Dodge Durango Forum banner

Moisture inside the headlights

92K views 82 replies 53 participants last post by  seanmaguire 
#1 ·
I'm not sure if this is normal or if it is a result water condensation on a hot area. I first noticed it after driving home and having a rainstorm hit. As I got out I noticed the cloudiness of moisture. The second time was yesterday. i drove home had dinner then went outside to wash the lovebugs off my car. Bam! More moisture. Both times the lights were warm from use and both times they got fogged up. Later it was gone. I guess it could be normal condensation like on a cold glass on a hot day but shouldn't a headlight be a sealed unit that has no moisture inside? Anyone else having this issue?
 
#32 ·
He probably ordered by Vin since they are warranty so only the correct ones should come
STEVE
 
#36 ·
Guys ..never ran into this until after going through a car wash yesterday. I have had it sitting out in our 100+ AZ weather all day so far today and I still have condensation. I am out of warranty ... ideas?

View attachment 32377
You didn't use synthetic blinker fluid.

Could be a bad seal between the housing and lens... check the rubber boot behind the light


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#39 ·
Well that wasn't it .. I let it sit out in the sun with the cap off .. and let it dry out today. I double checked and I didn't see any water in there. I put the cap back on, lights were off (DRL's also off) as soon as I got home moisture again. How is this happening? Its 110 freakin degree's out here in AZ. I didn't run it through any water. Dealer is saying that I need a new light, but of course I am out of warranty ... hmmm thoughts? Ebay to the rescue!?
 
#43 ·
We don't call them "vent holes" down here. We call them "scuppers".. Nah, just a little NAVY joke there. ;)
But seriously, Every vehicle I've ever owned with covers did this -- of course, I live in SW Florida so..... Meh.
I generally don't worry about it until a goldfish could survive inside. Taillights also. My '02 Ram pickup was bad about the taillights turning into goldfish bowls. I had to have both replaced while under warranty a couple times, and after it ran out, on my own dime. I ended up drilling an additional "vent hole" in the bottom. They would still fog up, but at least the minnows could return to the sea. I mean, it was bad. The humidity down here is atrocious, with an annual rainfall average of 54". Right now, it's our drought season, so I'm just holding out a little hope on my new Drango. We shall see how the monsoon season effects them.
 
#44 ·
This is a common occurrence with the Durangos. Both headlights and taillights. For one, the headlights seem to fix themselves and won't "hold" water. The condensation typically goes away. I believe there are vent holes somewhere, but the condensation doesn't get bad enough that it turns into holding water.

NOW the taillights. The taillights seem to be a bigger issue. I had 3 sets of lights replaces by the dealer. The last, ended up holding water after my warranty ended. I got fed up bringing it back to the dealership so I repaired it myself. Typically the water will retain on the passenger side. Regardless, there are two bolts on the back side of the lights, that are very easily accessible. Loosen and pull those out and it WILL drain all the water. For a permanent fix, I also drilled a tiny hole at the lower corner and it works like a charm. The hole is small enough that it drains, and does not allow any extra dirt to get into the assembly.

There is a separate link to this same issue here; http://www.dodgedurango.net/forums/dodge-durango-how-tos/37281-water-middle-led-tail-light.html
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fukin Slash
#45 ·
I routinely had condensation in only the passenger side headlight. It stopped evaporating and became constantly waterlogged. Water droplets would cling to the clear assembly like it was raining inside. Looked terrible and wouldn’t burn off. The part cost $1400 and it was NOT covered by the Maxcare warranty. (2015 RT 40K)
 
#52 ·
Getting my ‘14 Citadel driver side headlamp assembly replaced under MaxCare Lifetime Warranty tomorrow $100 deductable. Had all kinds of moisture and droplets in there. Didn’t go away after running lights for 20 minutes. Bulb had went out 2 months ago. That was $289 to replace and obviously not covered 85K. Dealer just had to verify the lens wasn’t damaged by an impact of any kind before they would submit it. Easy Peasy, finally getting to use that MaxCare lifetime warranty. I knew it would come in handy. Luv this vehicle.
 
