Water getting in through tail light - 2014 Prius

Yes this is very common on all these generation 3s first things you want to do is go over to the battery well for the 12 volt resides lift the 12 volt from where it sits run your hand around that area you'll feel some rubber touching your finger push on it it'll pop through the chassis and disappear in the rear quarter panel no matter I think there's another one over there in that same well push those through now take your water can and pour water in the 12 volt battery well and you will see the water go into the area and now you'll hear it pissing on the ground It's running right through and passing through like it should those plugs should have been pushed out years ago now for the main event you go to the spare tire well and right under the HV battery but in the spare tire will under the spare tire there's a rubber plug you push your finger on that and it falls on the ground You retrieve it and throw it in the left side where you store the nuts and bolts in that little well so you save it now water will come into the car and pass through and go back out on the ground where it belongs not turning your car into a terrarium. This is important stuff. Now for the tail light you take out the little plug for whichever tail light you're working on where the carpet is the side panel If you're slick you can take your little mini quarter drive ratchet and a 10 mm socket and reach up in that hole and loosen the two 10 mm nuts that are on the inside towards the tailgate on the tail light if you need to look at the tail light in the picture and you'll see where the nuts are You're not going to be able to see them You're going to feel them You're going to make one turn lefty loosey and then reach your hand back up in there and undo the nut and bring the nut out do the bottom one now get out take your plastic splooge in between the metal chassis color and the tail light gently pry and the tail light will pop out at the top and then at the bottom whatever you're holding it in your hand there should be a rubber piece of foam on the back of the tail light and the studs go through it sometimes this may try to stay residing on the chassis when you pull the tail light You have two options here You can either from another car grab that piece of foam and stack the two pieces together and glue them together put that in that'll generally do it or other people take silicone or caulking they use in the bathroom and what have you and make a big mess on the back of the tail light and then squish that up till you hear it make that squishing noise when you're putting that stuff together I tend to like trying to use the two pieces of foam It seems a little neater doesn't have to get all over everything behind the tail light etc You can carry it a step further and get a mat of thicker foam and cut one piece out just depends on how you want to do You want to see if your job worked after you put that all together leave that little plastic plug off and just put your hose running over the tail light with the deck lid closed the back seat down and you just lay on the back seat and the tailgate floor and look through the little hole at the tail light the water should just be running you hear it hitting the ground nothing's coming in the car since you got that done you might as well cut one for the other side and have it at the ready or go ahead and pop it in.

 

I used this video recently, just to get inside access to push out a small dent. Didn’t remove tail light, but seems readily doable.