Water leak...into spare tire area etc

afaik, toyota is not doing anything because the cars are out of warranty. maybe you'll be the first. all the best!

 

Thanks for this info. I am not that technical and leery of opening the panels. I will go to the dealership tomorrow to run diagnostics on the electrical to make sure those are not impacted. And check the seals. Thanks so much. This is very surprising to have a defect like this.

 

Don't bother with the dealer running diagnostics that will be $200 and show nothing. If there's an issue with the electronics you'll know it will throw a check warning light on the dash instantly.

You don't have to be technical to open the trunk hatch. Better know how to do it as thats where the spare tire is. Flip up the carpet out of the way. Lift the panel up with the 2 tabs. Lift out the large black plastic storage container there's the tire well. Its all in the owners manual.

Look under the tire for water and with a flashlight and look under the 12 volt battery on the right hand side.

 

climb inside, close the hatch, and have someone hose you down.

 

Just found this thread after discovering water was coming in when I was checking the HV fan yesterday- I guess I need to inspect mine more closely and pull up the roof trim to find the cracks.

I'm curious- is there access to the underside of the cracks at all? I was wondering if something like expanding foam sealant might be useful in addition to the silicone sealant.

 

Expanding foam sealant is not water tight especially from the back side. It will make a mess that will be impossible to get rid of.

My very carefully taken care of 07 and garaged is now leaking also. Mine is not cracked but the lip/edge is not sealed or painted over and whatever they used to seal that seam is now dried out.

The only 100% fool proof way to fix it is to sand that area out, prime it, fill it and smooth it over with plastic, sand it, prime it again, then paint it.
Like the factory should have done.

I will probably do it soon and post pics.

 

I am so upset with the number of issues my 2008 Prius has had, I purchased it brand new from a Toyota dealer and it's one problem after the other. I too have horrible leaking not only in the back hatch but also the driver side window. After reading this post, I went and check in the spare tire compartment and sure enough, water and rust. I took my car to a Toyota service center today to complain about the leaks and they are claiming the driver side leak is due to the side mirrors not being the original Toyota mirrors... This car has never been in an accident, the mirrors have never been replaced, why would Toyota sell me a brand new car with someone else's side mirrors? They are willing to replace the mirrors for about $600. I think it's a scam. It doesn't make any sense that my mirrors would be anything other than Toyota mirrors, and that doesn't explain the back hatch leak. The back hatch, all along the left hand side is soaked, water drips out of the light fixture on the left wall... the entire thing reeks of mildew! I will NEVER buy another Toyota, what shotty manufacturing! What am I supposed to do now? Do I throw away the soaked foam in the walls of the hatch? Do I need to re-pack the walls with new foam?

 

You might just have to tighten the screw/bolts that hold the mirror in place. I believe there are only 3 of them. That might help the water coming in from the mirror issue.

I don't think the 2008 model is that bad. It may not be perfect but many of the issues are very minor.

 

Been fighting this for a while. Found this thread, and sealed the cracks on both sides with thick gorilla glue (temporary). We are supposed to get heavy rain tomorrow, so we shall see what it does.

 

Did the glue stop the leak?

 

How long after applying water to these cracks before you see water in the wells?

 

Also, how many people here have filled the cracks and by doing so have stopped the leak?

It just doesn't seem possible those little cracks could cause that much water in my trunk.

 

also check the hinge mounts and hatch gasket.

 

My spare tire well has been dry since I applied the silicon caulk 1.5 years ago. Surprising but true, those tiny fracture can equate to large pool of water.

 

Just discovered a similar leak in my 2008 Prius. I found a small pool of water on my rear cargo mat...the source of the water was coming out of the cargo light fixture. I'd installed WeatherTech matts...so it just pooled up on the rubber. I get a surprising amount of water with a mild tenth of an inch of rain. After popping the cargo light out...I can feel back and the matting is damp. I've been miraculously lucky that nothing below has gotten wet...it defies logic how the water has managed to drip OUT the light fixture and not flow down and pool in the spare tire area. HOWEVER...I have cleaned and checked the suspect areas (side/roof panel crack)...if there is a crack there...it is SO small...that I don't think I could FORCE the cup of water that gathered through it (I have attached a few pics). I put some scotch tape over the potential 'crack' spots to highlight them. The cracks are maybe 1cm long, and do not extend down the body. I've also checked the wiper control rubber boots and see no evidence of water behind them. Has anyone developed leaks in the small quarter panel windows? I plan to use sealant on the cracks (flowable silicone) to be sure...but suspect that the source may be elsewhere.

Note: if nobody has used flowable silicone before TRY IT on areas (like cracks) where you need the sealant to wick. This has the consistency of honey, but flows like 90W oil into the cracks and crevices. It will 'run' down the sides of whatever you put it on...it isn't like normal silicone sealant. See Permatex p/n 81730

 

FOUND AND SOLVED MY WATER LEAK

See my attached PDF detailing the microscopic body crack (described above)...after applying sealant, the leak is gone.

 

Eulo,
I was just as surprised...the crack was microscopic...but leaked a TON of water. No leak after sealing the crack.

 

Nice work, Keyslammer. I'm about 18 months into the Permatex Windshield and Glass Sealer repair on our '07 done pretty much exactly as you describe. Prepped the cracked areas with alcohol and laid down the sealer. Although it's a bit discolored with age, it's still providing a watertight seal.

 

not the mama/edit

 

This is super super helpful. I've been on/off noticing a small leak on my car for a while after it was repaired due to getting rear-ended by a drunk driver and recently tracked it down to the same location (cargo light). Can't help but wonder if the body shop missed some small-scale damage like the micro-cracks.