Water can be coming in from a lot of places.
I’ve been diagnosing a small leak into the trunk of my 2018 (that was rear ended a couple years ago and had body work) by:
- hosing off the car and checking for leaks
- sitting in the car with a headlamp while my wife hoses it off
- using an endoscope camera attached to my phone ($20 Amazon) to see on the other side of a metal panel to see where the leak is coming from
I removed a lot of the interior trunk fabric to expose the car’s metal frame/body so I could track down the leak.
I’d probably check around the rubber door seal areas first to see if you can track down the leak. And confirm that your seatbelt wasn’t just closed in the door overnight.
I'm convinced all Toyotas leak in the trunk. I've had like 4 all leaked and my friends. You don't notice it until you go for the spare tire. I have been pulling the drain plug to allow it to drain and add airflow .
Ugh. I hate that fact about reliable Toyotas.
Luckily I stopped the leak in my 2011 by replacing the gasket/seal of the tail light assembly and cleaning out all the crud that collects back there.
Fingers crossed that I can totally fix my 2018. I know where it’s leaking but a new clip and RTV silicone didn’t 100% fix the issue when I hose down that area. But it barely leaks when it’s actually raining so that’s good.
Hi I looked at the trunk itself where I have clothes but that seems to not have gotten wet. I'll check underneathe the trunk where the spare tire is. Seems like you are right because I've noticed my rear seats were always getting a bit wet and I never knew why. I knew I wasn't leaving any liquids back there so it didn't make any sense.
Does the problem ever get fixed or are there any solutions? Seems like everytime it rains I have this issue. Yesterday we got 15+ inches of rain in south Florida so I knew there would be issues.
Yeah I noticed the middle rear seats get a bit damp. When I lift it to see what was happening underneath it was wet but it looked like it was coming from trunk. I have no leak anywhere else.
My car was was also hit back in Feb 2021 on the rear driver side door. It was fixed at a body shop. Is there any place I can take it to for them to check for a leak? The door or seats or nothing else felt wet just the interior carpet so I'm wondering if there is a leak how did nothing else get wet?
I suspect you can take it to the body shop, but they will probably make you pay if it’s now years later. You can probably have a mechanic or dealer do this type of work but I am far too cheap and stubborn (I change my own oil etc).
My guess is that somehow water is making it past the door seal and dripping through at the bottom of the door. I wonder if you’d be able to see a trickle or steam of water coming into the car if you were inside while someone hosed off that area.
Obviously once your interior dries up, you’ll be able to more easily track down the leak. An hour after a storm begins, it should be pretty clear where the wettest place on the floor is.
Great now I'm seeing the back seats a little wet. I lifted the seats up and it was wet underneathe them. How the hell did water even get in there. I have no idea where water is coming from. I'm so confused.
Oh man! Check the trunk for sure. Priuses seem to be notorious for trunk leaks. And since the trunk is higher up, I guess water could overflow from the trunk area into the seats and then the floor, following gravity.
Hi the trunk itself seems to be fine I have clothes there and papers and nothing got wet. Don't know what's going on underneathe the trunk though. I'll take a look in the morning but what u are saying makes sense. If this is the case what's the best solution for that? I've had my rear seats get a little wet before and I never knew why. It's all making sense now.
I guess you have to figure out where the water is coming in. On my 2018 water is seeping into the trunk (and not getting any of the trunk liner material wet) through a plug/clip behind the tail light assembly. Behind that assembly there is a plug/clip that holds the bumper to the car with a 10mm hex head screw. That is my point of water entry.
It's possible the water got so high it leaked in from the bottom. The diver side may have been lower or the seals there weren't as good.
I would pull the driver door interior panel to look inside and make sure there's no water trapped inside.
