Highlander Water Leaking Inside Fix

[@power_photography]

I’ve had this problem for years and my mechanic had nothing to say. Thank you so much for this

[@johnboatman31]

You diagnosed the problem perfectly. After some more digging I also found a vid by Rabid Beagle that shows how to splice the hose much higher up, inside the roof pillar, rather than under the dashboard. It takes about five feet of the same half-inch clear plastic tubing you used. While there is a red plastic clip that will give you fits as you remove and reattach the cover panel there, it worked really well for me -- on the passenger side at least. I have not tried the driver's side so maybe that's more of a challenge to fish the hose up. Anyway, both you and the other guy saved me a huge amount of money, so thank you for taking the time to figure out why these Highlanders are so leaky and coming up with a very elegant solution for draining water to the outside of the car rather than into the cabin!

[@ronaldheacock2249]

Problem just started on my 2009 Highlander. Great video and informative fix. Lots of bad videos out there

[@JamesTravis-f3j]

Hugely helpful, Jay. I took my 2019 Highlander to the dealership yesterday because I was getting wet floorboards in the 2nd row. They swore the drains were clear. Now that I see the root of the issue, I know why they thought they were clear. I'm going to give this a go to hopefully fix the issue once and for all.

[@JayJenkins]

@@JamesTravis-f3j I go thr same BS, then they told me it's considered "routine maintenance" for me to pay them hundreds of dollars every year to "clear the drains" , yeah, no.

[@TheNossenia]

please update us! Just got a 2019 Highlander a few weeks ago and just noticed the wet floorboard also want to give it a try

[@gtorman1]

I just completed this on my 2012 Toyota Highlander. The passenger side is definitely easier. I used a small hose that I fished it down from the black area on top and attached it to the hose and pulled it through. That was a big game changer. (Thanks Jim) I did find the driver's side electric box more difficult to pull out but it will come out. A few tips. 1st - definitely put protective gear on arms and hands to limit getting cut. 2nd - detach the connectors to your battery as a safety measure. 3rd - press the emergency break all the way in so you get it out of the way. 4th - on the drivers side, I found the yellow connector to be difficult to detach and reattach. There is a slide on the side of the connector that you need to push down. Thanks Jay for the video as this is the best way to permanently fix this problem.

[@jimwilkerson3406]

Thanks for this video. I started having this problem several weeks ago and this saved a lot of time trying to find the cause. I had a problem getting the hose routed through the black so I put a piece of weed eater string through from the front of the box into the chamber. I taped the hose to the end of the cord and pull the hose back through and finished routing it to the hole in the floor.

[@hayden8206]

Good idea. I struggled with that part a lot

[@abayomiabiru486]

An excellent fix, I found it very easy to fix myself in less than 30 minutes

[@MisterMarblebags]

Absolutely AWESOME! SOOOOO much thank you! Great informative video! The STEALERSHIP wasn't going to help me out AT ALL! This is getting done to my 2012 Highlander TOMORROW! BY ME! Thank you for posting this... your a LIFE saver AND a Carpet and floorboard saver!

[@AlastairPalmer-q6j]

Definitely easier on the driver side to reroute down the dashboard rather than remove the junction box. Passenger side was much easier but there are just too many wires on the driver side. There is another video that makes it much easier to redirect the tube down the side of the dashboard. Thanks for the video!

[@Venky4H-rk1mc]

Great fix. I took it to several repair shops with no luck. How do I make sure it is from the roof drain before I go with this fix on my 2008 Toyota Highlander.

[@JayJenkins]

@@Venky4H-rk1mc if you have an endoscope camera you can look into the cavity and see if there is standing water in there. If you don't, you can feed some clear tubing down into the cavity and suck through see if water is trapped in there. If there is water trapped, it's most likely your problem.

[@Venky4H-rk1mc]

@@JayJenkins thank you

[@austinbae2795]

To add on this video, there is plastic box right on top of electrical box youtuber took out. Once you pull that out (electrical box), you can access that drain tube, then you have to bend it to that plastic box on top, it has square share but it has big hole to inside, you can pull drain tube out. It is not easy to do both side but you can. Becareful your hand, you might get cut but you can pull that drain tube out through that plastic box. After that just connect extra tube to drain out. I just wanted to add to Jay youtube video. I did not understand how he pull it out. Thank you Jay.

