So I’m on my 3rd racetrack taillight (2016 model). The 3rd was just installed a couple of months ago. I figured the leaking problems had been solved since, you know, we’re now in 2020, and there were mentions of a “new design” on the forums. I went to jump in the Durango last night and saw THERE IS WATER INSIDE THE TAIL LIGHT AGAIN!!!! Seriously, WTF is the problem with Dodge on this issue? Do they just not care? How can this persist, year after year??? This is the first vehicle I’ve ever owned that’s incapable of refraining from filling up with water. What century are we in???
RedHotFuzz
It's amazing how people will dump a $50-$60k over a light burning out... I wish I could afford to do that. My turn signal burnt out, time for a new car [emoji58][emoji58]
1949 International KB2, 302/T5
1968 Dodge Dart GTS, 340/727
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T "SRT Design"
2016 Dodge Durango Limited
1949 International KB2, 302/T5
1968 Dodge Dart GTS, 340/727
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T "SRT Design"
2016 Dodge Durango Limited
$1k to change out the light so it is not a $3 bulb rather a good incentive to move the Durango along to someone else who can deal with leaking expensive lights the mfg will not support. And yes I am a rich man who can afford to dump a Dodge 
We all agree...HOWEVER, your current course of action of just having the dealer replace it is not working. So maybe you should ask your dealer if they will put a bead of silicone on the replacement or add something to help out? Throw them a few bucks if you don't want to hassle with it. Though I'd still just drill a couple weep holes on the bottom where the water collects and call it a day.
Rather than deal with the hassle of disassembly and re-assembly, I chose the $7 silicone route where the top of the light housing meets the back hatch door. Did that right after I got the '21 late last spring. So far, so good. Even if I have to re-apply a thin bead across the top every few years, cheap insurance. I agree it is beyond ANNOYING, and a design flaw that should have been addressed with either a better/thicker gasket, a liberal application of silicone around the gasket on the assembly line, or a closed housing, but as many pointed out, EVERY vehicle has some sort of design flaw. Most manufacturers/engineers are not "incentivized" to change it unless it is an outright safety recall issue, or there is a big enough negative hit to sales...
No one has come up with a "Fix" where the huge hole is capped? Or maybe adding a second layer of gasket material over the original to keep water intrusion out?
The dust on the gasket in this picture tells me it's a poor seal....
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If nothing else...add a second gasket to the top half of the OEM gasket to keep water from running down into the giant hole? Of course all this means you need to pull the tail light of your new vehicle to be preemptive from the water intrusion.
The dust on the gasket in this picture tells me it's a poor seal....
If nothing else...add a second gasket to the top half of the OEM gasket to keep water from running down into the giant hole? Of course all this means you need to pull the tail light of your new vehicle to be preemptive from the water intrusion.
I did layer more gasket material it lasted almost 2 years but then water ended up pooling in the light . Now the silicone is working . It looks like the giant hole was designed for a cap . I have never seen any type of wires entering a light fixture like this on any vehicle. The way the water trickles down it will hit the wire with the tape, wtf is that then follow the wire into the giant hole
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Same issue with my 18 Dodge - noticed that part of the lights in the 'racetrack' werent working, noticed water. Drained the water and boom the whole rear track stops working!... Go to Dodge and ask for the cost for replacement and find out the part is on 'back order' with no date in sight... Approx $1500 plus tax for the part fitted....... if thats the case when the part does come in this car is being immediately sold... and having read the various forums its so piss poor that this is happening i can comfortably choose a different SUV, thankfully 2nd hand prices are high which is great, and new prices of cars not too bad..
I feel for you Durango owners! Had a 2013 Durango Citadel that didn't have the Racetrack lighting...no problems. Currently have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with LED lighting but is similar to the Citadel in shape and function.
If I had "Racetrack" lighting and it failed...I'd be taking it off and bringing it to the local dealer and beating the Service Advisor over the head with it !!
If I had "Racetrack" lighting and it failed...I'd be taking it off and bringing it to the local dealer and beating the Service Advisor over the head with it !!
Used to see a few threads on here for Citadel Owners wanting to convert to Race Track lighting. Wonder if they regretted doing it?