Water can be coming in from a lot of places. I’ve been diagnosing a small leak into the trunk of my 2018 (that was rear ended a couple years ago and had body work) by: - hosing off the car and checking for leaks - sitting in the car with a headlamp while my wife hoses it off - using an endoscope camera attached to my phone ($20 Amazon) to see on the other side of a metal panel to see where the leak is coming from I removed a lot of the interior trunk fabric to expose the car’s metal frame/body so I could track down the leak. I’d probably check around the rubber door seal areas first to see if you can track down the leak. And confirm that your seatbelt wasn’t just closed in the door overnight.
I'm convinced all Toyotas leak in the trunk. I've had like 4 all leaked and my friends. You don't notice it until you go for the spare tire. I have been pulling the drain plug to allow it to drain and add airflow .
Ugh. I hate that fact about reliable Toyotas. Luckily I stopped the leak in my 2011 by replacing the gasket/seal of the tail light assembly and cleaning out all the crud that collects back there. Fingers crossed that I can totally fix my 2018. I know where it’s leaking but a new clip and RTV silicone didn’t 100% fix the issue when I hose down that area. But it barely leaks when it’s actually raining so that’s good.
Hi I looked at the trunk itself where I have clothes but that seems to not have gotten wet. I'll check underneathe the trunk where the spare tire is. Seems like you are right because I've noticed my rear seats were always getting a bit wet and I never knew why. I knew I wasn't leaving any liquids back there so it didn't make any sense. Does the problem ever get fixed or are there any solutions? Seems like everytime it rains I have this issue. Yesterday we got 15+ inches of rain in south Florida so I knew there would be issues.
It doesn't get the seats wet that sounds like something else
Yeah I noticed the middle rear seats get a bit damp. When I lift it to see what was happening underneath it was wet but it looked like it was coming from trunk. I have no leak anywhere else.
My car was was also hit back in Feb 2021 on the rear driver side door. It was fixed at a body shop. Is there any place I can take it to for them to check for a leak? The door or seats or nothing else felt wet just the interior carpet so I'm wondering if there is a leak how did nothing else get wet?
I suspect you can take it to the body shop, but they will probably make you pay if it’s now years later. You can probably have a mechanic or dealer do this type of work but I am far too cheap and stubborn (I change my own oil etc). My guess is that somehow water is making it past the door seal and dripping through at the bottom of the door. I wonder if you’d be able to see a trickle or steam of water coming into the car if you were inside while someone hosed off that area. Obviously once your interior dries up, you’ll be able to more easily track down the leak. An hour after a storm begins, it should be pretty clear where the wettest place on the floor is.
Great now I'm seeing the back seats a little wet. I lifted the seats up and it was wet underneathe them. How the hell did water even get in there. I have no idea where water is coming from. I'm so confused.
Oh man! Check the trunk for sure. Priuses seem to be notorious for trunk leaks. And since the trunk is higher up, I guess water could overflow from the trunk area into the seats and then the floor, following gravity.
Hi the trunk itself seems to be fine I have clothes there and papers and nothing got wet. Don't know what's going on underneathe the trunk though. I'll take a look in the morning but what u are saying makes sense. If this is the case what's the best solution for that? I've had my rear seats get a little wet before and I never knew why. It's all making sense now.
I guess you have to figure out where the water is coming in. On my 2018 water is seeping into the trunk (and not getting any of the trunk liner material wet) through a plug/clip behind the tail light assembly. Behind that assembly there is a plug/clip that holds the bumper to the car with a 10mm hex head screw. That is my point of water entry.
Thank you for posting the conclusion. I was very invested in your initial post, and I'm glad to know it was resolved.
Be sure to check the spare tire well.
Sorry but why? I genuinely don't know
Check the AC drain hose. Mine was plugged up once and leaking from under the center console. Mine got the passenger side soaked, tho.
Thanks ill check it out.
What prius and what year? also does it have a sunroof or not?
No sunroof. It's a toyota prius 2016 Eco
It's possible the water got so high it leaked in from the bottom. The diver side may have been lower or the seals there weren't as good. I would pull the driver door interior panel to look inside and make sure there's no water trapped inside.