2018 DODGE DURANGO Exterior Lighting Problems

The tailgate light has gone out on my 2018 Dodge Durango R/T. Researching online has lead me to discover that this is a known issue that is costing customers thousands of dollars due to a known design flaw. The tailgate light goes out and usually leads to the brake lights and backup camera going out. I do not know when the brakes lights may glitch or go out which can cause an accident. I asked the service person at the dealership about the tailgate issue in May of 2025 when the tailgate light was intermittently going in and out. I was told to call the 800 customer service number. There’s no warning for the tailgate light failing and leading to the failure of the brake lights and backup camera.

Rainwater or going through a car wash leaks water into backend lighting compartment which leads to backend lights not working. You can see the water into the lights. Water leaks out the backend when you open or close the back door. No brake lights could cause accidents. Wiring also corrodes and needs replacement due to water corrosion.

Purchased this vehicle used from a dealership and a few months later the racetrack light malfunctioned and stopped working which is also connected to my license plate light. The dealership refused to cover the expense of the light which to my surprise was over two thousand dollars, an expense I was not prepared for and now I am at a loss. They tried to negotiate that I should pay for half the cost when the car was purchased of their lot less than a few months with a major malfunction like this. Upon further research I find out there is a class action lawsuit against FCA about this issue. I do not have the money for this repair unless I borrow the money, if so can I get reimbursed though FCA?

Rear Racetrack LED lightning is failing due to water intrusion. This could also possibly cause electrical issues to the license plate lights and back up camera. When in bad weather, other drivers could fail to see the back of my car, and could get into an accident. Yes, dealer stated that the cost is 1500 to fix. The Durango has 60K miles. Dealer only. No warning just a fellow driver reported my Racetrack light flickers and dim.

The rear race track rail has water build up at the bottom of it and it fried the lights so they don’t work anymore.

Center lift gate racetrack light failed due to water getting into seam and shorting out that light and the license plate light. The whole unit needs to be replaced due to a faulty design which is going to cost over $2000

After our cold winter here in PA when temperatures were -8 I noticed my tail light had a section not working and after looking at it I noticed a crack and water in that part. I started looking at replacing it until I seen it was going to be $2,000.00 just for the light. Will the Durango's that have these issues because of faulty parts pass state inspections until Dodge figures out what to do?

Water in racetrack lighting in rear tailgate. Also, license plate lights are not working either. Should be mfg problem to repair/recall

Racetrack Tail light burned out and can effect driving safety issues, water got in there and the automaker know about this problem and they won’t fix it , I have to pay out of pocket.

My tailgate lamp also known as the race track lamp it's collecting water every time I take it into the car wash which it now cost part of my life to burn out which can be a safety issue if all of it completely goes out

I have noticed moisture in the rear tailgate light which houses the rear camera, license plate light, reverse lights and a larger(racetrack) tailight. I have drained the light a couple of times and noticed a small portion of the light was dim. This has been going on probably a year. Last night our son was driving behind and noticed the whole tailgate light had gone out along with the license plate light. There is no way to service this light it has to be replaced. The replacement light at the dealer was $1480. To me that is not an option. This is definitely a safety and consumer concern in my book.

Tail gate LED brake light fills with water and cause the light to stop working. Because of the design it has the potential for the driver behind not to see the brake lights which can result in an accident. Reported issue to the dealership and the insurance company that I took extra exterior insurance from and they said it happens all the time and wants me to pay hundreds out of pocket. This is a manufacturing defect because it happens to many of this model it’s not fair to the customer. I see many other Durangos with the same issue. Dodge should compensate the customers.

The rear taillights are filling up with water and burning the rear lights out which causes safety for other not being able to see the rear of the car. I know 3 other people that have the same issue on there dodge durango. You have to take the bolt out to drain the water. There is no seal or gasket inside preventing water from going in also can cause other electrical problems which is not safe.

The center hate LED brake light has water in it and shorted out making visibility of the rear of the vehicle hard to see at night. Dealer told me this is a very common issue and wants over $1000 for me to order another. Dodge needs to fix this and make it right as it's a design issue. This is a serious safety concern and will not drive with my family in the vehicle until able to fix it.

