I needed to get into the "trunk" of my Prius this afternoon, and was very surprised to find that there were a couple of quarts of green liquid partially submerging the emergency spare. The liquid is clear and odorless; it looks like green KoolAid. No evidence of where it came from, and no sign of any fluid on the floor in front of the back seat. Looking at the layout of the trunk, it seems the only place the liquid might have come from is the hybrid battery. Does the battery contain such a liquid? If so, what would cause this leakage, and what can be done to fix it? If the battery does NOT contain any green liquid, any ideas where else it might have come from? Thanks very much for any help!
Check the roof where the end of the black strips are near the hatch. There could be cracks that are letting water in. Seal with silicone and it’s more or less a permanent fix. Battery seems doubtful but who knows. Take the cloth cover off of it and inspect. Should be able to rule it out that way.
Thanks for the replies. The mystery liquid is a very recent appearance; I keep the car very clean both in and out, and had refilled the spare just over a month ago, and the straoge are was completely dry then. I checked the weatherstripping around the rear hatch it it is perfect, no tears. I also looked at the tail lights to see if water could have entered there, but they are both tight. This is NOT moldy water. It really did look like green KoolAid; perfectly clear green liquid. Not dirty or soapy. No odor. I'm starting to wonder if a friend might be pranking me, but the car is kept locked when not in use so that is not too likely. But I really welcome any ideas as to where this liquid came from. None of the liquids in the cooling system are this color, and my windshield washer fluid is blue.
The spare tire wheel well is the lowest point in the back of the car and because of gravity... It'd be worth considering how many times you and previous owners have put stuff in the back of the car? In a 2005 that's 21 years of shopping for stuff and hauling stuff. Consider that maybe something hauled around in the vehicle that spilled is another possibility?
