Dodge Durango Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Racetrack Taillight Partial Light Out

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 30 Posts

ezcustomz

· Registered
2015 Dodge Durango RT
Joined
·
56 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
So the racetrack had about 3-4 inches of LED strip go out, i know this is a big design flaw with dodge. I went out and purchased another one and actually reweather sealed around the lights on the back and hope i don’t have this issue again. Any ideas what a perfectly cosmetic good no scratches or cracks would go for with just the corner lights out
107993

107994
107995
 
#4 ·
If your tail light hasn't already been compromised, Its really not a bad idea to take it off and reseal it with 100% silicone. Take it off, there's a know in here, clean off the crud and dirt then wax the tailgate area. Clean off the light housing and apply silicone around the entire gasket. Press into place and reassemble. It's only takes about an hour, and will eventually save you later...I think it's only a matter of time before the gasket fails because it's very light foam, poor quailty. The gasket is only about 1/2 " wide, mine had crud and dirt build up to with it 1/8 of an inch before the gasket failed, and would leak into the sealed area.
 
#6 ·
It's pretty amazing that in 5+ years of production, Dodge has done nothing to fix this issue. Given the number of posts here. Given how many I see on the road with this exact problem...including relatively new ones. How have they not fixed the design? How has there not been some sort of recall? I've been a part of similar forums for other cars I've owned and I can't think of any other part on any other car with this high a failure rate.
 
#7 ·
I have only seen one other Durango with the small section of rear tail lamp out. Can't say that represents a large number of defects. Keep in mind, this is a vendor made part. All parts and assemblies are subject to a percentage of failure rate. Nobody makes an absolute perfect part.
Can't think of any other part with a higher failure rate ?
How about Takata air bags ?
BTW, my race track light was replaced due to water intrusion.
 
#8 ·
Mine (2014) failed exactly as per the photo above in the last few weeks. I don't like it, but I am not going to spend $XXX or $X,XXX to replace the racetrack lights unless there is more failure in the future. If I could get the same strip on the bottom right to cut off then it would look like it was 'normal' :)

As this would be considered to be more of 'cosmetic' issue rather than a safety issue, I do not believe that FCA or any other auto manufacturer would be compelled to conduct a recall. With that said, a TSB with reduced replacement part costs would go a long way towards customer retention.
 
#9 ·
There are a lot of people with the same problem. Fortunately mine went while under warranty. Now I keep the bottom two bolts out and never had an issue since. If water does get in, it won't collect
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#10 ·
If I lived closer, I'd probably make you an offer. But from experience, I can state that "they do not ship well". I bought one here on the forum to experiment on --- and it arrived in pieces! I had pictures pre-ship that showed it in good cometic shape, and the seller packed it very well. If you DO ship it, I suggest you buy insurance. UPS was brutal!
 
#11 ·
I would say it’s worth however much 2 used license plate lights are worth! That’s the only good left in that taillight assembly.

So eBoy has a few NEW ones for 30-40 bucks. It’s worth about 30 bucks in my eyes
 
#13 ·
Hmm any pictures of your unit sealed. May tackle this this weekend.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #14 ·
SirManny said:
Hmm any pictures of your unit sealed. May tackle this this weekend.
Click to expand...
I thought i took a photo but guess i didn’t but the replacement light i went around the edges with some silicone and went around the existing seal with the weather strip below, it’s thin and small enough to make two rows worst for a tight seal so once it was bolted down it sealed it down. Good so far no condensation or signs of water. We had some heavy rain and it sees the car wash atleast once or twice a week
 
#19 ·
That's right..as per Ez's pic, wipe the gasket clean and smear silicone over it, and reinstall.
And maybe consider waxing the paint underneath the light fixture. Peace of mind is everything
 
#20 ·
I am going to go to all the forums and threads regarding this issue and post the same thing. I have reported this issue to NHTSA with a description in the picture below. The report is easy to fill out and takes only a minute or two.

If we all report this as a safety issue with explanations like mine or any additional safety issues you can think of, maybe they will take it into consideration.

The link to fill out the report is: Report a Safety Problem | NHTSA

Please take the time to fill this out so we can try to get this issue resolved and save us all thousands of dollars.
116764
 
1 - 20 of 30 Posts
About this Discussion
29 Replies
20 Participants
Last post:
LLSJSXT19
Dodge Durango Forum
posts
509K
members
60K
Since
2004
Welcome to the best Dodge Durango Forum around, where you can find a great Dodge Durango Wiki and discuss the reliability of the different trim levels including the GT and SRT!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Durango Discussions 2014+ Durango Discussions 1998-03 Durango Discussions Dodge Durango 2018+ SRT and Hellcat Durango Purchasing