Rainwater in spare wheel well

[John Allen]

Hi guys, I have a 2020 Rav4 Excel and have a 15mm deep puddle of water in the spare wheel well.  We did have some very heavy rainfall and I haven't been driving the car in the rain so not sure where it is getting in.  I have had a genuine Toyota towbar wiring loom fitted recently by a Toyota main dealer (another saga) .  Don't know if this could be connected as there is only one wiring exit to the outside and that is underneat the car for the 13 Pin Connector wire.  It is back with main dealer on Wednesday to have an ongoing problem resolved that has need Toyota Head Office intervention of advice of how to resolve the non appearance of the Fog light (when switched on) on the 13 Pin connector.  I will leave the water in the car until then and ask the dealer to investigate.  Just wondered if anyone else has had this water ingress problem.

[Terry10]

Ouch mate, that needs sorting out by Toyota asap.Car that age should not be letting water in. Suspect it has something to do with that tow bar.

Lesson to us all there about the advantage of having these things done by Toyota rather than a third party! It is now their problem to fix.

Only other thought is that the water could be coming in via the rear lights.

Hate water inside cars!!!!!!!!!!!
Terry.

 

[Centaur]

Regarding the 13-pin plug and the fog light, I take it that you mean the fog light on the car doesn't work, not the one on the trailer?  If so, that's the way that it's meant to work.  It's to prevent your car's fog light from dazzling you with light reflected back off the trailer.  I think that I am right in saying that this is specific to 13-pin arrangements only and doesn't apply to UK-style 7-pin sockets.

[Lawnmowerman]

4 hours ago, Centaur said:

Regarding the 13-pin plug and the fog light, I take it that you mean the fog light on the car doesn't work, not the one on the trailer?  If so, that's the way that it's meant to work.  It's to prevent your car's fog light from dazzling you with light reflected back off the trailer.  I think that I am right in saying that this is specific to 13-pin arrangements only and doesn't apply to UK-style 7-pin sockets.

30 plus years ago VW/Audi had kits that isolated the car fog lamp when hooked up - not new. 

[Bper]

I would spray a hose over the back and look for water leaks around the rubbers and rear lights . 

[John Allen]

5 hours ago, Centaur said:

Regarding the 13-pin plug and the fog light, I take it that you mean the fog light on the car doesn't work, not the one on the trailer?  If so, that's the way that it's meant to work.  It's to prevent your car's fog light from dazzling you with light reflected back off the trailer.  I think that I am right in saying that this is specific to 13-pin arrangements only and doesn't apply to UK-style 7-pin sockets.

When the tester or trailer is connected the fog light on the car still works but the one on the tester lead or trailer doesn't.  The chief tech climbed all over it and confirmed that the technician had istalled the Toyota supplied towbar loom exactly as shown in the Toyota installation manual.  They had to contact Toyota head office technical support who have come up with a fix.  They are aware that the car fog light should not be on when the trailer is connected.

[John Allen]

45 minutes ago, Bper said:

I would spray a hose over the back and look for water leaks around the rubbers and rear lights . 

The car has gone in today to (hopefully) have the towbar wiring corrected and they are going to do a water test.  I will update the forum on the outcome of both issues.

[John Allen]

Collected the car on Friday, all sorted now.  The dealer found that the wiring instructions they were using were not the latest version and when they got the latest version it was easy to sort the problem.  Sounds like a software update issue between Toyota UK and their dealers.  Water ingress was due to the seal on the near side around the the tailgate opening had got slightly dislodged when they removed the interior boot panel to access the wiring connections.  More good news is that the Toyota OEM towbar is now available and it is going to be fitted on Thursday.

[clh]

I have the same problem with my 2022 Rav 4 in Canada, the spare tire area was full of water. I ran a hose lightly over the car's rear and found a slow leak coming down the gutter behind the left tail light. it was coming in the shallow left corner.  Not sure how to seal it??

[TonyHSD]

22 hours ago, clh said:

I have the same problem with my 2022 Rav 4 in Canada, the spare tire area was full of water. I ran a hose lightly over the car's rear and found a slow leak coming down the gutter behind the left tail light. it was coming in the shallow left corner.  Not sure how to seal it??

You need to research what is availability on the market as sealant, silicone or other similar to the one used in factory as shown in your picture in white colour. Go around all metal lists welds and seal properly. Small amount of moisture and water droplets is normal as these can enter via vents , but water flooding as described usually is indication of brake lights bad seals or metal work seals issue, something so typically for many Toyota models. 
Look youthful for Prius water in boot fixes for more ideas. 
Good luck 

[Terry10]

Hi

CT 1 is the best. Looks like a silicone sealant but actually I don't think is as such.

Very high quality product and will do that job without any problem at all.

Terry