Water is getting into the tail lights which is starting to burn the lights out. It's a safety concern especially at night time. They're should be a recall on this issue as fixing it is costly. A lot of people are being affected by this.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the driver’s side tailgate LED light had become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that water had gotten inside the lighting enclosure. The dealer stated that the area where the tailgate racetrack light was located needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,000.

Mileage: 83,000

Water entered into the rear tail light from rain and shorted the light and caused it to stop working. And is burnt out. This doesn’t have a bulb to replace it’s the entire running light system.

There is a problem with the rear middle light on the lift gate. Water is getting into them and shorting them out then leading it to need a replacement. This is an on going issue with dodge Durangos. Something needs to be done with this design flaw on the Durango’s because they charge 1400 for the part plus labor for it to be replaced when the light wasn’t built right

There is a known problem with the rear brake lights allowing water into it. It can ruin the electrical and cause brake lights to go out without the drivers knowledge and could cause and accident. Lucky I was able to fix it for now.

Rear tail lights are out. All the Dodge Durangos on the road are ! Safety hazard for people behind me and me! Initially part of the light went out tonight the whole light went out . Cam shaft has went bad twice

The "racetrack" lights have pooling water in them and are now not working at all. the back end of the truck is a hazard as you are not able to see it.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that after having the car washed, the racetrack lights and license plate lights became inoperable. There was an abnormal burning odor detected while driving at unknown speeds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact called the local dealer and was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

Mileage: 62,000

My racetrack light in back has blown LEDs due water getting inside. I’m to the entire light and back up camera needs replacement. It’s a major issue according to other owners who have the same problem.

Vehicle tail light housings (3ea) are not adequately sealed and protected from the elements and allow water/debris to intrude. Water accumulation has caused dimming and shorting of lights. Dodge customer service was contacted and stated they are not currently and will not warranty repair.

Center tail light failure in the lift gate. On further inspection all tail lights have water intrusion. Obviously tail/brake light failure is a safety hazard, especially at night. Dodge not owning the problem and the repair parts are extremely hard to find.

The infotainment system screen is delaminating like on many others and cause the screen to act like there’s a ghost touching the screen randomly Val’s people changes stations and scares me it will be full blast out of nowhere And then there’s the rear center racetrack taillight it fills with water and the bottom right is burnt out like on millions of otheres it should be a recall it does it it on all model years starting with 2014 to current it’s not sealed properly from factory I even bought a new assembly at 1,400$ and it lasted a year my Durango is a 2018

When using the auto high beam headlights. The headlights will dim and the high beams do not always come back on. this appears to happen after seeing yellow signs on the roads. To fix I have to turn the head light knob to on (which turns the lights off for a second). This is very dangerous on the dark roads i ride on. I was told by dealer this is a known issue on many brands and there is no fix. This has been an on going issue for the last couple of years.

Tracklight has water intrusion. Replaced twice already. New light has water. Less than 6 months old. Causes rear lighting to fail, including plate light, which is illegal in my state. Failure causes drivers approaching from the rear not to see vehicle on approach, potentially causing an accident.

Tail lights fill with water. This caused a safety risk both of electrical fire and lights failing and increasing risk of an accident when due to not being visible from behind. This is a known issue with Dodge Durangos from 2016 to 2020. There are class action lawsuits and petitions requesting dodge fix the problem. I called Dodge corporate and was advised the situation has not been addressed and that it is not under warranty or recall

My 2018 Dodge Durango leaked water into the taillight assembly. I initially removed the bottom taillight screw located inside the liftgate so water would drain. Later I had to remove the light itself and run a bead of silicone caulking along the top edge where the water leaked into the light assembly. Generation 3 Dodge Durangos are notorious for leaking water into the "race track" shaped taillight which leads to taillight failures. It's the biggest complaint on my Facebook Durango groups, with almost daily postings. Once water collects inside the assembly, it leads to taillight partial or total failure.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the taillights were not functioning properly. The contact stated that the taillights failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the taillight assembly seal was not functioning correctly and was allowing water to enter the taillight assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 30,000.

Mileage: 30,000

Not just mine but many Durangos from 2014-2022 has a defect in which the rear light bar which has no seal gets wet and burns the led light out, this needs to be addressed and recalled asap, I also have pictures of random Durangos I’ve seen at night with the light out in the same spots.

