Method for Preventing Water Intrusion in Vehicle Systems

An apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

• a vehicle component having an ambient air inlet valve is operable to move from a closed position to an open position in response to an open signal;
• and
• a control system that is operable to:
• receive a request to open the ambient air inlet valve,
• determine whether a towing condition is present,
• determine whether at least one submergence risk criterion is present, and
• transmit the open signal to the ambient air inlet valve, in response to the request to open the ambient air inlet valve, if the towing condition is not present or the at least one submergence risk criterion is not present.

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a control system, a request to open an ambient air inlet valve of a vehicle component, wherein the ambient air inlet valve is operable to move from a closed position to an open position in response to an open signal that is transmitted to the ambient air inlet valve from the control system;
• monitoring at least one vehicle operating characteristic that is related to a submergence risk;
• and
• determining whether to transmit the open signal from the control system to the ambient air inlet valve based on the at least one vehicle operating characteristic.