Well, the dealer denied my 4th taillight replacement. Went in last week, service tech told me it was under warranty (they installed the last replacement in August 2021), said they had the part in stock, so I scheduled an appointment for Tuesday. Went in Tuesday, sat at the dealership for 3 hours only for them to tell me it's not covered under warranty and my factory extended warranty won't cover it (he called them (or so he said)). Since I'm selling it soon due to a new Bronco finally arriving after a 2-year wait, I'm not paying out of pocket for a replacement. I guess my multi-year journey with Dodge's ridiculous Durango taillight has reached its sad conclusion. Hope I can find a buyer who isn't as picky as me. Farewell, worst taillight of any vehicle I've ever owned. 👋
@RedHotFuzz not even a year? Should be under warranty for the replacement. It is obvious the tech did a shit job installing it and the other 3 you had done as well. They probably removed the old one and slapped the new one on with cleaning the areas and prepping it well. This is all on the dealer and you need to give Dodge a call and get them to understand this is not your fault.
17 just leaked and racetrack light is out 100%.
hard rain with a lot of wind.
MaxCare denied warranty.
Dealer provided proof MaxCare paid same thing same dealership 11/2021.
also TSB for water in light for the license plate light (only).
Any advice?
@DodgeCares
hard rain with a lot of wind.
MaxCare denied warranty.
Dealer provided proof MaxCare paid same thing same dealership 11/2021.
also TSB for water in light for the license plate light (only).
Any advice?
@DodgeCares
Hello @Bomber#27!
We can definitely give this matter a second look to see what we can do. Please send our team a private message with your VIN to strike up a conversation.
Hannah
Dodge Cares
We can definitely give this matter a second look to see what we can do. Please send our team a private message with your VIN to strike up a conversation.
Hannah
Dodge Cares
Sucks that this tail light keeps going out. It's probably my favorite part of this truck and the reason I bought it in 12/2013. I'm on my 5th tail light at 95K miles. I had it replaced in 2021 with supposedly a new part to prevent common issue. It's going out again and Maxcare wont cover it this time. Strange because they have at least 2 times. I'm going to try and give them a call tomorrow. Are these race track lights the same for all years and models?
Literally the same day someone gets one of these replaced you should go out and put a small bead to clear RTV across the top of it with the liftgate and then down each side where it meets the painted surface. You will not even see the clear bead and you will never have a problem again with water intrusion. You don't have to take it off or anything. See pics earlier in this forum. Its clear Dodge hasn't changed the design, so replacing it and expecting it to work better, not sure how that will ever work out. I absolutely love the racetrack and want it fully lit, I put the clear bead on and my 18 is bone dry.
2022 new with 900 miles. Checking in Condensation in the brake light. Granted I have taken it to the car wash lots but a brand new car should be able to survive car washes. We’ll see if I can get it replaced since everything still actually works.
Well, it would seem I procrastinated on the preventative sealing too long. Noticed water pooled on passenger side this AM. Drilled a #50 hole in each side to drain. Was snowing today, but should be back in mid-70's by Saturday. So I will take it off, dry fully, seal up, and silicone my drain holes.
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After reading all of the posts about water getting into the racetrack I took off the assembly from my 2017 R/T to see the condition of the gaskets. Fortunately the foam gasket surrounding both openings are in good shape as evidenced by the clean areas. Do not see any other path for water infiltration. Guess I have been lucky so far.
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Hello All,
Just piling-on here; I've got a 2014 Citadel that I've treated with kid-gloves since I bought it new (only 55K miles on it so far in October of 2022). Not only have I repeatedly gotten actual puddles of water in the center rear racetrack light, BOTH of my front headlights have now started to collect water after the slightest weather event or quick automatic car wash.
With the headlights (in colder weather, like it is now), the heat from the lights and engine bay don't dry the water out at all.
I eventually had to resort to temporarily removing the adjustable vent caps from the back of the headlights (there are 3 per headlight) to help with evaporation. After removing the vent caps, I use a hair dryer, a small hose, and a hose adapter, in attempts to dry-out the puddles of water in each headlight (takes forever and only sometimes works).
I'm not sure that this is as much of an issue with other brands, but to me, it is abundantly clear that Dodge/MOPAR doesn't much care about these FACTORY DEFECTS. Multiple Dodge dealers and customer service reps in my area have told me that none of these problems are covered under warranty due to them being considered to be "like light bulbs" which are not covered, or "not essential for the safe operation of the vehicle," for the rear light.
