The front passenger seat belt on my 2002 gets real wet after raining. Anybody heard of this problem?

 

Does your Santa Fe have a sunroof?

 

Yes it does have a sunroof. I checked the drains and they seem to be OK. The dealership said this is the first time they have heard of this.

 

Place a small sprinkler on top of the Santa Fe while you are sitting in the passenger seat. See if you can observe leaks in the sunroof seal or visibly see what route the water is leaking in. Yes, it may look stupid to others but it is a good way to detect water leaks.

 

entered by mistake, cut and pasted to another thread:

https://www.hyundaiforum.com/m_13475/tm.htm

 

I agree with Ken, I think it may be a sunroof leak or a proplem with the drain tubes. The seat belt is inside the B-pillar of the car and that only way water could get in there is via the sunroof or sunroof drain tube. Tiburons had a similar problem. Water would leak down the driver side to the stereo amplifier and short it out. I'd have the dealer check the drains on that side.

 

Thanks for the responses

I poured a bottle of water in the passenger side corner of the sunroof. It quickly drained out and left a puddle on the ground. I am convinced it is not a plugged drain. I am wondering if the holes where the cargo rails are attached would let enough water in to completely soak the seat belt to the point of dripping. I am not sure how the rails attach to the roof.

 

I'm not sure how the rails are attached either. Usually some sort of speednut is installed in holes punched in the roof and the rail is screwed or bolted down with a gasket or silicon material making it waterproof. This could be the leak location, but I think would you see staining or even water dripping from the head liner if it's enough to make the belt drip. A plugged or disconnect sunroof drain could still do this and still leave a puddle on the ground by draining down and out around the outlet on the bottom. You might try removing the plastic covering on the inside of thecolumn that has the belt mechanism and try pouring more water on the sunroof. Usually there are access holes in the metal structure that should permit you to see if water is passing down outside the drain tube.