water leaks and pools in rear hatch trim

welcome! not sure i'm understanding you correctly. is any water getting in the car, or just pouring onto your head when you open it?

 

gotcha. i don't recall having heard this complaint before. when i open my hatch, 2004, 2008, 2012, whatever water is on it must channel off of the vehicle some where, perhaps where the gasket meets when closed? i would have to try and observe it. i guess i would try to make sure everything looks in good working order, including the weatherstripping. did it just start, or has it done this since new?

 

Our 3rd gen drips water on the rear seat back if I open the hatch after heavy rain, or washing the car. Not a lot, but kinda frustrating. I'm sure it's NOT water incursion, getting past the seals, just water dripping the wrong direction with open hatch.

 

^ ^ ^ What he said. Saw the same on our old Gen II Prius and on our new Gen III. It is the nature of the beast.

 

If you think there is a simple way you can improve the situation?
Try it, and take pictures if it works.

I've got a Gen 3, and live in Oregon where we get plenty of rain. I think the hatch drainage system works pretty well. But rain is rain. I'm not sure my expectations are that when it is raining or has rained and I have a lot of standing water on the vehicle that when I open or close a hatch or door something won't get wet.

I previously owned a 2010 Honda Fit that was great, BUT it did have this weird tendency to build up water in the groves on the roof. If you weren't careful sometimes when opening the door and getting in, it would empty what seemed like 1/2 cup of water or more on your lap.

I suppose it WAS a flaw, but learned to live with it, and expect it, and how to be careful opening the door on heavy rain days.

My point being? Sometimes the solution is simply knowing the problem, and can be as simple as keeping a sponge in the vehicle.

 

these are interesting posts. maybe i've just never noticed it.

 

Not sure if I understand the post. Water should just channel around the hatch channel area and dump out over the rear light assys. Never seen water pool where your saying. Make sure you cant lift off the back rubber seal around the edge. Make sure its glued all the way around.


Maybe your opening the hatch right after a big rain when everything is soaked back there. I have never done this.

Btw, open the back floor hatch up and lift the spare tire out. Check to see if u have alot of water under that tire and get a flashlight and check the 12 volt battery well for standing water also. Both the spare tire area well and the battery well have rubber plugs that can be left off if you garage the car. If not able to garage the car leave plugs in but maybe poke small hole in them to drain.

 

if water is down there, you probably have a leak in the body weld, or hatch hinges.

 

Same problem here. Had the car from new, no problems until a few months ago. When the hatch is opened there's a rush of water (a few spoons full) from somewhere and some of it spills into the boot. Happens even if it hasn't rained for a while. Happens on left side, not right. No accident damage or obvious bad welds. Came across this thread while working out what to do next. First glance says that the water comes from around the spoiler area and runs down the edge of the hatch. My guess is that there's a drain hole bunged up with leaves.

 

it's gotta be something, because normally, and i checked this the other day in the rain, all the water from the hatch door ran into the body channel on top, the down around the sides and out. nothing dripped inside the car.

 

Curious, see the picture with tailgate open, left side view. The water seems to run down the rear windscreen and then along the groove at the front edge of the spoiler, emerging at A. It then seems to accumulate at B where it sits. When the tailgate is opened it emerges and runs down via C and D, spilling over the edge into the boot. One the right side, I don't get any accumulation at B, but both sides look the same. I think it's meant emerge at A and run down the channel beside the boot and then behind the tail lights. Looking elsewhere on these forums this area is prone to blockage with leaves but this doesn't seem to be the cause of this. It looks like the next step is to remove the spoiler but that seems a bit drastic. Not something to start on Sunday evening when I need the car for work tomorrow!

 

i agree on what it should be doing, not sure why it isn't though.