When the rear carpet is wet, it’s tempting to blame the floor, plugs, or a single spot at the tailgate. In most cases, the water comes from higher up and rides inward.

• Rear hardtop and glass edge: Water can sneak under a dry, flattened seal where the hardtop meets the body or around the rear glass perimeter, then follow the frame and inner structure towards the cargo floor.
• Tailgate seal and striker area: If the tailgate seal has lost compression or the contact points are dirty, water can ride along the seal and slip past at the lower corners or latch area, then track inside the shell.
• Side seams and vents: Rear body vents and seams behind trim can let water inside if they’re overwhelmed by spray or if upstream seals aren’t doing their job, sending moisture into the quarter panels and down to the cargo area.

The cargo floor is the collection point. To fix the problem, you want to identify where water first touches metal or rubber at the rear opening, not just where you see it last at the mat.

The Bubble Test lets you see where air is escaping around the rear opening. Those same gaps are the paths water uses to get in.

• Close all doors, windows, and the tailgate, and park in a safe, ventilated area.
• Start the engine and set the HVAC fan to HIGH on fresh air (not recirc) to pressurize the cabin.
• Mix a spray bottle with water and enough soap to create easy foam.
• From outside, spray along the top rear hardtop seal, the sides of the rear opening, the tailgate seal all the way around, and around the rear glass perimeter.
• Watch for bubbles or foamy lines where air is escaping — especially at the upper corners, latch area, and any seams or vents.

Bubbles at the top rear edge or corners of the opening point to seal compression issues, while bubbles near vents or seams show where the shell is open to the outside. Both can feed rear cargo leaks in heavy rain or when washing.

Rear leaks can be confusing because they don’t always appear right after the water enters. The Jeep may move or park on a slope before you notice anything.

• Delayed puddles after parking: Water that entered at the top can sit in channels or behind trim until you park, then slowly unload into the cargo area or tailgate panel over time.
• Subwoofer and rear trim dampness: Moisture in or around the subwoofer or rear quarter trim often means water is traveling behind panels, not that the audio gear is the source.
• Over-reliance on sealant: Smearing silicone around hinges, glass, or trim without improving seal condition and compression often just traps water and makes future diagnosis harder.

Instead of chasing one visible drip, the goal is to understand how the entire rear opening is sealed, how the tailgate closes into it, and how water is supposed to shed down and away from the cargo area.

Wrangler Weather Guard™ treats rear leaks as a sign that the rear seals and closing surfaces need to be brought back into alignment, not as a random trunk problem.

• Step 1 – Recondition OEM rear hardtop, glass, and tailgate seals: Clean the rear hardtop-to-body seal, rear glass perimeter seal, and tailgate seal thoroughly. Prep with isopropyl alcohol and apply an OEM-safe conditioner so the rubber flexes and repels water instead of letting it cling and ride inward.
• Step 2 – Restore compression at the rear opening: Verify the tailgate closes firmly into the seal and adjust or supplement compression where needed. The same Jeep Noodles™ concept used at the doors — foam support inside seals — can be applied in key rear seal zones where preload has been lost.
• Step 3 – Add the missing body-side sealing at the door openings: While this step is focused on the side doors, tightening the overall shell with a body-side seal around the door openings reduces the amount of water and air load the rear opening has to handle in storms and during driving.
• Step 4 – Inspect vents, seams & drain paths, then retest: Check rear body vents and seams behind trim for obvious issues, and make sure any drain paths are clear. Repeat the Bubble Test and a gentle hose test over the rear hardtop edge, glass, and tailgate to confirm water now sheds down the exterior instead of into the cargo area.

Once those steps are complete, most owners see recurring rear cargo dampness, musty smells, and tailgate panel drips disappear because the rear opening is finally working as a sealed, controlled exit for water, not an entry point.