Cdslone

This is more of fix than a problem, but I hope to save someone else the headache of figuring it out.

For several months, I noticed that the floorboard on my 2004 RX330 in the front seat, specifically on the driver's side, was damp a day or two after it would rain. Not wet, but definitely not dry. The problem quickly got worse when we had showers all day, every day for about 6 days in a row. I came out to my car and the carpet was just soaked through and actually puddled.

At first, I thought the problem stemmed from the windshield I just had replaced or from the sunroof drains being clogged, but turns out the problem came from the other end.
​​​When I eventually took it to the dealership to see if they could figure it out, they were unable to recreate the event despite essentially running water on it all day.

Well, that evening, I happened to park in a lot that had just enough angle forward that I saw and heard the water flow from the back end to the front floorboards. Took it to the dealership and told them I am not taking it home until they find the problem.

Turns out that the welds around the tailgate hinges had popped and were letting water that flowed off the roof and tailgate inside where it collect in the bottom of the chassis. When I occasionally parked at just the right angle, the water would be able to flow through to the front. They weren't able to recreate it in the shop because the floor was level.

Bit of bondo and some serious drying out and things are as good as new.