On my 4th month of ownership. I wash it myself and it has been through some storms since purchase. Parked outside every night. I haven't seen water pooling but now that I'm aware, I'll be checking for it. I did find that the right led light is out for my license plate.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Our '14 had this on the lower right side of the "racetrack" and that part burned out. It was replaced under the 3year 36 month bumper to bumper. Dealer told me the part alone is almost $1,000. I've since traded in on an '17.

I'd have a tough time spending over $1,000 to replace a strictly decorative part. (I noticed someone was concerned with vehicle inspection, this light shouldn't be an issue even if it is burned out).

 

(I noticed someone was concerned with vehicle inspection, this light shouldn't be an issue even if it is burned out).

I had the issue with inspection where the issue was the lighting for the license plate. I do not know if that is related to the water in the taillight or not.

 

Water in racetrack tail light in wifes 2014 Durango. Contacted dealer and said there was nothing they could due as it is out of the 3yr 36 warranty. Hoping they eventually recall it. only option right now is to buy a used one to replace with.

 

Unless it affects the reverse lights and/or the brake/turn lights, they won't. Recalls are only for safety items that can cause injury. FCA will claim since it isn't one of those, it's not necessary.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

I have not noticed any water in my taillight, though I am under no delusion that water in LED light housings isn't a common issue.

I do live on the East Coast so it rains a lot here

 

14 RT here, water in taillight. Will call a few dealers around and see what their responses are like. It was CPO'd with the extended warranty.

 

Has anyone determined how? I have a 14 as well and I don't park in the garage. Been through some rain as well as storms from Hurricane Harvey and haven't seen any pooling. Is it one of those over time type deals?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Dealer that fixed mine thinks its due to over-torquing the light panel (from the factory), the new part was installed and seems to be holding. We'll have to see how it goes long-term.

 

well add me to this list. Water filling both left and right sides of the center racetrack light. while we're at this, i usually notice condensation in my headlights after a wash too. Although that usually goes away. Perhaps some on the job training is needed for RTV gun guy ?

I will call dealer tomorrow. I have 21K miles on my RT, babied like a mo fo, sits in a climate controlled garage. I keep it washed/waxed and rarely drive it when it rains, but its a gdamn 4wd SUV so some light rain shouldnt quite cause all this bs...

not too happy atm.

on a bright spot, not many other issues with this vehicle. Had the stupid exterior B-pillar trim replaced which is common. I guess forgivable (but really stupid) on a $48K vehicle. Down right ignorant that its same trim on the $100K trackhawk JGC though.

Had to replace the left front blinker at 21K miles, seems odd but a 5 min job since I have a cone air filter installed (perhaps the 1 reason for installing a CAI??)

And the auto bright lights DO NOT WORK for shiz. Ive pissed off every cop in my town, surprised I dont have a ticket yet. I'll have them check that out, its never worked right. The auto brights on my wifes 16 JGC overland work BRILLIANTLY, so I know FCA has it in them.

All else said, this has been a decent enough truck. Great motor, cool red interior, looks better than any other 3 row SUV south of $70K. The ZF trans is garbage but what can you expect. You have to pay the big bucks to get a decent 8 sp box. Man I drove a friends Panamera the other day and felt what a REAL transmission is like. Insane quick shifts, makes the Dodge feel even more awful.

OK rant over, I might be up for another 1 of these things at some point. The faults are mostly forgivable, what with the hemi an all ...

 

@a2t , yeah you have the right to vent a bit. it's an expensive car that shouldn't have these silly issues. my left rear light had water pooling in it, but being under warranty they did the fix free of charge. Haven't seen/noticed anything yet. Bought it used (36K km) on it after being used as an Enterprise rental. Maybe the issues were solved by them, haha.

As for the Porsche, yeah, different class. My former E70 BWM had a much better tranny. But again, different class vehicle. The Bimmer was a speedster and more bumpy on the road, while the Durango is a cruiser, not a racer. Having put blood, sweat and money into the Bimmer, I'm probably going to avoid another European (although I am one), for a while. An old M1, or 3series as a project sounds enticing, but not for a daily driver.

 

i hear ya! these are pretty niggling little issues, overall the truck is good but I hope they correct certain design flaws to make it better.

