going over a speed bump I heard sloshing and then I realized it was water...so I empty my trunk and notice there was at least 2-3 inches of water in the spare tire well. Also there was a water line as if there was more water in there at one time. My carpets were not wet so I dont know where there could be a leak. Anyone ever have this problem b4? Help!

Thanks

 

check the rubber gaskets in the trunk, you might have one missing or just out of place....

Has that car been in an accident??? Wondering...

 

this happened to me when i first got my car. check for leaks under the rear windows, your gaskets there might be out of place. Also check for any broken seals around the tail light area. do a waterflow check..(running water) check where it's coming in, you might need to remove the trunk liner. Plug all holes with automotive silicone sealant.

 

water gets into any open spaces, no matter how small. you need to lower the back seat, and lay in the trunk. have someone spray water over the trunk, rear windows. strip the trunk bfr you get in there, so that you can clearly see where it's coming in from.

 

Could it be snow that fell in when you opened your trunk?

 

thats an awful lot of snow...

 

It happened to me too. I just unpluged it let it drain and scraped it clean with a metal brush. It left a nasty ring. I had to use sealant along rear tailight to seal up an area that the water was comming in from

 

Did you swap your taillights? After I swapped mine I had the same problem. Just add some extra sealant b/t the taillight and the trunk. Problem solved.

 

I did swap them but that was 6 months ago why would I have this problem now?

 

Maybe it's been slowly leaking in until there was finally enough in there so you could hear the sloshing?

 

It may have been a small section letting in water and overtime it built up. It doesnt just fill up in a day.

 

well thanks for all the info guys much appreciated!!

 

My previous car "Toyota Solara" had sunroof drain lines that where routed through the sides of the trunk and then down through the frame and out of the car. It was a clear plastic pipe similar to aquarium tubing. I don't know if the Maxima has this or not but it's a possibility.

Granted this is the less likely of the posibilities but still worth mentioning.

 

This happened to me after body work. (the car had been rear-ended.)
The problem turned out to be that they had not completely sealed a weld between two panels on the rear vertical wall (the panel between the tail light and the trunk opening) - in my case, the problem was concealed underneath the rubber weatherstripping midway down the trunk opening.

This was tough to spot. I eventually figured it out by noticing a tiny trace of water after flooding the area with a garden hose. (with the trunk lid closed of course) After finding the wet trace I noticed that there was also a tiny trace of rust but I had missed that on the first visual inspection. Once I spotted it the body shop agreed and repaired it.
I was amazed that such a small trickle could have filled the spare tire well completely (I found out about the problem when the trunk liner saturated.)

If you do not know the history of your car, then perhaps it has had body work in the past. Or perhaps a seam has opened due to rust or simply flexing of the body.

Good luck, these body leaks can be tough to spot. A dry, sunny day (I know, as if, this winter) and a garden hose are useful tools.

 

I didn't notice mine until much later either. As soon as I resealed my taillights the trunk stopped leaking.

 

yeah the maxima has the same thing. i believe it's on the left side of the trunk if you're looking at the car from the back.