#53 ·
I noticed my passenger headlight fogging up a month or so ago, to the point of collecting a few small drops of water at the bottom. I removed the headlight and signal bulbs then propped a hair dryer to blow into the headlight entrance for an hour and a half until everything was dry in there. I reassembled and all was good until last week when it started back up again. What a pain and it drives me nuts but it appears to be a relatively common issue. Of course, the warranty on my 2015 was up a few months ago...
 
#55 ·
What is it with these D's and water in lighting systems? I just brought the D back in because water is leaking into the racetrack, again. They're going to replace it, again. That's a good thing but the design is unacceptable! Add to that my headlight continually fogs up (even to the point of collecting water).


Then today I slipped on ice, my elbow hit the hood, now I gotta go see a dent guy for the small dent I put right on the leading edge contour crease of the hood.

Grumble...
 
#54 ·
No fogging, or water/moisture inside my headlights but I just noticed what seems to me like “fingerprints” or something like it on the glass projector. Can see it from the outside of the car staring at the “glass ball” that peeks thru the projector housing shroud.

My headlights seem to be brand new sealed units so not sure how those “stains” came to be.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#56 ·
Walking through a packed Christmas shopping mall I saw no other vehicles with moisture inside the headlight assembly. And then there’s my Durango with the passenger side collecting water and a bit of fog on the sriver’s side.

Then there’s the water in the racetrack.

FCA’s water issues with their lighting assemblies is making it difficult to live this truck.
 

Attachments

#57 ·
this is the result of my last ride on the highway at -5 degrees. now it has become ice out of the moisture. even the opening of the two ventilation inputs on the housing brought no improvement ...
 
#63 ·
We have a 2014 Citadel with the HID lights that had both headlight assemblies replaced due to constant moisture causing the bulbs to prematurely burn out. Driver's side went out at two years and was replaced under the standard warranty. The passenger's side went out just outside the three year warranty expiration and was replaced under the MaxCare Lifetime warranty ($100 deductible). There wasn't any fix for it from the dealer, just straight replacement of the whole light fixture - expensive, but warranty covered it both times.

NOTE: If you have the HID light assembly replaced, make sure your dealer knows how to calibrate the lights so the automatic leveling works again. We encountered one dealer who (claimed they) knew nothing about this and had our headlights aimed at the ground and were shining no further than 10 feet in front of the vehicle. They tried to say the headlight units were replaced to spec and there was nothing they could do about it. Being a major safety issue when driving at night, we contacted the manufacture's customer service directly and they got us in touch with another nearby dealer that could fix the issue. The second dealer knew exactly what was needed and fixed it in under 10 minutes (basically hooking it up to a diagnostic tool to initialize and calibrate the new unit so the auto leveling would work again).

In addition to the headlights, the portion of the taillight that goes across the tailgate is also collecting water now (at 4.5 years) and has had a few bulbs burn out in the lower right side. We are having it replaced under the MaxCare Lifetime warranty (another $100 deductible). Again, no fix for that, they are just replacing the entire assembly.

We didn't have a problem getting any of these lights covered due to moisture/water, the manufacture and both dealers knew about the issue and it went straight to warranty each time.
 
#64 ·
I have a 2015 Durango and the seal on one headlamp is definitely bad. We did have a lot of rain this year but the lamp has never dried out. It's always wet inside. I will need to replace it. OMG....dealer price $1000. Are you kidding me? I will see about buying an OME one and doing it myself.
 
#68 ·
Just dropped off my truck for moisture / water in my headlight and the service girl tells me right off the bat that it's not covered under lifetime maxcare warranty. She said she'll discuss it with her manager & call me back, has anyone had this issue using Mopar warranty?
Maxcare does not cover “Glass, Plastic Lenses and Light Bulbs.” If you can prove the lens didn’t fail they should cover it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#69 ·
Just got a call from Dodge and they said Mopar max care won't replace my headlight. There is water in my headlight not just a foggy headlight and they think this is ok? I could've sworn guys on here had this is resolved with this warranty. Any help would be appreciated on who I can speak to about this. Thanks
 
Top