Follow up question...if it was a clogged AC drain, would that cause water under BOTH the passenger and driver sides?

 

Dang...if that is the AC, you must be in some crazy humidity to be flowing that much water.

It sounds like you got the carpet out or at least loosens. If you need to find the chassis drain plugs, they are shown below:

I'm 90% sure the far left one is there, though I had covered it so I can't be sure. There are more farther back if you have water there, you can see the rubber grommets in the pics.

As for the AC drain hose, its shown below.

There is a plastic underbody cover. The hose will be above that, it'll have to be removed to get access. Its near the firewall, on the passenger side. It sits near the exhaust pipe, kinda behind the passenger front wheel. As for how to tell if its clogged....not sure, other's will have to comment. Maybe you can shove a straightened hanger up it to clear anything that's up it.

You won't see the rear sunroof holes, they are kinda far back.

If you think its an external leak, go outside, and hose the car down with a water hose for awhile. If you see more water, time to start checking sunroof, windshield, and door seals.

 

Thanks for that info and picture. I was able to find the AC drain so I let the HL run for about 40 minutes with the AC on MAX and the drain worked just fine (puddle under the passenger). Now that I think about it, I didn't see a puddle from the rear AC. Should I see one (our HL has the rear AC controls)? Even though, I can't imagine the AC condensate water being 3 gallons in 9 hours.

I also checked the moonroof drains and they are working fine as well. I'm stumped.

I do have the carpets loosened and "tented" with little blocks of wood underneath for circulation. I have 4 fans running and a dehumidifier sitting in the rear seat. My biggest concern now is ridding the pads of the mildew smell so I keep spraying antibacterial/antiseptic carpet spray and letting it dry.

Here's what she looks like now.

:frown:

 

Also, looking at your picture with the interior removed, it looks like there is a "hump" between the front and rear. If I had a leak in the front, can water make it past that "hump" to the rear and vice-versa?

 

It would have to be a fair amount (1cm deep maybe), but yeah. Those extrusions aren't solid, there are holes in them.

 

Are you loosing coolant?
Has it been raining or getting water on the vehicle?

 

Well after drying out for 3 days there is mold on all the floor boards - even after spraying antiseptic and anti-bacterial solutions. Good thing is I talked to my insurance agent and this will be covered under my policy less my $250 deductible. I still have no clue what has caused this but I'll be doing some water tests with the pressure washer tonight after work. I'm so bummed about this! Never had any major issues with the HL. Its been well taken care of and is still a baby with only 55K miles on the odo.

 

Ever had the windshield replaced?

 

No never had the windshield replaced.

 

Is insurance having the carpet replaced? I'd bet money having mold in the underside padding on it its on the chassis. That's a labor intensive job, the majority of the interior has to come out....

 

Is insurance having the carpet replaced? I'd bet money having mold in the underside padding on it its on the chassis. That's a labor intensive job, the majority of the interior has to come out....

From talking with the insurance claims person, yes, that is likely what they are going to need to do. I'm waiting for a call from the claim handler now - but I need to find a shop that does this. Not sure if its a standard repair shop or some specialized shop.

 

Can you use a dealer? Considering 90% of the interior must come out, I'd want someone who's worked on the car before, or at least car's similar, to be working on it. Every brand has their own quirks on components, toyota is no exception.

 

At first State Farm said they were going to cover - now they came back and said it doesn't fit the definition of sudden or accidental. Needless to say, I'm fuming mad. I called my agent and told her to make it right or im dropping all of my State Farm coverage.

But yes, to answer your question, there is a local Toyota dealer listed as a preferred repair shop.

 

Any update on cause of this? It seems totally bizarre if not from clogged sunroof drain or ac...


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Any update on cause of this? It seems totally bizarre if not from clogged sunroof drain or ac...

I wish I had an update. I spent an hour with my power washer last night trying to identify where the leak may be - no luck. I have an appt to bring it in to the dealer tomorrow for inspection. State Farm says that they will cover it if the dealer can find the origin of the leak. Fingers are crossed.

