2026 - Rocker Panel Filling With Water
I bought my 26 Sport Hybrid back in Nov. In Feb, along with some decent rain, I noticed a gurgling sound below me when accelerating from a stop. I took it to my dealer and they found the driver side rocker panel drains were clogged with road dirt and the panel full of water. They cleaned the drains, let any water drain out, blew out the rocker panel with compressed air and reinstalled the rocker panel trim.
Three months later, a good rain yesterday and the problem is back. I dropped it off at the dealer yesterday and I’m waiting to hear what they say. After the first time, installed the OEM splash guards in hopes they would help prevent this, but obviously not.
I’m curious whether anyone has had a similar problem or heard of anything like this. My 2018 certainly didn’t have this problem.
I don’t think I could accept this is normal, or that I’ll have to have my rocker panels drained and cleaned every few months like a can of tuna. I wonder what possible defect there could be to keep causing this? And what possible fix, if any, there could be?