water in trunk 2013 leaf

Hey Guys,

did a search, but there was only one topic with not much information that came up regarding this. I noticed this first when inspecting my spare tire tools as the bag that holds the wrench and tow hook was a bit wet. after removing the tools the floor under the tool area was damp, as well as surface rust on the bolts that hold down a bracket in the trunk.



since i just bought the car 3 weeks ago and this came from california to seattle i suspect the issue was never noticed down there. This is probably not covered by the CPO warranty from what i read in the booklet, but since i just bought the car i might take it there to complain about it.

can this leak come from the tail light seals or is it from the wheel well area somewhere?

cheers for input
Marko

If it is under warranty I would ask them to fix it. Say that your stuff gets wet and that is not acceptable. Also it appears to rust.
Which is also not acceptable. Please fix it right away. It can be hatch gasket, it can be a taillight gasket. Whatever. Don't fix a car
yourself that is under warranty.

Hopefully just a leaking gasket and not a sign of previous flood damage. That looks like more rust than a few weeks worth.

I've heard horror stories of flood damaged cars getting cleaned up and auctioned without an intervening insurance claim to trigger a flood damage report on the title. Smart thing is to check other low points on the car such as rusted seat rails, and check less accessible wiring harness connectors for signs of silt and mud.

WOAH! Guys!!

That picture does not mean that A) the car was in a flood, or B) there is a defect in the car that needs to be fixed...... If you took it to a dealer and demanded that they fix it, they would laugh in your face.

If you bought the car used, you cannot automatically assume the worst just because the carpet was damp. The guy before you might have kept wet newspapers in the trunk and made the trunk rusty. Believe me most car trunk wells are MUCH WORSE than that even with normal use.

What you should do is dry the area and clean the rusted area with soap and water with a steel brush. Then brush on some "Rust Reformer", which will stop the rust and protect the area. When the area is nice and dry, put a couple of clean newspapers between the steel part and the carpet. Check to make sure that the trunk lid seal is in good condition. Keep an eye on the condition of the newspaper, especially after a rain. Don't panic yet man....

Nah, I agree it isn't likely to be flood damage, but always smart to check on a recent used car purchase from the great state of California. They've had some interesting experiences with water recently. Still, more likely to be a failed or misaligned gasket, or a wet/salty dog from the beach... surf gear, who knows. Given it was still damp, more likely a gasket.

I was thinking further - if no leaking gasket if found... another possibility is simply condensation. People like to conserve use of the electric heat, so the car might not get a chance to really dry the carpets out, and since it stays even cooler in the back hatch area, that could happen even more-so.

I know on my LEAF switching from A/C to no-A/C or heating mode temporarily blows in a lot of water vapor off the evaporator coils... like turning on a humidifier in the cabin. It takes a while to blow that all out, and on a short commute, that might not happen regularly.

thanks for the replies guys. i inspected other areas of the car before buying and saw no wierdness or signs of flood damage. seat rails and engine bay and wheel well areas are normal looking. i just never removed the tools to see under them.

i have dried it out over the weekend and will see during the work week now if it reappears. none of the moisture / water smelled 'old' so it cant have been there very long, even though that bracket sure looks rusty.

ill keep you posted
Marko

My 2013 SL also has/had a truck leak. I believe I have found the issue. Nissan manufacturing error when seam sealing the roof. A spot was missed near where roof seam turns down for trunk under the trim. Have pictures but cannot see the photo upload option.

You have to upload it to another site and then link the image.

Sorry to bump this old thread up but I too have the same issue and this is the only thread I've seen about it.

Bumping old threads is fine, especially when they aren't huge and rambling. In this kind of case it's better than starting a new topic.

i have actually forgotten about this, i need to poke in the trunk of my leaf to see if anything has changed. i originally planned to sand off the rust and spray some rustoleum on there.

Marko

I have noticed water recently in the floor of the back seats and the trunk. I'm not sure if it's a new thing or always been that way, because I just took a bunch of trim panels (and the trunk lining out) to install the backup camera.

Can anyone elaborate on this roof seal that may not have been fully sealed? It's been raining like crazy here the last few days and this is the first I've seen of any moisture in the car.

Does anybody have any update on this issue?

I just bought a 2016 SV Leaf and found water under the trunk mats. It *seems* to be related to rain and not driving the car, but I am still keeping an eye on it, trying to finally dry out the padding.

I still need to go back to the dealer for a free 2G to 3G module replacement, so I will bring this up with them, but there does not seem to be much if any information on this issue online.

BraveWeather said:

Does anybody have any update on this issue?

I just bought a 2016 SV Leaf and found water under the trunk mats. It *seems* to be related to rain and not driving the car, but I am still keeping an eye on it, trying to finally dry out the padding.

I still need to go back to the dealer for a free 2G to 3G module replacement, so I will bring this up with them, but there does not seem to be much if any information on this issue online.

Click to expand...

Mine was not caused by faulty manufacturing. It appears my Leaf was involved in a minor rear-end accident that was not properly repaired. The rear bumper was replaced, but there was minor damage behind the bumper that caused a gap to form in the metal, allowing water to intrude into the trunk area. That damage was never repaired before I bought the vehicle.

When it rained, I would notice water in the trunk and floor. The water would enter the trunk and run forward into the floor mats of both the rear seats and eventually the front seats.

The issue was fixed by removing the bumper and sealing the gap. The gap itself was quite small (~1/4 of an inch), but it was enough to cause significant water intrusion.

I have this problem and water is getting in at seam around the rear trunk seal roof area. Was looking for info or pics of where the manufacturer issue is and how to seal it.
I have the back end taken apart and verified it is leaking up in the corners around the trunk seal. Can't tell for sure how it is getting in. Help!

I had this problem in my 2011 Leaf. My mechanic took the car fairly far apart and found that the car had been in a rear-end collision. The previous owner replaced the bumper, but the metal behind the bumper was slightly bent. The bent metal created a gap where two metal pieces met (and sealed) and created a pinhole sized hole that water could get in. When it rained and I drove, somehow, water was getting forced up there in large quantities. It would completely soak the mats in the back seat and the back was also quite wet. He sealed the hole (which again, was about the size of a pencil tip), and I haven't had any water since.

The electronic parking brake module was also heavily corroded. Probably corroded from water getting it from the trunk down the emergency release handle. Had to completely disassemble it and heavily clean it. Now works great.

Good luck!