I came home form work this morning in a driving rainstorm to find that the rear window of my HCH II had been left down all night about 1 1/2-2 inches (in pouring rain for about 6 hours or so) by another member of my family, whom I haven't yet had a chance to commit serious bodily harm to. I found a puddle on the all-weather rear mat and the rear seat cushion and lower seatback were damp to touch but no water seeped up when I pressed down firmly on the cushion. I couldn't get the lower seat cushion to unlatch in back to bring it in to the A/C inside but I've got a fan on it today. Since I've never had this happen before, let alone with a hybrid, should I use an antimicrobial on the cushions or should I try to remove the rear seatback to protect the battery? No moisture is near the vent on the back deck for the battery and I'm assuming it is a sealed unit. Is there anything I should watch for?

 

The 158V battery and all it's cables are pretty well sealed. I don't think that it's possible to remove the seat bottoms. If something hasn't happened yet, it's probably okay. You may want to get it double checked by a dealer just to be safe. Also, if you open your trunk and remove the back panel where the battery is stored, you can check to see if there is any moisture back there. Hope this helps. By the way, an antimicrobial probably wouldn't hurt anything.

 

I agree with Colby: the battery is a sealed unit, and the cables are all wrapped in thick insulation with a plastic shell. Let it dry, clean it up, and forget about it.

If you're scared it might happen again, you could get some side window deflectors that cover up the top 2-3 inches of the window.