RodMJones

It's definitely water as it starts moving just from sitting in the car, and there are no significant noises just driving along. And lateral movement is more likely to start the sloshing than acceleration and braking.

No sunroof... I'm not sure where the drainage channels on the sills are, but would this explain the sloshing noises apparently from behind the dashboard?

After recent heavy rain, I hear water (several liters by the sound of it) sloshing around, somewhere behind the dashboard. It's been like this for several weeks without improvement, and my local dealer couldn't locate the source. There was never any visible signs of water inside the car or engine compartment. Any thoughts anyone?

Thanks very much for the reply... I may have to pursue it with the breakdown guys. A dumb question perhaps, but with AWD, would 'Park' lock *all* wheels?

A couple of weeks ago, I had an immobilizer issue with my 1999 Forester (automatic), and it was stuck in 'Park' and couldn't be started. I called for someone to come and take it to the garage, and it was a rainy evening so I didn't stick around. I found the next day that they'd come with a flatbed truck, and when I asked how they got it out of Park, they said "Oh, we didn't... we had to drag it onto the truck". Coincidence, or not but since then, the car seems skittish on corners (especially in the wet), and prone to wheel spin. The manual warns that putting the car on a two-wheel rolling road could damage the AWD system, so this made me wonder if dragging the car could do the same? Thanks, Rod