Questions and Answers

Pontiac Grand Am Water Leak Q. Car info: 1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE; 6 cylinder; automatic transmission; 105,000 miles, fuel injection, ABS brakes, A/C. I have had this car for about 2½ years. Whenever it rains, I have noticed that water somehow leaks into the front floorboards, leaking the carpet soaked. I take out the mats (they cover the water and leaves a mildew odor in the car), therefore I have to place towels in the floor to soak up all the water that gets in.

It is just as bad on the passenger's side floor as it is on the driver's side. I have pulled back the carpet and the padding has turned brown from the water leaking in. My towels also turn brown when they become soaked and I need to switch them out.

I have felt around under the driver's side dash area, around the floorboard, when the carpet is pulled back. In a piece of plastic that seems to cover where the wheel is, there is a spongy material under the edge of that. This also applies to the passenger's side. I felt under the edge, and it was soaked.

Can I seal this with some kind of caulk to prevent the water from getting into the car? I have only had the car about 2½ years, and since it has been raining non-stop for the last two weeks, it has been the worst it has ever been, and that is what prompted me to pull the carpet back this time. Do you have any suggestions?

I have been researching to find out if this problem is common in Grand Ams. I have not taken it into the ship yet. I was wanting to find out if this could be a DIY project.

Thank you for your time!

A. The best thing to do is to pull all interior parts out to get rug out and let it dry. The stuff under it is called jute. You can buy this at a dealer. The jute is what make the smell stay forever. While the rug is out you can water test it to find out where the water is getting in. Of course this is pretty labor intensive so you could have a shop do it. You want to make sure all leaks are fixed before replacing with new jute and rug.