2009 4Runner Tailgate Water

Hi all,

New-Used 4Runner owner. Have always been a Subaru guy (Impreza WRX owner) but recently purchased a 2009 4Runner. It's in good shape with no rust on the frame and minimal rust spots on the body but taking time to go through and fix and replace things the previous owner never got around to.

I'm not as familiar with SUVs/Trucks so was wondering about the tailgate. My tailgate collects water whenever it rains and water drips out of the bottom left corner of the tailgate (similar to this (https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAd...n_lift_gate_of_2006_toyota_4runner/?rdt=34392).

I looked into the issue online and it seemed to be a weather stripping issue. So I took out the drain plugs to drain the tailgate and replaced the rear window lower weather strip thinking that would fix the issue. I also took apart the interior trim of the tailgate and inspected for debris behind the vapour barrier and there was nothing.

We had a storm recently so I thought it would be a good test to check if the tailgate collected water. Unfortunately it did, despite the new weather strip. I took out the drains and water streamed out from the two drain holes.

I'm wondering if this is normal or if it's worth replacing the rest of the weather stripping around the glass to see if that stops the issue. I'm not seeing any other holes in the tailgate where water could come in but I definitely have to take a closer look.

Lastly, the plugs I have are just regular plugs. I looked on forums online and others have plugs that actually allows the water to pass through (https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRiYXr04OCgzTBvi6lHBJbCr-q6rn_zeQMPhQ&s). Mine are just simple rubber plugs that seem to block anything.



Any advice is helpful.

Thanks!

 

I'm not sure about the 4th gens, but the 5th gen tailgate seems to be designed for water to pass through. If those are not OEM plugs, I'd leave them out.

 

I don’t think those plugs are for drainage. These slot openings are the drains to my knowledge, one at each corner and one in the middle. My OEM plugs are identical to the one you’re holding in the pic.

 

I picked my 4th Gen up 3 years ago and my tailgate was full of water too. Once I replaced the weather stripping it stopped.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DZL70VM?ie=UTF8

 

I did replace that exact part and pretty sure I did it right but I’m still getting some water in. Going to take a closer look to see if there’s any other spots where water can get in.

 

I am pretty sure water is going to get in your rear hatch unless you seal it off completely. If it’s holding water inside the hatch then your weep holes need to be cleaned out. Same for your doors.

 

That weather stripping is not designed to keep all water out, just some of it, it is designed to keep debris out that will clog the drain holes, there no way to design a weather strip for a moving window that will keep all water out, that's why all the doors and hatch have drain holes.

It's normal to have some water in the doors and hatch immediately after a hard rain, but it should drain out quickly unless the drain holes are block/clogged.

 

Swapping out the bottom weather stripping did nothing to stop the water from getting in. Wondering if there's anything else I should try (i.e. swapping out the rest of the stripping around the rear window).

For those saying it's normal, is there any reason why some 4Runners come with plugs that don't allow the water to drain out? Should I be swapping these out to plugs that can drain out? The smaller weep holes on the side and in the middle are clear as well.

We just had a big storm the other day and I just drained out a ton of water immediately after by taking out the plugs so I'm lost on what to do.

 

How did you know you had water in your lift gate prior to taking the plugs out? I'm just curious for my own sake... i would have no idea if i had stuck water in my lift gate, lol.

 

I mentioned it in my original post. I noticed water dripping out of one of the weep holes.

 

Do you have those other holes @Bluesky 07 showed pictures of? The more squared off ones? Are those clogged?

 

I have those and they're clear too.

 

Just leave the plugs out then

But yes, all moving glass on the vehicle are "controlled leak paths", doors, tailgate, moonroof, etc., so they all have drainage provisions.