Track lighting starting to fail. Water accumulation inside the bottom passenger side of track light. 44,000 miles on vehicle. No damage. Presents safety issue with rear visibility. Can cause short in wiring, causing potential fire.

unknown. I have a dodge Durango that the racetrack lights on the tailgate not all are working and I've seen some with all the lights out causing a safety hazard.

I noticed an air bubble looking thing on my radio screen. You can see it in the attached video which is just one example from recent. Then my screen starting doing things on it's own. Changing from on thing to the next on it's own. I spoke with my mechanic who was having similar issues and told me about a group he is part of because there are so many people with this same issue. The screen is delaminating and causing what people are referring to as ghost touches. I think this is a safety hazard because it is distracting to have your screen changing constantly. It will make phone calls on it's own, change from heat to AC and turn the fan from high to low. Having your AC blasting in the middle of winter is no treat. Having your heat blasting summer won't be great either. This is a safety issue as well. This is all controlled by the screen. Imagine someone has epilepsy and this crazy screen causes a seizure? I have contacted Dodge and my local Dodge dealer. Nobody wants to acknowledge the issue because I am out of warranty. Warranty or not it's a safety issue that needs addressed before it causes someone to go off the road due to distractions of the radio doing whatever it wants and controlling all kinds of things in your vehicle. I know I am not the first person to reach out or report this issue. I really hope there is something that can be done before someone gets hurt. Thank you for your time and consideration. I wasn't able to get the filed uploaded for the video but when I hear from someone I will try again.

Water Intrusion caused rear lift gate "racetrack light" tail lights including license plate lights to become inoperable. This poses an obvious risk to safety as the lighting is relied upon by drivers, in dark conditions, to detect the rear of my vehicle. If a driver behind me were to fail to detect the rear of my vehicle, in dark conditions, they could easily collide with the rear of my vehicle. If this were to happen, there is a great possibility that persons in either vehicle could be seriously injured or killed. A simple Google search of this issue would reveal that there are hundreds if not thousands of complaints on the same issue. So far dodge has refused to acknowledge this manufacturer's defect or the possible safety implications it can cause.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the taillights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the taillights to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Mileage: 55,000

The racetrack light strip on the trunk isn’t water tight. Rain water, melting snow, car washes, etc, cause water and condensation to build up inside the light. This builds up and fries the LEDs in the rear taillights. This then caused an electrical problem that caused a headlight to malfunction. Dodge/Chrysler refused to help me with this. I had to replace it out of pocket and 2 months later my new one had the same problem. I see tons of Durango’s on the road with burnt out taillights due to this issue. The part is over $1,000 and is always on back order because of how often it fails. My car has less than 30k miles and has never been in an accident. This is a safety issues as my taillights are less visible and it causes other lights, such as my headlight to fail as well. They will not issue a recall, this is ridiculous. An over $40,000 car that isn’t waterproof and the manufacturer won’t remedy the problem.

The tail light and license plate lights on my 2018 Dodge Durango have shorted out. This issue is happening on models of earlier and later years of the Dodge Durango and there are many forums all over the internet discussing this issue. The light accumulates water in it and shorts out. I have not found any evidence of water in my lights as the thousands of other owners have but the same symptoms of this issue are happening to my Durango even though I keep it in the garage. My lights just went out today and there are less than 45,000 miles on the vehicle. The lights are LEDs so they should last quite awhile. I know the lights are not burnt out because I replaced the license plate lights with new oem ones a few months ago and they are already out again. The tail light on the Durnago is split into three sections, left, center, and right. The center part which is the largest, provides the most visibility for my vehicle while on the road is the section that commonly burns out for the Dodge Durangos as it has with mine. Owners are reporting this issue with less than 7,000 miles on the vehicles. A short can cause a fire. My Durango is garage kept so if that vehicle sets fire, my house, myself, my wife, and my 3 children will all be burned alive. The fact that it is garage kept also makes this issue very ridiculous because it is hardly out in the weather. Especially since I work from home and my wife is a stay at home mother. We hardly go anywhere, especially if it is raining. Another safety issue this may cause is if the tail light is blinking or suddenly begins to blink, drivers behind me may think I am slamming on my breaks and this could cause a pile up on the highway. Pile ups can kill numerous people on the road. While the light is not shinning at all, other vehicles on the road lose visibility of my vehicle. This is especially the case in foggy weather or at night. If people cannot see me, they may hit me possible killing my family or their own.