Conveniently for Dodge, the headlight water issues started becoming noticable about a month - to the day - after my factory warranty expired. The rear racetrack light was denied for warranty repairs previous to that.
The cost for EACH headlight is over $700, last I was quoted, PLUS the labor to remove the old and install the new headlights at $120 per hour. The rear center racetrack was quoted to me at about $1200, plus labor. No bueno!
With as simple as the fixes/modifications are to correct these major issues to these part designs, it is immensely frustrating to see model year after model year persist with the same problems. The Durango is an exceptionally good vehicle for many purposes, and it's even fun to drive, but Dodge has really sullied the good will the overall vehicle design earns with a few particularly bad component designs, sub-par warranty support, and (in my experience) very poor customer service overall (at least in my area).
...And don't get me started on that rear windshield wiper and spray nozzle. I swear, most vehicle manufacturers must put their absolute worst warm-weather-hometown engineering rejects in the windshield wiper design departments. In particular, the rear-window wiper and nozzle is absolutely insufficient for purpose.
Anyway... Take care, all!
Just piling-on here; I've got a 2014 Citadel that I've treated with kid-gloves since I bought it new (only 55K miles on it so far in October of 2022). Not only have I repeatedly gotten actual puddles of water in the center rear racetrack light, BOTH of my front headlights have now started to collect water after the slightest weather event or quick automatic car wash.
With the headlights (in colder weather, like it is now), the heat from the lights and engine bay don't dry the water out at all.
I eventually had to resort to temporarily removing the adjustable vent caps from the back of the headlights (there are 3 per headlight) to help with evaporation. After removing the vent caps, I use a hair dryer, a small hose, and a hose adapter, in attempts to dry-out the puddles of water in each headlight (takes forever and only sometimes works).
I'm not sure that this is as much of an issue with other brands, but to me, it is abundantly clear that Dodge/MOPAR doesn't much care about these FACTORY DEFECTS. Multiple Dodge dealers and customer service reps in my area have told me that none of these problems are covered under warranty due to them being considered to be "like light bulbs" which are not covered, or "not essential for the safe operation of the vehicle," for the rear light.
Conveniently for Dodge, the headlight water issues started becoming noticable about a month - to the day - after my factory warranty expired. The rear racetrack light was denied for warranty repairs previous to that.
The cost for EACH headlight is over $700, last I was quoted, PLUS the labor to remove the old and install the new headlights at $120 per hour. The rear center racetrack was quoted to me at about $1200, plus labor. No bueno!
With as simple as the fixes/modifications are to correct these major issues to these part designs, it is immensely frustrating to see model year after model year persist with the same problems. The Durango is an exceptionally good vehicle for many purposes, and it's even fun to drive, but Dodge has really sullied the good will the overall vehicle design earns with a few particularly bad component designs, sub-par warranty support, and (in my experience) very poor customer service overall (at least in my area).
...And don't get me started on that rear windshield wiper and spray nozzle. I swear, most vehicle manufacturers must put their absolute worst warm-weather-hometown engineering rejects in the windshield wiper design departments. In particular, the rear-window wiper and nozzle is absolutely insufficient for purpose.
Anyway... Take care, all!
I removed mine, managing to break the trim panel on the inside of the hatch. Great...
Anyways, I cleaned the gasket surface real well, gooped the top and sides with a bead of silicone caulk, and caulked the sheetmetal at the top of the lens. Once reinstalled, I added another bead at the top of the lens.
Note that I left the center of the racetrack un-caulked to allow thermal expansion and contraction. We'll see how it goes.
Pics are out of order, but you get the drift...
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Anyways, I cleaned the gasket surface real well, gooped the top and sides with a bead of silicone caulk, and caulked the sheetmetal at the top of the lens. Once reinstalled, I added another bead at the top of the lens.
Note that I left the center of the racetrack un-caulked to allow thermal expansion and contraction. We'll see how it goes.
Pics are out of order, but you get the drift...
I got my racetrack light replaced under the extended warranty that I bought from Dodge. It is a 2021 certified preowned bought in October 2022. The warranty is the highest tier, Platinum, and it is called “My Mechanic” it is from the umbrella company Assurant but it is serviced by different providers depending on where you live. Here in Illinois it is administered by Automotive Warranty Services, Inc. $100 deductible for like 6 warranty fixes including the racetrack. Now I have to re-tint the racetrack light like my other one was.
Warranty:
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