 

When you tried to find it yourself, did you spray top down, around doors, underneath (hitting all the areas around the rubber plugs, and all around the firewall? Just trying to think of all areas on multiple models that have had areas that leaked (Seam in firewall, door seals, windshield, etc).

Also, is your cabin filter dry?

 

Only place I wasn't able to get with the pressure washer was underneath (couldn't get the wand under it). I plan to take it through a car wash with the undercarriage wash option to see if it leaks.

 

This may have been asked already, but you did rule out a heater core leak (i.e. coolant)?

 

The water I shop vacc'ed didn't seem to be coolant...seemed like water.

The HL is in the shop now, ill update once I hear back from them.

 

My 2008 had a leak into the Rear passenger floor.

Leak was the front passenger roof rack mount. Water came in ran down the plastic trim down the inside of the rubber door seal and exited under the rug in the rear passenger seat

Dealer was useless - kept it in their washer booth for extended period gave it back saying no leaks ..yet when I checked it the rear carpet was soaked from their test. They apparently didn't even check the carpet but just looked for visible leaks.

I found it myself by removing seats, drying it out then under the edge of the carpet ringing the water intrusion area with paper towels on which I drew a line with marrker and left it out in the rain. Checked back after and the area where the marker line is blurred from water is where the leak is coming from.

 

Interesting... so what in the roof rack mount was actually leaking? How did you fix it? Other than the water on the carpets, did you see any sign of water dripping from the roof down the insides?

The dealer called me last night and told me they haven't been able to find anything, so the wait goes on. I can't imagine what my bill is going to be once the inspection is complete.

 

No internal sign of leakage just a wet floor, I also don't have a sunroof which made it even more puzzling as that. In the end it was leaking down the bolt thread, not enough sealant on one of the bolts. I removed my rack, installed new shorter bolts and re-sealed the treads then used silicone over the bolts as I recall.

By the sound of it your leak is probably different but the point is that there are invisible paths where the water can run so the entry point might not be obvious. Rather than look for the source you may have better luck looking at where the water ends up and tracing it backwards. I pulled my front and rear passenger seats, door edge trim, and pulled up the carpets dried it out and then used the paper towels/marker to find the exact entry point of the water into the floor pan. Once that was found traced it back and could see the leak.

If you do this be sure to disconnect the battery first because there are air bags in the front seats and side curtain bags above the roof liner and

 

So it sounds like the dealer found the problem. I was told that there exists an access panel under the rear seat that allows access to the fuel tank in case the fuel pump ever needed to be replaced. I was told that this access panel has been dislodged (how, they don't know) from its actual position and thus causing and allowing water to get into the cabin from underneath. I plan to go take a look on Monday. State Farm is sending a claims person out there but the dealer doesn't think State Farm is going to cover this (and I don't either by my discussions with them - but I'm gonna keep fighting). If State Farm Farm doesn't cover it then I'm going after Toyota as this is nothing related to Maintenance and this should never have happened in the first place.

All in all I told Toyota to order the new carpeting as it needs to be replaced regardless of whether or not State Farm covers it. Its an $1850 total bill.

I definitely have to give a shout out to the Service Dept at Naperville Toyota. They seemed relentless to find the problem and they did. I was told by the service writer that the entire interior has been gutted during their inspection for the leak. I've always had good service over there everytime I brought my vehicles in.

 

So it sounds like the dealer found the problem. I was told that there exists an access panel under the rear seat that allows access to the fuel tank in case the fuel pump ever needed to be replaced. I was told that this access panel has been dislodged (how, they don't know) from its actual position and thus causing and allowing water to get into the cabin from underneath.

Wow...that's something. That panel was so glued down (with buytl) I don't know how that could come loose...odd. Their talking about the silver one.

 

Hmmm. If there was a leak in the bottom.. one would only expect water to enter while a) fording a small river.. or b) driving during a very heavy rain storm. In either case is should have been noticed at the time considering just how much water entered..

 

Ralph - This happened during a 9.5 hour drive from Gatlinburg, TN back to Chicago raining the ENTIRE time. So its definitely feasible with all the water spraying underneath, that it found its way in.