[@christopherkingston3231]

Dang, dude figured it out! I’m going to grab the 1/2” tubing today. Bin dealing with this off and on over the years. Best video yet. I may run the tubing through pvc pipe on the floor. God forbid the plastic tube gets pinched and stops the flow of water from flowing through or something to that effect. Any thoughts?

[@JayJenkins]

@@christopherkingston3231 it's up to you but I think that would be overkill. The tubing itself would take some good direct pressure to actually squash it to stop the flow of water and the area that you're routing the tubing in underneath the carpet is tucked away enough to avoid any direct pressure. But if you are worried about it getting crushed you could use reinforced vinyl tubing instead of the cheaper clear vinyl tubing

[@armenmed122]

Thank you so much. I was going crazy here

[@JayJenkins]

Your welcome. I looked all over to find a solution to this, simple fix but I'm glad I could share it.

[@tomstaggs4240]

Yours is the best! The only thing I wished for was a better shot of the black box above the junction box. My driveway is pitch at a 30° grade and water intrusion is a huge problem. Thanks for the fix!

[@JayJenkins]

It's crazy that Toyota wouldn't just run the drain line like 6 more inches out the bottom normally.

[@tomstaggs4240]

It's been a month since the repair. So far so good. I'm glad I didn't go with some of the suggestions that involved piping Draino into the fender well!

[@JayJenkins]

@@tomstaggs4240 I haven't had any issues since I put in the drain lines. They don't clog they drain cleanly and it's nice to know during a downpour my floorboards are still going to be dry.

[@susanvaughn741]

Looks vary good, but I concern about putting smaller tube inside original. It looks like it can clogg at that point.

[@JayJenkins]

@@susanvaughn741 possibly that could be an issue but I think the chances are very remote. The water that's going through the drain line is water from the roof that is first seeping through the crack in between the closed sunroof and the outer shell of the car. I guess it will be possible to get a large enough piece of debris in the drain hole that it would block the bottom section of tubing because it is slightly smaller but I think the chances of this are fairly remote because when I cleaned out the cavity that was clogged it was just dirty water there wasn't any large particles down there but I suppose you could use a larger tubing and slip it on the outside if you were concerned about the clogging.

[@kmottershead1]

Awesome, thanks! Tomorrow I will go drain and fix my passenger side swimming pool!

[@bartpattyson354]

Nice work, Jay. I've had the half-inch tubing and am going to go give it a whirl. my only question: Having disconnected the electrical white box already, i found the black box above it to be difficult to navigate. In your video, it isn't clear to see how you exactly 'worked it back up and thru it', if that makes sense? I was planning to go remove the black box, if possible, until I saw this...welcome any insight you can further provide. thanks again!

[@JayJenkins]

@@bartpattyson354 I was able to reach in through the electrical box opening and push the tube up and in from the outside enough to get my fingers through the black box and pull it out. Basically, jamming it in from the opening that the electrical box sits in. Hope this helps

[@bartpattyson354]

@@JayJenkins thanks man. i'll let you know! but that makes sense.

[@bartpattyson354]

That did the trick! thanks again!

[@AIInspirations-ur8eh]

Great video! You da Man! Maybe someone could add what that smaller diameter clear tube is that you can see running down next to the one that got the extension. I looks like about half the diameter and turns above the rocker pane and runs aft all the way past the second row rear seats. What is the purpose of that tube?

[@TheFTWDrummer]

Good fix! Super informative video. Thanks for sharing

[@musicguy3725]

Good job!

[@Eric_the_red1]

Great fix! Video at 12:41 shows water running out of the pinch weld. How is this possible, with the water diverted through the floor board? Thank you.

[@JayJenkins]

@@Eric_the_red1 it's not coming out of the bench well, it's actually dripping all across the edge of the black plastic piece that is underneath the car. There's a black covering on the bottom of the car and there is a gap between that and the actual hole in the bottom of the floorboard, so the water drips onto the plastic piece and then falls out wherever it can.

