as i waited in line at a drive-thru yesterday, i smelled something noxious and looked behind me to see smoke and the panel under the rear window melting. it's a civic coupe with no automatic window in the back so i'm wondering if there would be any electrical wiring in that area. i called the honda dealership and the mechanic told me he has never been confronted with this issue. here's a picture:

https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/mya...6185811000.jpg

 

That is the strangest thing I've ever seen. Did you check behind the panel? Only a giant magnifying glass, defroster wire, or a dead short can do that.

 

yeah. the only thing i could see was some kind of white insulation

 

Did you havehanyone ride in your backseat lately? Maybe someone put acid there from a glass dropper?
Or maybe someone threw acid in there from an open window into your car without you knowing while driving?
Freaky things do happen....

 

Looks like acid burns. Maybe a previous owner had somehow managed to lose a battery in there.