Condensation Inside Vehicle

i get a lot of condensation on the windshield, maybe it's a gen 3 phenomenon. are the carpets still dry?

 

Our 2010 gets a fair bot of condensation .

Requires the front defrost to be on most of the time I'm driving.

Hopefully it doesn’t speak to an over abundance of hot air from the driver.

Id say it is somewhat normal for the area especially since the fog has been rollin in recently indicating a high moisture content in the air.

 

I haven't seen this talked about here much, but my opinion is the Gen 3 has a bit of a problem of water leaking into the trunk.

My anecdotal evidence of this is that when I was Prius shopping, 5 of the 5 priuses I looked at had puddles of water in the trunk, after my friend advised me to check due to his own water he found in his.

To check, take out the false floor in the trunk, and remove the spare tire. See if any water has gathered in the wheel well, and also in the container for the 12volt battery.

I'd be curious if you find anything down there contributing to your condensation.

 

I’d put the car up on stands or inspect all components that seal for signs or wear.

If the carpet is wet, that is not normal. It could be many things, but there is an explainable cause. Just need to investigate.

 

I’d check in the rear wheel well too as there could be a crack or intrusion point there.

 

Here’s a pic from the outside of the rear wheel well on our 2010:



Look for gaps or cracks there.

Maybe something had been hit as road debris along the way and you have your water intrusion point.

 

Seeing that and having water in the cabin on the floor, I’d take the interior apart and examine the inside of those surfaces.

 

Water can get into the back of the Gen 3 through the tail light mounting area. There are body seams behind the lamps, so either they aren't sealed correctly or the seals between the lamps and the body may be leaking. It could be something as simple as loose nuts holding the lamps onto the body.

 

I’ve taken apart the back several times in our 2010, most recently for rear shocks.

A couple of bolts and clips and the trim is off.

But investigate and let us know what you find.

 

For foamy water to get into the rear floor area there is probably a door that’s not sealing. The best thing you can do is to sit in the car and observe while someone takes a water hose to the door gaps and the windows. It’s a 2 man job to look for water leaks. Too bad the car wash place won’t let you sit in the car when it passes through the blower dry faze. The interior gets pressurized under those conditions.
P.S. Has this car ever been in a collision?

 

FWIW...sometimes seals/ weather-strips look good but are not tight enough against
the panel.

To test one can take a stripe of paper, close the panel, and see if the paper is tight
or is removable.

There are multiple techniques to tighten the weather-strip tension to the panel.

Good luck.

 

have you owned the car since new? any accidents?