 

It sounds like you're a repeat Toyota customer and visit that dealer regularly. If that's the case and SF doesn't cover it (and the dealer doesn't help you out in any way), then definitely call the Toyota customer service number (it's in your manual or just google it). When you talk to them, bring up how it had to be a manufacturing defect and that you've bought a lot of Toyotas in the past. At a minimum, they should pass that down to the regional Rep who will then talk to your dealership. Toyota gives dealerships "goodwill" money to spend on cases like yours to "help you out". It could be they pay the whole thing or split it with you in some way (50/50). I've been in that situation where I had 90k miles with no warranty and they split a $2,200 repair with me 50/50.

 

Thats exactly what I plan to do. Problem with State Farm is they say this doesn't fit with the policy clause of the loss being "Sudden and Accidental"... I don't see how its not.

Do you know how to contact Toyota incase I need to go this route? Do I start with the dealer or is there a direct way to contact Toyota?

 

Toyota Customer Service 800-331-4331

 

Here are some pictures of the access panel that has been "dislodged". State Farm is coming out to look at it at the dealer today.

 

You know, that probably happened when you drive over that piece of shredded tire that came out from under another car while on the freeway. It bumped you pretty hard and must have dislodged it. :wink: :wink: :wink:

If that happened, it'll all be covered under the insurance as Comprehensive (not collision) because it was a piece of moving debris that you ran over. I think you need to jog your memory a little before you talk to them again. :wink:

 

Good news today - State Farm sent an AEI out yesterday and declared the damage a loss so they are covering the repairs less my $250 deductible. After all this, there is a happy ending in sight!

Moose - good idea, but luckily I didn't need it! :grin:

 

Awesome! That's good news.

 

Everyone loves a happy ending

 

I have experienced similar problems with water in the Toyota Highlander passenger compartment and carpets. I have the carpet out now, and it is THE THIRD TIME due to water accumulating in the back first and then in the front.

My Highlander is a 2008 Hybrid with 252,000 miles and I LOVE IT!!! (i have used full synthetic motor oil since day 1, and have been using Castrol Syntech Edge for the last 2 years. I have changed the oil myself about every 10-15,000 miles - My HL runs like a champ!!).

You do NOT have to replace the carpets. Take them to the car wash and attach to the wall and power spray them. Then apply an anti-microbial cleansing agent that you can purchase at a commercial cleaning supply company. Soak it pretty good and hang up to dry for several days - a fan helps obviously.

I have taken my seats and carpet out 3 times!!! The 3rd time it only took an hour - the first time with the learning curve on disconnecting the wiring harnesses under the seats took 2-1/2 hours. It is NOT the AC condensation tube or collection pan - I've had it checked out twice professionally -once in the Toyota shop up on a lift where the service rep checked all body seam welds too. No sign of a torn seam - which would cause water potentially from the road during rain.

Still stumped, but a friend who owns a collision repair center told me that it has been his experience that most of the leaks come from above. He chases leaks by removing some of the interior molding and then uses a water hose section by section to try and determine if it is a window or door seal problem. Another very likely culprit is the ventilation ducts and structure directly below the windshield wipers.

This is a VERY frustrating problem because the Toyota shop knows virtually nothing about it??? They have suggested I take the HL to their body shop where they can pressurize the cabin in a smoke chamber that is backlit so they can see potential air leaks that could be letting water into the cabin. I am going to use a hose on my car this afternoon to see if I can find the problem.

I had just a few very small beginning rust spots, so I used an anti-rust spray that also has an acoustic damping effect to help make the car a bit quieter. Before I put my carpet back in (after a working solution is in place) I am going to find some thin dense acoustic foam pads to layer over the floor pan to help dampen road noise. Toyota service manager said it is pretty easy to remove the door panels so that I can put acoustic damping material in the doors too.

 

You and Sweeney would get along like peas and carrots.

I wish it was easier to get carpet out of modern cars. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to pull it out and pressure wash the winter and/or kids filth out of it. Using any sort of carpet cleaner, even by a professional detailer, always seems to just "spread" the stains and dirt around to make it less noticeable. Plus, you always get dirt rings left behind. Cloth seats are worse of course, but thankfully the HL has leather seats. I love being able to power wash the the carpet floor mats at the car wash every spring.