Water pooled in the LED racetrack housing.

35016 Views 46 Replies 29 Participants Last post by Tweak, May 4, 2021

mrbaker1979

Discussion Starter · Jan 31, 2017

So, water has pooled up in the lower right LED housing and shorted out the lights in that particular area. At one point the whole LED strip went out on the lift gate. I didn't know it happened until I smelt a strong electrical fire smoke scent and started looking around to find the source. There was actually smoke faintly visible. The lights on the lift gate came back on the next day.
Not sure what to do as I'm out of warranty. Should I drill a whole to drain the water or leave it be? I'm really not up to paying to replace the whole darn housing.

See less See more

1 - 20 of 47 Posts

caskey_b

· #2 · Jan 31, 2017

Someone removed the lower right bolt for the tailgate piece and drained water out....

Your next step should be to find the source of water intrusion (crack in lens?) Then silicone up any problem areas... do you garage your D or is it exposed to the elements?

mrbaker1979

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 31, 2017

Exposed.

Tweak

· #4 · Jan 31, 2017 (Edited)

Its always the lower right, so this should be somthing Dodge some be able to pinpoint and fix. But I suppose they can't make as much money if they don't fail all the time. Wonder if a change.org petition about this issue would do any good. I worked for the jeep gas tanks but a bunch of kids had to burn alive before FCA "fixed" it by installing hitches. During a lawsuit the article I read stated they even KNEW it was a dangerous design and there was internal paperwork stating the lawsuits would be cheaper. I gotta dig that back up.

caskey_b

· #5 · Jan 31, 2017

Always with Ds that are exposed as well

Tweak

· #6 · Jan 31, 2017

caskey_b said:
Always with Ds that are exposed as well

Well I'm screwed! I am out of indoor parking sadly. Need to build onto the polebarn or another one. I let the girls have the 2 stalls.

Reactions: 1

boomer775

· #7 · Jan 31, 2017

mrbaker1979 said:
So, water has pooled up in the lower right LED housing and shorted out the lights in that particular area. At one point the whole LED strip went out on the lift gate. I didn't know it happened until I smelt a strong electrical fire smoke scent and started looking around to find the source. There was actually smoke faintly visible. The lights on the lift gate came back on the next day.
Not sure what to do as I'm out of warranty. Should I drill a whole to drain the water or leave it be? I'm really not up to paying to replace the whole darn housing.

Had same issue on mine on both sides of the light. Replaced a few weeks ago under warranty.

Reactions: 1

Teejay1959

· #8 · Jan 31, 2017

Tweak -

You make your girls live out in the pole barn, too? And here I thought I was the only one.....

Tweak

· #9 · Jan 31, 2017

Teejay1959 said:
Tweak -

You make your girls live out in the pole barn, too? And here I thought I was the only one.....

The day I did that I would kick my own butt, and have to sleep with both eyes open. lol No they get the attached heated garage, The Avenger and the Durangos sleep out in the snow. I'm just g;ad they don't make me sleep out in the pole barn some days.

Chase300

· #10 · Jan 31, 2017

My brother-in-law had the same issue with his Honda Odyssey tail lamps.
We could not visibly see how the water was getting into the lights but both lights had water in them.
To solve I drilled a very small hole in the corner into the chamber to allow it to drain...which it did and he no longer has the issue.

Tweak

· #11 · Jan 31, 2017

Tweak said:
Its always the lower right, so this should be somthing Dodge some be able to pinpoint and fix.

boomer775 said:
Had same issue on mine on both sides of the light.

Well I stand corrected it HAS happened on the left as well. Thats why i need to stop using definitive words like "always".

Teejay1959

· #12 · Jan 31, 2017 (Edited)

Tweak -

It seems by your listing that your DD is 2016, so this SHOULD be a warranty repair.

If it was NOT, drilling a small "weep" hole in the BOTTOM of the racetrack (being oh-so-careful to NOT hit the LEDs, circuit board they are mounted to, or wiring) might be a good solution if this DD is now out of warranty. If all the LEDs DO light up, placing a weep hole(s) at the lowest point would allow water to slowly drip out, or have an "air route" via evaporation during a warm day. The moisture entry point is probably maddening in the extreme to try and find. You'd have to pull the inner panel off the rear lift door, remove the bolts holding down the racetrack, unplug the wiring harness,and carefully remove the racetrack, making sure to not over-flex the damn thing. By that time, it would be quicker to install a NEW one, rather than waste the time trying to hunt down the microscopic crack somewhere on the damn thing.

Of course, this being YOUR vehicle, you decide what is most important to you. You might be able to visit a salvage yard, and get a racetrack off a wrecked DD, but that's almost sure to invite trouble if the damage was anywhere past the second doors. Slow-motion video of controlled accidents show how new vehicles flex across the entire body, frames notwithstanding, to spread out the dynamic forces of the accident that need to be dissipated as to not cause injury to the occupants.

Just my two cents, as usual....

And now.... you're making ME go out and check the racetrack on MY DD...... sigh.....

See less See more

Reactions: 1

Tweak

· #13 · Feb 1, 2017 (Edited)

TeeJay1959, mine hasn't happened yet. but being it spends its entire life outdoors due to not enough storage, I have a feeling it will. Sorry for the misunderstanding, and your recommendation to make a drain would be my first way to fix it. Headlights and taillights normally have vents to prevent fogging. On my 08 Dodge Avenger the tail lights vent directly to the trunk, breather comes out behind the carpet.

I also been wondering if how it might be getting in to some of them is...

Perhaps snow melts due to rear defrost or cabin heat....and drips in between the tail light and the tailgate, freezes and expands....causing fractures in the back anywhere from the top edge to the bottom. This would correlate to why its mostly cold climate Durangos, and also why most people don't see where the cracks are. Just a theory.

legacygt

· #14 · Feb 1, 2017

Tweak said:
This would correlate to why its mostly cold climate Durangos, and also why most people don't see where the cracks are. Just a theory.

Mine took on a lot of water during a particularly long rainstorm where winds may have had the water coming in at just the right angle. In the months since, no additional water has gotten in but the original pool is still there since there's not easy way for it to escape. My LEDs are still intact but the pool of water looks bad and I'm afraid that it may cause additional damage one when it freezes.

This seems to be a fairly widespread problem and probably the result of some poor design choices. Have people had success getting this addressed under warranty?

Tweak

· #15 · Feb 1, 2017

I seen atleast 2 people get warranty while under the original bumper to bumper

bcrystlazrt

· #16 · Feb 2, 2017

Dreading the day this happens to me, I am no longer under warranty and I had my lights professionally tinted ..

RedHotFuzz

· #17 · Feb 2, 2017

I followed a Durango the other day that was missing about a quarter of the racetrack illumination and thought I hope that never happens to my Durango, because I bet that thing will be horrendously expensive out of warranty.

silverunicorn

· #18 · Feb 2, 2017

I hope to never have this issue, but it seems that this would make the cost of the Maxcare warranty worth it.

Chris

Lanson

· #19 · Apr 3, 2017

Well pulling those 10mm (I think they are) bolts out of the bottom will drain the water, for sure. Big thanks to a forum member for sharing that with me. That helped while the dealer ordered a new one for me under warranty, of course. It took a while but it came in stock, and they swapped it out for me with no drama. The new one looks fantastic, and hopefully it will remain crack-free.

Bryanw0087

· #20 · Apr 3, 2017

Washed mine yesterday it has water in the racetrack also

See less See more

1 - 20 of 47 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.