Hi all, New to the forum - tried searching to see if anyone else has had this problem. Over the past couple of days, a large amount of water is being generated in the passenger side rear footwell. Like to the point where I've used our wet/dry vac to suck it out, get a couple of cups of water, and the next day, the floor is squishy again (you can press in spots and hear how wet the padding under the carpet is). My only guess is that condensation from the A/C is supposed to drain back there because I feel like I'm drying it out fairly well at night, but the next day after my wife has been driving the car (with the A/C on most of the time as it's been abnormally hot in Seattle this week) it's all damp again. But why would condensation try to escape from the car back there rather than in the engine bay where it's being generated? My only other guess is a leak from coolant for the batteries? We don't have any faults showing either - I would think that if there was a problem with the cooling system, after a couple of days of leaks we'd get some sort of warning, but nothing yet... I'm currently waiting to hear back from our dealer on scheduling service for it. Otherwise we've been really happy with the car so far!
Hi, Think you are right on suspecting the A/C/. Had this a few years ago in our Chevy Spark EV. Has it been hot out where you are? We had water in the passenger foot well during warm-humid weather. Turns out the drain for the A/C evaporator was not connected correctly, the evaporator is inside the dash and should drain out the bottom of the car. As it sucked humidity out of the air it was dumping the resulting water onto the floor. The Spark had enough room for me to slide a piece of thin cardboard/thick paper under that area and pretty soon we could see right where it was dripping from. I have not looked but the Clarity but I bet it is buttoned up tighter than the Spark. Good luck.
Ditto on what @Chuck said. I bet if you park it after a good drive in AC there will not be a puddle of condensate under the car near the passenger firewall like there should be. Sounds like a drain hose is not hooked up or is leaking. If it’s a coolant leak, it will smell like antifreeze. Either way, take it in for a warranty repair before you get mold and rust forming.
If it's a rainy day, a puddle is normal. The bottom catch water very easily. Update: Oh never mind. I'm in Seattle, too. It's all sunny and hot. No, I never saw any puddle on sunny days. Don't rely on warning lights. Follow the manual and check it yourself.
Sounds like the condenser drain is either clogged or not connect properly and the moisture from the air couldn't get drain out of the exchanger. Water backed up and leaked into the car. I had that issue in a previous car.
I've been scratching my head wondering why we get the puddle under the right rear wheel after driving. I am happy to learn that is actually a good thing. It never occurred to me that the AC condensate drain dumps it there.
Thanks all, I've got an appointment to get it checked. I'll update when I have more info. Appreciate it!
Annoying oversight on the assembly team but at least it was an easy fix. I just noticed you said rear footwell. I was expecting the drain to be in the dash area. Wonder how the water got back there? Must have been all the hi-G acceleration
Chuck, yeah, to be honest, we only noticed the water in the rear footwell because it was making squishing sounds when my son got in the back. I never even checked the front until I took it to the dealer, it was wet there as well (we hardly ever have someone in the front passenger seat). And yeah, always seeing how hard I can push it without the engine turning on
