How to Spot a Flood-Damaged Car (Before Failure)
Flood cars rot from the inside out. Learn to check seat rails, hybrid batteries, and fuse boxes for the tell-tale signs of water intrusion.
Quick Answer
Dealers can shampoo carpets, but they can't scrub corrosion off a fuse box.
1. Smell Test: Close all doors/windows for 5 minutes. Open them and sniff. Mold or heavy vanilla air freshener? Red flag.
2. Seat Rails: Look at the metal bolts holding the seats to the floor. Surface rust here means the cabin was underwater.
3. Hybrid Hazard: If it's a Prius or Tesla, check the battery casing for watermark lines.
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The "Title Washing" Scam
Flood cars from hurricanes are often shipped to dry states, retitled, and sold as "clean." The CarFax might lag by months. You must inspect the car physically.
1. The Interior "Water Line"
Water leaves a mark when it recedes.
* Seat Belts: Pull the belt all the way out. Is the very end discolored or moldy? That part sat in wet functionality.
* Dashboard Underside: Use your phone flashlight to look up under the dashboard (near the pedals). Unpainted metal brackets here should look new. If they are rusty, the car was swamped.
* Spare Tire Well: Lift the trunk carpet. Is there silt, sand, or standing water in the bottom?
2. Check the Electronics (The Ticking Time Bomb)
Water wicks up wire harnesses and corrodes pins months later.
* The "Christmas Tree" Dash: Turn the key to "On." Do all lights illuminate? Start the car. Do weird lights flicker?
* The Fuse Box: Pop the cover (usually by your left knee or under the hood). If you see white/green powdery corrosion on the fuses, walk away.
* Hybrid/EV Batteries: These are often low to the ground. Water intrusion destroys them. Check for warranties—most are voided by flood damage.
3. Sand in Weird Places
Detailers clean what you see. They miss what you don't.
* Glove Box: Check behind the removable back panel.
* Door Speakers: Mud often settles inside the speaker grilles.
* Fog Lights: Look closely at the lenses. Is there a waterline of dirt inside the glass?
Summary
A flood car is never a good deal. The electrical gremlins are unfixable. If you smell mildew or see rust under the dash, run.
> Verify the History
> MotorMigo helps you identify signs of flood damage (like rust in seat rails) that commonly appear on cars from hurricane zones, even if the title is clean.
Use a guided inspection before you commit
Generate a checklist tailored to your visit so you can inspect quickly, ask better questions, and avoid costly misses.
Ready to inspect with a clear plan?
Create your checklist first, then complete the inspection in the MotorMigo app.