[@solafide4806]

I also have water behind the seat in the rear passenger floorboard. Is there another section where the driver/rear meet that has to have another drain hose done as in the front?

[@JayJenkins]

@@solafide4806 not that I'm aware of. I only know of the 2 drain holes but if your truck is parked slanted backwards the water can pool towards the back. Mine is parked tilted forward so the pooling starts in the front, but the first time it happened it got the rear wet also, that's when I had to have my flooring replaced because it was moldy.

[@solafide4806]

Thank you for the reply. I'll check into it and see. I apologize for not saying it first but thanks for the vid. It was super helpful

[@hayden8206]

Thank you so much

[@gtx332]

Top video, very helpful

[@vegeta7328]

Hasnt rained in months. Still get water on driver side. I was thinking it could be from the AC vents?

[@JayJenkins]

@@vegeta7328 yes, when I researched the problem I found that issue. Completely different issue from wet floorboards when it rains, I did not have that issue but I believe that is separate and that is caused by a clogged AC condensation drain line

[@junyosh4]

@@JayJenkins First of all, great video. I believe I am also having an issue with a clogged AC condensation drain line...because I'm noticing the pooling water on the driver's side when it hasn't rained in several days. Can anyone post a video that addresses this problem?

[@alia957]

Did you also have to replace the wet carpet?

[@JayJenkins]

@@alia957 not this time. When it happened the first time dealer charged me over like 1500 to replace the interior lining and the padding. The actual carpets dried. This time I fixed it before it destroyed it again.

[@yorkiepit]

I put a large dehumidifier in the car, which dried it after a week, then ran an ozone generator in the car for a day to deodorize it.

[@g2grant525]

I attempted today, got to the fuse box, unplugged everything, pulled the 3 little tabs out, and the box came about halfway out and I couldn’t get it all the way out. I was pulling pretty damn hard and was worried I’d break it. Anyone else run into this issue. Had the problem on driver and passenger sides. I put it all back together and I guess I’ll try again this weekend. It’s a 2013 Highlander limited.

[@uHORyaTuSabe]

i wonder if this is happening to my 2014 corolla. cant find the leak source

[@JayJenkins]

@@uHORyaTuSabe it could be, I do know that this issue affects other Toyota vehicles

[@uHORyaTuSabe]

@@JayJenkins good to know, I actually just found the leak source it’s the sunroof

[@quicknthievious7187]

Did this and unfortunately water is still getting in. Put some silicone to give it more of a seal around the rubber part and water still gets in. Going back to the drawing board.

[@JayJenkins]

@@quicknthievious7187 sounds like your leak isn't from the sunroof drain like not draining. I've also heard that the seal below the windshield by the firewall can leak rainwater into the cabin. Best of luck finding a solution.

[@quicknthievious7187]

@JayJenkins we just had some rain here and it’s soaking wet right where the grommet is. The top of the carpet is dry. My guess is the exiting water is flowing faster out than it is draining. Will see if I can drill holes at the bottom. Update: I actually got under and saw the holes, grabbed the hose, made sure it stuck out of a hole to be sure the water exits. Put more silicone and now we’ll see what’s going on. Appreciate the work you put in the video!

[@ExplorerMedia]

wouldn't it be easier to just drill a hole under each side of the car? right at the seams where the water is supposed to drip from pillar A into the chassis floor

[@JayJenkins]

I thought about this but the problem would be the water is still draining into a cavity in the vehicle hoping that it drips out. The water is meant to drip out the pinch weld all along the side of the vehicle from front to rear, most of the time people find the issue in the front but if you park your vehicle on a slant leaning back you will most likely develop this issue with clogs in the rear. If you only put drain holes in the front then if your car is consistently parked slanted backwards the water would collect in the back. I imagine you could drill holes all along the panel from front to back and it would work. I'm not 100% sure on this because I didn't test it, but I do know that mine is draining out the bottom of the car now and my floor is dry.

[@MS-yx3dr]

Surely, an American designer created that Toyota issue.

[@Alx28516]

Toyota get your 💩 together this Man shouldn’t have to waste his weekend fixing your crap design!

[@MattTruVu]

That’s a fkn horrible design. Shame on Toyota.