Rear center track light gaskets/seals leak causing lighting failure. This is commonly known, particularly among late model Dodge Durango community. So many can't be wrong.

RAIN WATER LEAKS INTO THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND RUINS IT ALL. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT COSTS $1,400 BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO REPLACE EVERYTHING. EVERYWHERE I CALLED IS BACK ORDERED ON THE PARTS BECAUSE THIS HAPPENS SO FREQUENTLY. THE CAR BARELY HAS 20K MILES ON IT.

Mileage: 22,500

WATER LEAKING INTO REAR LIFTGATE LAMP(RACETRACK LIGHT) SHORTED OUT ABOUT 6 INCHES OF THE LED LOWER LEFT SIDE. REMOVED WATER THROUGH MOUNTING SCREW HOLE. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY HOWEVER WATER ENTERED WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN ALSO

Mileage: 41,000

THE RACETRACK LIGHT BAR (ATTACHED TO THE DECK LID) HAS GOTTEN WATER INSIDE IT, (IT WAS THIS WAY WHEN I BOUGHT IT) AND NOW THE LIGHT IS NO LONGER WORKING. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE DODGE DURANGO, AS I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM.

Mileage: 39,000

LIFTGATE LAMP HAS WATER INFILTRATION AND DAMAGES THE LED LIGHTS PART NUMBER 68156575AG THIS HOUSING ALSO INCORPORATES THE REVERSE LAMPS AND REVERSE CAMERA SYSTEM

Mileage: 41,235

2018 DODGE DURANGO WITH 48,000 MILES. REAR TAILLIGHTS FILL WITH WATER. (ALSO KNOWN AS THE RACETRACK LIGHT). THE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLLY WILL FILL WITH WATER FROM RAIN WATER OR A SIMPLE CAR WASH. THIS CAUSES THE REAR TAILLIGHT TO FLICKER ON AND OFF OR BURN OUT COMPLETELY. THIS IS AN ON GOING ISSUE WITH THE 2014 AND NEWER DURANGO. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW FROM DODGE AND THEY WILL NOT COVER IT AND MAKE IT RIGHT. DODGE HAS ALSO NOT UPDATED THIS DESIGN TO IMPROVE IT EITHER. AFTER REPLACEMENT IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT WILL DO IT AGAIN. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS POORLY DESIGNED PART. THEN ON TOP OF IT, THE LOCAL DODGE DEALER WILL CHARGE YOU $1200 FOR A NEW ONE. I ATTACHED SOME PICTURES. I ALSO TOOK VIDEO OF THE WATER DRAINING OUT OF THE TAILGATE AND TAILLIGHTS FLICKERING ON AND OFF BUT COULDN'T UPLOAD THEM.

2018 DODGE DURANGO LAMP LIFTGATE FILLS WITH WATER AND CAUSE THE LIGHT TO FAIL.

Mileage: 36,500

THE TRACK LIGHTING (TAIL LIGHT) ON THE HATCH HAS WATER IN IT ALONG WITH CONDENSATION. I ONLY HAVE 24K MILES ON MY DURANGO.

JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR IN AUGUST. I DIDN'T NOTICE THE ENTIRE REAR RED LIGHTS WEREN'T WORKING UNTIL I GOT PULLED OVER. I'M GUESSING THEY DIDN'T WORK AT ALL AND I JUST DIDN'T NOTICE IT.