I swapped on the SRT steering wheel (which is insanely awesome and you need to do that asap). It has these massive paddle shift levers (you can also paint the +/- signs red, along with dying the white hand stitching red, because why the hell not, as everything in the interior should be red or black).

Then you go to actually go to USE the awesome SRT paddle shifters .. and you are sadly reminded that they are connected to this sh!t 8 sp slush box that takes a half second to decide whatever the hell its meant to do. And then you just use the auto trans and dont gripe or complain about it so much on the forums

It is what it is. Im guessing the trackhawk got a much nicer trans though ...

 

My wife said there's condensation in the new tail light now. We'll have to see if that develops.

 

Sheesh.

Is this covered by the Mopar extended warranty ? Mine factory warranty will expire in September, was thinking about buying a Mopar extended plan. If these lights fill with water everytime it rains, sounds like I will need it.

Has anyone determined a fix for this ? Add RTV or drain holes, or both ? Sounds like Dodge is just replacing the problem with the same problem instead of actually fixing it.

 

This is the big question. There’s been guys on here that have had their rear tails replaced under maxcare but I recently read a post where a dealer denied it under maxcare. The maxcare warranty technically doesn’t cover it.

WHAT’S NOT COVERED UNDER OUR MAXIMUM CARESM PLANS
The only parts and labor not covered:
• Maintenance Services and items used in such services
• Catalytic Converter and Particulate Filter • Glass, Plastic Lenses and Light Bulls
• Body and Paint items (including Soft Trim) • Snowplows, Winches and Trailer Hitches
• Wear items (such as Tires, Manual Clutch Assembly, Brake Pads, Shoes, Rotors, Drums, Belts and Wipers)

 

• Glass, Plastic Lenses and Light Bulls


Ouch. That would certainly preclude any coverage on this.

Does anyone know exactly what is the issue ? Maybe we can drill some drain holes in the bottom, and add some RTV at the top somewhere to prevent this ?

 

Isn’t this more of a “light assembly” and not a lens?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Does anyone know what the actual part you order says? Might help bridge the gap to cover it?

 

Why not just drill a very small hole such that the water can drain out?

 

Sheesh.
Is this covered by the Mopar extended warranty ? Mine factory warranty will expire in September, was thinking about buying a Mopar extended plan. If these lights fill with water everytime it rains, sounds like I will need it.
Has anyone determined a fix for this ? Add RTV or drain holes, or both ? Sounds like Dodge is just replacing the problem with the same problem instead of actually fixing it.

Some of those who have experienced this issue have filed safety complaints. Please report your issue also to FCA and with NHTSA by clicking here, or by going to the consumer safety commission of the particular country you live in. If everyone files this as the safety issue it can become, FCA may act with a remedy.

Unless, or Until FCA steps-up to address it, this hole-drilling 'solution' has indeed worked for some here. A word of caution; This will VOID the warrantee currently, so take it in under warantee first. Since this issue seems to be very common, there is now a growing list of complaints being submitted to FCA seeking a remedy. They will only replace them under warantee, but no recall as of yet. In the meantime, the only way to keep water off of the LED arrays is to drill a small hole in the lower, outside corners, penetrating at least .25", and no more than .50". After draining, place a small, removable dab of silicone RTV over the holes that can be pulled off in the event they get water inside again. And so far, even though FCA hasn't approved of that, it's all we have to prevent LED failure. The assemblies weren't built to be serviced -- simply thrown away and replaced. A disgraceful design!

 

We are calling the dealership again for this issue. This will be the 3'rd time we have had to have this issues fixed!

 

....and yet I have no issue with my '14 and its washed almost weekly, been in heavy rain storms, snow, sleet, fog, extreme heat and cold temps and driven all up and down the east coast.
So either you're getting defective light assemblies which is hard to believe 3 in a row, or something is missing or installation is not correct.

 

Yeah I'll be going back soon as well. The condensation turned into full-on waterlogging, evidenced by the several ounces of water pouring out of the tail light when I unbolted the two 10mm bolts at the bottom of the housing. Same as the first time.

This rear tail light is less than a year old.

 

My replacement is now doing this less than a year later as well.
Very annoyed.

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

 

where is the water getting in ? maybe we can remedy that, drain the fish tank aquarium ive currently got going on, and save the LED and associated wasted time spent with my dodge dealer replacing a unit with another faulty unit. this seems like just an opportunity for those morons to scratch my paint again, I'd rather just skip the hassle and solve this on my own if possible.

