem is an anomaly and not indicative of the most 4Runners. As far as why the TRD Pro comes without one, IMO it's a profit issue. Charge the customer almost Limited money by keeping production low yet off-road content high while somewhat de-contenting the "luxury" items. But I think the biggest reason is reduced roll-over protection that the sunroof may cause. Honda used to have a rear sunroof on their Element EX but discontinued it when it was found to reduce roll-over protection.
In the 4Runner lineup the TRD Pro will likely find itself upside down more so than the others....
1engineer
Moderator
Don't compare unibody with BOF. Sunroofs, by themselves, do not increase nor reduce rollover protection. What matters is the reinforcement needed to give the roof the rollover protection. I can have NO top and a roll bar and be just fine.
OP, sorry you have sunroof issues but that is not the norm so far on the 5th gen 4Runner.
Any time you add complexity (sunroof and all parts associated with it versus no sunroof) to a vehicle the rate of problems go up. It has to. If you want to play the statistics game then get the plain jane SR5 4WD with no options. That will give you the best odds of success. Everything that gets added (sunroof, KDSS, even the hood scoop) increases the odds of future issues.
Brandonium
Member
e60ral
Banned
assuming that toyota makes their sunroof like every other one i've owned that water shouldn't make it into your cabin, the tray should catch that and it should drain away
99% of sunroof leaks are because the drains get clogged, auto manufacturers need to make blowing out the drains a maintenance item.
i specifically avoided the premium vehicles to avoid the sunroof, on my last car i ended up just sealing the sunroof with automotive vinyl
Sunroofs
We've had sunroofs on many different machines since the damned things were invented and have never had a problem. That includes the sunroof on our '16 4R. I like a sunroof! But maybe the lack of problems is because I don't like to open them due to the wind noise. - Ted
We've had sunroofs on many different machines since the damned things were invented and have never had a problem. That includes the sunroof on our '16 4R. I like a sunroof! But maybe the lack of problems is because I don't like to open them due to the wind noise. - Ted
Redsoxx1918
New member
That is ordinarily true. Love a sunroof but the wind noise sucks. BUT....with the roll down rear window that really isn't an issue anymore. Open your sunroof alone at highway speeds and there is a bunch of wind noise. But then drop the rear window and the noise is gone....along with awesome ventilation. Driving with the sunroof open and rear window down is great! You can leave all the side windows closed and get that great ventilation. Loving the roll down rear window!
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Brandonium
Member
True, you get wonderful ventilation with the sunroof open and the rear window lowered some. You do suck in more dust and shit from the outside into the cabin but that's expected. 
johnbt
Member
"hate that everything has to be taken apart "
I know the feeling. A large tree limb fell on my '10 Highlander Limited. Not only did they take everything apart, they cut off the roof and replaced it. And replaced the windshield. And fixed the minor damage to the hood.
But the sunroof survived intact and they reused it.
Everything looked and worked great when they finished. I sold it to a guy at our monthly poker tournament and his wife is loving it.
John
I know the feeling. A large tree limb fell on my '10 Highlander Limited. Not only did they take everything apart, they cut off the roof and replaced it. And replaced the windshield. And fixed the minor damage to the hood.
But the sunroof survived intact and they reused it.
Everything looked and worked great when they finished. I sold it to a guy at our monthly poker tournament and his wife is loving it.
John
gm350reratliff
New member
That may be a good idea for my 4th gen. Any problems with the vinyl bubbling up? The seal around the sunroof on my 4th gen seems to let in more water than before.
e60ral
Banned
Try blowing out your drains first
I also had luck just using electrical tape along the gasket to seal the roof, it lasted about a year and blended in and wasn't visible. When I replaced it I used 3M automotive vinyl and never had an issue. I think it was maybe 2 years before selling and the vinyl still looked good.
In my case it was a cracked housing that was leaking from the tray and it wasn't worth the cost to repair in college, other times in my experience it was always clogged drains.
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