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Moisture in Taillights

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by mrb1, Dec 28, 2012.

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  1. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    I have a 2012 Prius 3 and just noticed yesterday that I have some condensation on the inside of my Taillights. It's been raining and cold around here lately but I park my car in the garage. Has anyone have the same problem?

    You could see it in the pics below.

    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1356702282.772278.jpg

    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1356702298.036233.jpg
     
    #1 mrb1, Dec 28, 2012
  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I have that too. It's not bad enough that I was planning on doing anything about it. When I take the rear panels off I will look to see if they can be sealed better but I don't think it's a big deal.
     
    #2 F8L, Dec 28, 2012
  3. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    You are right it's not that bad at this point. Just don't want it to get worse over time. I was thinking of bringing it in to the dealer to see if they could fix or replace it since its still under warranty.
     
    #3 mrb1, Dec 28, 2012
  4. katiesdad7

    katiesdad7 Member

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    Warranty item for sure.
     
    #4 katiesdad7, Dec 28, 2012
  5. zhutton

    zhutton Junior Member

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    Happened to mine, I just left the parking lights on for best part of 2 hours and it appeared to go, led so I wasn't expecting much heat but coincidentally it went, if it starts becoming a problem then a moan at the dealer should suffice
     
    #5 zhutton, Dec 28, 2012
  6. rrg

    rrg Active Member

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    Check around the sockets and make sure that area does not have any loose sockets.
    If they are locked, then the lens has an opening allowing moisture in.

    Just wondering, did you get moisture in both sides at the same time? Was the car on an incline outside?

    Dealer visit next.
     
    #6 rrg, Dec 28, 2012
  7. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    I think I will take it in to the dealer. Figured I paid good money for this car why not use the warranty.
     
    #7 mrb1, Dec 29, 2012
  8. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    That's the weird part, moisture was in both taillights. I park my car in the garage at night with no incline so it wasn't sitting outside in the cold at all.
     
    #8 mrb1, Dec 29, 2012
  9. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    I noticed this on mine. It didn't occur to me that it was a problem I should have repaired.
     
    #9 Rebound, Dec 31, 2012
  10. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    It's not a big deal at the moment but I don't want to find out it will be a problem after my warranty expires.
     
    #10 mrb1, Dec 31, 2012
  11. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    By all means, please keep us updated after your dealer visit. That would be very appreciated. I'll definitely take mine in if they so something about yours. Thanks!
     
    #11 Rebound, Dec 31, 2012
  12. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    Definitely will keep everyone posted. It will be a couple of weeks before I will be able to make it to the dealership.
     
    #12 mrb1, Dec 31, 2012
  13. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    Update....So I went to the dealership today and they said Toyota will most likely not cover this issue unless there were actual droplets of water inside the Taillights. They said they will submit the work order anyways and see if Toyota will approve the repair work. I should hear back in several days.
     
    #13 mrb1, Jan 5, 2013
  14. zhutton

    zhutton Junior Member

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    I'm sure the problem could be rectified to their specifications if required?
     
    #14 zhutton, Jan 6, 2013
  15. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    The only experience I had with warranty was the one claim with Infiniti and I had to fight them to cover the issue. I hope Toyota will not be the same.

    My two other cars did not get moisture in the taillights that same day so I don't think it's normal but I'm sure they will say its normal somehow.
     
    #15 mrb1, Jan 6, 2013
  16. zhutton

    zhutton Junior Member

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    my window tint bubbled when i had my car and i went through 3 months of arguing to get them to re apply the tint..... dealers in general i think :/
     
    #16 zhutton, Jan 7, 2013
  17. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    Got a call from the dealership and they said Toyota will not cover the repairs because it is normal for the Taillights to fog up inside because they are vented. It's weird that my other car's lights did not fog up that day if it's normal.
     
    #17 mrb1, Jan 12, 2013
  18. rrg

    rrg Active Member

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    I don't think it's normal.

    Here's an idea I found. Open all the light sockets and use petrolium jelly or dielectric grease to lub or seal the gasket around the lights sockets. Be sure to only touch the gasket material with the lub.

    Here's another fix to keep water out of the tail lights.

    my2cents.
     
    #18 rrg, Jan 12, 2013
  19. mrb1

    mrb1 Junior Member

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    I'm going to give Toyota Corp a call and see if I could change their mind and replace it. If not then I will give the DYI a try.
     
    #19 mrb1, Jan 13, 2013
  20. Willem

    Willem Junior Member

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    For what it's worth, my 2010 Prius has the same issue. A visit to my local dealer resulted in them telling me it was a) not unusual for a Toyota and b) not covered under the warranty.

    Since I have had several other minor annoyances covered by warranty, I can only assume that the dealer is being up-front with me. After all, don't dealers have a financial incentive to fix warranty issues because they get compensated by the manufacturer?
     
    #20 Willem, Jan 13, 2013
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