No, that sloshing sound is not fuel.

I guess it was inevitable, after reading a few other threads on this apparently common problem, but the 'water in car' problem has now happened to my car too. I don't drive it much lately, or I would have noticed the problem sooner, but my wife and daughter reported that the carpet on the floor in the back seat was wet. So, I went to check it out, thinking maybe a window had been left open, but no. A little sleuthing and a few more questions (What do you mean 'sloshing'? No, that's not gas in the tank. How long have you been hearing this?) led to the discovery of a spare wheel well completely full of water. The little battery well was also pretty full. I pulled three drain plugs and sadly watched water pouring from inside the car half way down the street. I left the plug from battery well out, thinking a small amount of water might get in, but would definitely get out. I dried everything with towels, and left the trunk all apart to air out for awhile. Thankfully, we had no electrical issues or any other apparent damage, though of course I will have to find the water entry point(s) and seal them.

The little battery well was dry when I replaced the 12V a couple of years ago, but we were in a minor rear-ender about a year and half ago. Perhaps that's when a crack was opened in a body seam - there are two hairline cracks at the upper corners of the hatch that I had not noticed before, so maybe those are the culprits. A body shop probably would not have known to look, let alone considered it an issue needing repair. But now that I know, I will be checking that spare tire well more often. And so should you.

 

Thanks! Yes, those should help. I noticed our right rear mud flap is missing - damned thieves - which may also be contributing to the problem. It makes more sense that lots of water could get in there, than through the hairline cracks near the top of the hatch, but I will cover all the bases.