 

Hey all. New to the forum. Just wanted to give my 2 cents on the water in the center light assy. Yes, it is happening to my 2014. Unfortunately, I noticed the problem after the initial 3 year warranty was over. Even more unfortunate, it is not covered under the extended warranty. Bumper to bumper extended warranty my ass. What a bunch of crooks. Anyway, the way I fixed the problem was to drilled a small hole (about 1/16") in the inside corner of the assy where the water was pooling. Automatically drains out the water now. Even more more unfortunate, three of the small bulbs in the area of the pooling have gone out. Doesn't look too bad but you can notice a small "fade" where those lights are out. Going to research the net to see if there is a write up on replacing those types of bulbs. If anyone knows of a write up, let me know. Thanks.

 

Do you have a picture of the drill spot and was it drilled at an angle or straight in . I would be concerned that the drill bit would catch and pull itself in.

Fortunately I have not had an issue but a preventative drill hole sounds like a great idea

 

So its only the center light. When removed where is a possible entry point?
Would be nice to have one to submerge under water to see if an entry point can be pinpointed.
I'd also would look at how water moves behind that area with it removed pouring some water from up above and see how it runs down in that area and drains out.

That would be my approach if I run into this.
I'd also drill a drain hole too.

 

So its only the center light. When removed where is a possible entry point?

No. The outside assemblies are vulnerable too, because the same cheesy assembly procedures were used on them.

Would be nice to have one to submerge under water to see if an entry point can be pinpointed.

It would sink like the Titanic (see pics). Nothing back there is sealed at all.

I'd also would look at how water moves behind that area with it removed pouring some water from up above and see how it runs down in that area and drains out.
That would be my approach if I run into this.
I'd also drill a drain hole too.

The drain hole plan works if caught in time (before the water gets over the led arrays and does it's voodoo).
However, at this time, it will also void any warrantee.
How water gets in some and not the same assembly on others is the million dollar question, Chase. Mine went thru the eye of Irma (with me behind the wheel), and STILL no water inside. :???:
And aside from water ingress, LEDs may last a bit longer in some cases than incandescents --- but they still do fail. NEITHER is waterproof. And their failure should not necessitate the >$700 replacement cost, either (IMHO). Pics below are from the donor from member, Happyman in Va supplied for this investigation;

 

OK, if nothing is sealed behind it then drilling drains holes would be the easiest solution if out of warranty.
Still seems it has to do with how the water is moving around and behind the light assemblies.

LED's can and do fail, but the average life span is 20-25yrs at least for good LED's. The only real issue over time is they degrade, so the light output is not the same after say 5-10yrs.
But still far superior to Incandescent lights.

 

Took mine in for the brake booster recall and chatted with the service guy about the water in the track light issue. He said he'd never heard about it but would look into it. When I went to pick it up he said that my Vin didn't match up for recalls on it and his guys looked it over to be sure there wasn't a cause for concern. He said there was a range of Vins that were affected. He could have just been trying to make me feel as though mine is perfect . Who knows. Maybe someone on here has a good connect with the techs to see how true the Vin thing is.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Geeze......

This morning I was wiping road salt off the lens of my backup camera after 2 back-to-back Nor'easters here in South Jersey, and lo and behold..... water condensation inside my center racetrack lens! I found it inside the lower portion on both the left and right side! I'm not sure what I'll do right away.... when the weather gets warmer, I would like to see if the condensation bleeds out, or stays trapped. In any event, I'm well within the 3 year/36000 miles. I'll probably just have to schedule an appointment with my local Dodge dealer and listen to the BS the service manager spews out about them not covering it. If that happens, I think I'll raise holy hell, then contact Dodge Customer Care directly, and then contact the NHTSA and file a complaint.

Honestly.... how hard is it to make a waterproof seal across a piece of plastic less than 5 feet long? The damn booster rockets on the Space Shuttle (which yes, I know, EXPLODED) were over 33 feet in DIAMETER, under tremendous dynamic pressure, and by golly, almost all of them worked as designed. Maybe Dodge should farm out the rear racetrack LED assembly to Morton-Thiokol. Maybe then we could have a reliably DRY rear racetrack LED assembly?

Stay tuned......