HVAC Housing Drain Broken

[Vladimir]

Hey everyone,

I have a 2020 Jeep Wrangler JLUR, and I have very few problems with it so far. But now I’m dealing with a frustrating HVAC issue. The JL’s HVAC system has an integrated drain that’s part of the solid HVAC housing (68301866AA) — there’s no separate drain hose or tube to replace.

In my case, the HVAC is leaking water inside the vehicle because the drain outlet inside the housing is broken and missing. Unfortunately, since this is part of the solid molded housing, fixing it isn’t as simple as clearing a clog or adding a tube —I’d have to replace the entire HVAC housing assembly just to fix the drain.

What’s puzzling is how this happened. My theory is that the drain outlet or part of it was cracked or weakened during assembly at the factory, but the broken piece stayed lodged in place and did the draining as normal — until it eventually slipped out or shifted, leaving an open hole that now leaks into the cabin.

I’m out of warranty, so I’m trying to figure out:

• Has anyone else had this issue with a broken HVAC drain housing on their JL?
• If so, did you get it covered by Jeep or FCA/Chrysler as a goodwill fix, or did you have to pay out-of-pocket for a full HVAC housing replacement?
• Any tips on how to approach the dealer to get some help with this, since it feels like a defect from assembly and not normal wear and tear?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s seen this — or has ideas for getting Jeep to help with a repair like this when the factory warranty has expired.

Thanks in advance!

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[Vladimir]

Hi @JeepCares , is this something you might be able to help with?

 

[JeepCares]

Hi @JeepCares , is this something you might be able to help with?

Thank you for tagging us. We recommend scheduling an appointment with an authorized Jeep dealership for help with diagnosing and repairing the issue. If you need further assistance after scheduling an appointment, please send us a direct message to let us know.

Yenori
Jeep Cares

 

[Vladimir]

Thanks @JeepCares. My Jeep is actually already at the dealership right now for the well-known door corrosion issue, but they told me they can’t help with the HVAC drain problem since the vehicle is out of warranty.

I understand the warranty part, but in this case, the HVAC housing is a solid component that normally should not break. It seems more like a defect than a wear item. Is there any way Jeep can review this as a goodwill repair, especially since the Jeep is already in service for another issue?

 

[mwilk012]

Nobody is going to help you with this, It’s entirely on you. If it lasted 5 years, you got what you paid for. Replacement cost will likely be about 2500 at dealer rates.

 

[Grayhound]

I have had this happen. Thankfully, mine was under warranty, but I can at least show you the part that you're going for you'll have to disassemble the -, but this is doable to replace, and the part itself isn't the costliest part. It's the time.

 

[Vladimir]

Nobody is going to help you with this, It’s entirely on you. If it lasted 5 years, you got what you paid for. Replacement cost will likely be about 2500 at dealer rates.

If you’re right, that kinda sucks, because I don’t really see how I could’ve broken it. And yes, it's 2700 at the dealer.

 

[Vladimir]

I have had this happen. Thankfully, mine was under warranty, but I can at least show you the part that you're going for you'll have to disassemble the -, but this is doable to replace, and the part itself isn't the costliest part. It's the time.

Hmm, it doesn’t really look like the part itself, more like a piece cut off of it. From what I can tell, I’d have to buy the whole housing unit 68301866AA ($450-$600) and replace it. And to do that, I’d need to drain the A/C and pull the entire front dashboard. Am I right?

 

[Gregj]

To replace the housing you have to pretty much take the whole dash out, that’s why it is an expensive repair. A lot of labor involved.
Gregj

 

[Badunit]

The bitch of the whole thing is the location. Any way you could solve this problem with a short piece of PVC pipe and a lot of sealant/adhesive?

 

[Vladimir]

The bitch of the whole thing is the location. Any way you could solve this problem with a short piece of PVC pipe and a lot of sealant/adhesive?

I don't think so, check out the video. It looks like a big chunk of the housing is just completely gone.

 

[Badunit]

It was just a thought to avoid disassembling everything. It was hard to tell exactly what would be possible from the video. It's a tough spot to get to or to see. PVC can be heated and warped/shaped, maybe enough to match the hole in the housing and still able to be wiggled into place. Or some other material could be used.

 

[Grayhound]

I think the issue is the location above the transmission that makes this tough to fix weather done correctly or just patched its a lot of labor.

 

[Badunit]

I crawled under my Gladiator today. It isn't that hard of a place to get to from underneath, unless a Wrangler is more difficult. I'd think something could be made to replace the broken piece.

 

[Vladimir]

I crawled under my Gladiator today. It isn't that hard of a place to get to from underneath, unless a Wrangler is more difficult. I'd think something could be made to replace the broken piece.

Yeah, that’s what I thought at first… but it’s not just a tube that broke. It’s like a big chunk of plastic housing that’s missing. That’s why it took years to finally slip out — it had to find that one particular angle.

I think the issue is the location above the transmission that makes this tough to fix weather done correctly or just patched its a lot of labor.

Location is definitely the issue, and I don't see how it can be done without disassembling the dash.

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