Water leakage on '06 RAV4?

[cporfe]

Hi all,

Brand new to the forum and to Toyota ownership. Bought a base model, V-6 RAV4 last week. Good pricing from the local dealer since its year-end closeout. I only drive the RAV4 on weekends so it stays parked outside in my drive, with a slight to moderate uphill slant, all week. Anyway, Saturday morning, after two days of constant rain, near 6 inches in some parts of the county, I get in my vehicle and the passenger's floormat is soaked, with some water on the carpet (none on the headboard, door panels, seat, etc. just the floor). Right off to the dealer I go. Service Manager and I have a conversation, and he says that with the amount of rain we had, and the fact I parked it with the nose uphill, the drain in the heater/air conditioner/vent box couldn't handle the flow. He said Toyota knows about this, and that its not a design flaw. If the RAV4 is parked nose down, or flat, no problem. He told me to close the vent manually (by pressing the recycling air button before I turn off the vehicle) if I expect a lot of rain. (He took it to the car wash and checked for leakes around windshield, doors, etc.) Sounds screwy to me. But.....

He did dry the mat, take the carpet up and dry it, and spray an anti-fungal on the carpet to prevent mildew.

So, my question is, has anyone else had this problem? And where to write/who to contact, at Toyota USA to find out how legit this is.

Thanks all

Chris
orfecp@hotmail.com

[dbcassidy]

In one of the other RAV4 forums, other users have reported the issue of finding water in the front passenger side after a rainstorm when parking on a hill with the front of the RAV pointing up hill.

Make sure that the drain area by the wipers is not clogged and park the RAV's front end pointing down hill.

[cporfe]

Thanks for the info. It just seems strange to have a problem like this. But, I now park on a flat spot in my driveway and haven't had a problem during the last major storm.

Chris

[cporfe]

News to report. We had another downpour and the RAV4 leaked again. When I mentioned it to Toyota, they said they were working on a fix. My dealer called me 3 days later to tell me the dealership had work out a repair based on the Toyota research, which apparently may not be finished. The repair required the cowling on the firewall to be removed, all holes through the firewall re-sealed, and a makeshift cover for the fresh air intake. I don't know how to explain it other than it's supposed to cover the fresh air to prevent water from getting in, but keep the air flowing. Now I'm waiting for the next heavy rain to see if it works.

More news after the deluge!

Chris

[Quickdtoo]

Here's the TSB that came out about a month ago on the cowl leak, lots of dealers don't have a clue about it, mine didn't!

Cowl Leak TSB