Mileage: 18,000

I WAS PULLED OVER AT NIGHT BY A POLICE OFFICER FOR NOT HAVING ANY REAR LIGHTS. THE OFFICER INFORMED ME THAT HE IS ALWAYS PULLING DODGE DURANGO'S OVER BECAUSE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THE LIGHTS FILL UP WITH WATER AND THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS CORRODE AND NO LONGER FUNCTION. THIS IS A 2018 THAT DID NOT PASS A PA SAFETY INSPECTION IN 2020 WITHOUT PAYING $1,888.51 TO REPLACE THE DAMAGED PARTS. THE GASKET AND SEALANT ON THIS PRODUCT BREAKS DOWN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME ALLOWING RAIN WATER TO FILL UP INSIDE THE TAIL LIGHT RACETRACK ASSEMBLY THAT IS ONE PART CONTAINING THE LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS, BACKUP CAMERA AND REAR BACKUP LIGHTS.I CALLED FCA CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE AND WERE WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE THE 2014 MODELS AND DODGE IS NOT WILLING TO ELEVATE OR SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND THE CONSUMER IS UNKNOWINGLY DRIVING WITHOUT LIGHTS UNTIL BEING PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE OR THE VEHICLE DOES NOT PASS A SAFETY INSPECTION. THIS ISN'T A $100 EXPENSE THAT IS BEING IGNORED BUT A $1,900 EXPENSE. THIS VEHICLE COULD HAVE ONLY 1,000 MILES OR 500,000 MILES BUT SHOULDN'T BE BREAKING DOWN IN LESS THAN 3 YEARS. THIS IS NOT NEGLECT OR WRONGDOING ON THE PART OF THE CONSUMER AND IS CLEARLY A QUALITY CONTROL BREAKDOWN THAT IS BEING IGNORED. HOW CAN WE REQUEST THE GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE AND ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL ON THIS DEFECT TO GUARANTEE THAT THE VENDORS AND MANUFACTURERS OF THE DEFECTIVE PRODUCT ARE THE ONES PAYING FOR THE REPAIRS AND NOT THE CUSTOMERS WHO ARE THE VICTIMS DURING THIS PANDEMIC WHEN I AM OUT OF WORK AND DON'T HAVE $2,000 JUST SITTING AROUND AND I'M STRUGGLING TO PAY THE BILLS AND PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE FOR MY FAMILY?

Mileage: 70,000

69000 MILES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CODES P0440 WAS THROWN 2X. I ALREADY REPLACED PURGE VALVE AT MY OWN COST. I ALSO INFORMED DODGE. THEY WON'T FIX IT UNLESS I PAY FOR DIAGNOSIS. WHICH I ALREADY HAD ONE DONE. ALSO HEADLIGHT BULB DROPPED AT 38K MILES AND I INFORMED DODGE AND MECHANIC. SHE SAID I DIDN'T HAVE THE WARRANTY ON IT AND THEY WOULDN'T REPLACE UNLESS I PAID FULL COST

Mileage: 68,900

REAR 'RACETRACK' LIGHTING AND LICENSE PLATE LIGHTING SHORTS OUT AND DOES NOT FUNCTION. THIS IS CAUSED BY WATER LEAKING INTO AND BEING RETAINED IN THE ASSEMBLY. THIS ISSUE IS THOROUGHLY DOCUMENTED IN A VARIETY OF ONLINE FORUMS. WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE INOPERATIVE, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE IS VERY DARK AND POSSES A SAFETY ISSUE BY INCREASING THE CHANCES OF A REAR END COLLISION.

Mileage: 10,500

WATER POOLING INSIDE RACE TRACK TAILLIGHT CAUSING OUTAGES IN PARTS OF TAILLIGHT

Mileage: 24,000

SINCE APPROXIMATELY 4,000 MILES WE HAVE EXPERIENCE NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES. OUR BACK-UP CAMERA, NAVIGATION, RADIO, AND A/C WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER INITIALLY FELT THE BATTERY WAS BACKFEEDING THE SYSTEM CAUSING A SHORT. THAT WAS QUICKLY CHANGED AND WE ARE STILL JUST WAITING FOR AN ANSWER. WHILE PARKED OVERNIGHT, ONE OF THE MAP LIGHTS CAME ON AND COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF. THE OVERHEAD CONTROL PANEL WAS REPLACED DUE TO AN OPEN CIRCUIT. MOST RECENTLY, WHEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, THE "R" INDICATOR ON THE SHIFTER AND DISPLAY WOULD BLINK AND THE CAR ACTED AS THOUGH IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE WOULD REV, BUT THE VEHICLE WON'T REVERSE. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON BOTH A FLAT SURFACE WHILE TRYING TO BACK OUT OF A DRIVEWAY AND ONCE ON A HILL WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT. WHILE ON THE HILL, THE CAR ROLLED FORWARD WHILE ENGAGED IN REVERSE. WE DO HAVE A VIDEO BUT ARE UNABLE TO UPLOAD.

Mileage: 11,763