2017 Dodge Durango exterior lighting problems

“The rear racetrack led keeps getting water inside them and shorting out all of the lights on the tailgate. When this happens I don’t have taillights, running lights, brake lights, reverse lights or even tag lights who’s is all extremely dangerous when driving and the car doesn’t tell me anything about it. I notice it usually when I get in the car because the lights don’t flash in the back when I unlock it but when I’m not home and this happens I still have to get home to fix the issue and luckily I’ve been able to get them to drain and come back on for now. It’s been happening periodically for years”

“2017 Dodge Durango, rear racetrack lights went out due to widely publicized problem of water getting in and shorting the lights out, also took out my license plate lights. I had to get it replaced so I didnt get fined for the license plate lights being out. Dodge just announced a program for 2018-2024 years, this issued started in 2014-2015. All other years need included also. It cost me $2100 to get my required license plate lights back on.”

“Approximately 3 years ago we noticed water accumulating in the rear light. They refer to it as a race track light bar. Went to dealer who said not covered under warranty, and it would be $1,455 to replace. I did not have the money at that time to replace it. So we kept draining the water, as I noticed the light getting dimmer. I charged the $1455 and replaced it. 1/8/23. I did find that there were numerous complaints. and this week I found water in the entire light had approximately 3 inches of water in it. We drained it and I contacted the dealer who advised that the 24 month warranty was up Jan 2026 (two months ago. I just found information that there is a class action lawsuit regarding this and since they determined ti is a safety issued there is a jury trial scheduled end of this year. and the manufacturer refused to repair or replace. I just took pictures and noticed a fair vertical crack. l am trying to included a picture but cant convert to jpeg. I am very concerned as the rear lights will dim and hopefully I dont get rear ended.”

“I am filing a complaint regarding a known defect with the rear racetrack taillight assembly on the 2017 Dodge Durango GT. The rear racetrack taillight allows water and moisture to enter the sealed housing. Over time, this causes condensation buildup, corrosion, and partial or complete failure of the LED lighting. In my case, the racetrack light has gone out and shows visible water inside the assembly. This issue creates a safety concern because the rear lighting becomes dim or nonfunctional, reducing visibility to other drivers, especially at night or during rain. In some cases, the electrical issues may also affect other vehicle lighting or electrical components. This problem is widely reported by many Dodge Durango owners across multiple model years, yet the taillight assembly design has not been properly corrected. Owners are often required to replace the entire racetrack taillight at high cost, even though the failure is due to a design defect rather than wear and tear. I believe this issue should be formally investigated, acknowledged, and addressed through a recall or manufacturer-supported repair, as it impacts vehicle safety and visibility. + Affects…”

“Rear liftgate taillight assembly seal has failed allowing water to get in. As a result, the led lighting element has failed which dramatically reduces rear visibility by other vehicles.”

“The rear lights on the tailgate on these vehicles continue to fail due to water inclusion. This affects night time visibility. I've noticed this trend on many Dodge Durango models spanning many different years. My vehicle had this occurrence with roughly 70,000 miles. Many vehicle owners have had much earlier failures.”