Water in Your Dodge Durango Racetrack Taillights? Class Action Says Defect Is to Blame

A proposed class action alleges the rear LED “racetrack light” of 2014-2023 model year Dodge Durangos is defective in that it allows water to leak into and flood the entire taillight assembly, damaging essential electrical components.

The 75-page case says that the Durango racetrack light assembly, which houses the vehicle’s taillights, reverse lights, license plate lights and backup camera, is unique in that it is a long, solid component that spans the entire tailgate. Once water has entered the taillight assembly, typically through the gaskets and seals on a Durango’s tailgate, it “sits and accumulates, which burns out and corrodes” critical electrical and lighting components, the lawsuit states.

According to the complaint, water infiltration into the taillight assembly and the corrosion that occurs as a result may initially manifest as “a small dimming or shorting-out of a portion of the Taillight Assembly,” particularly the Durango’s rear racetrack light. Eventually, the case says, the problem leads to “an array of serious issues” with the vehicle’s taillights, including “flickering, dimming, shorting of the wires and electrical components […] and/or total failure of the taillights, reverse lights, and/or license plate lights.”

The lawsuit emphasizes that the Dodge Durango racetrack light defect poses a serious safety concern as it can hamper the vehicle’s turn signals and reverse camera, increasing the likelihood of a collision. Moreover, the shorting of wires and electrical components within the taillight assembly could spark a fire, the case adds.

Despite its awareness of the defect, automaker FCA US has not recalled affected Dodge Durangos to repair the racetrack taillights defect, the lawsuit states.

The filing says many Dodge Durango owners and lessees have experienced more than one instance of water in their taillights—sometimes just a few months after purchase—and, as a result, paid out of pocket for multiple repairs that fail to fix the problem.

“Had Plaintiffs and other Class members known about the Defect at the time of purchase or lease, they would not have bought or leased the Class Vehicles [2014-2023 Dodge Durangos] or would have paid substantially less for them,” the suit reads.

FCA has “concealed” the Durango taillight water leakage problem, case claims

As the lawsuit tells it, automaker FCA US has “long been aware” of the Durango racetrack taillight defect, based primarily on pre-production testing, warranty claim statistics and a bevy of driver complaints online, yet has failed to disclose the problem to the public.

The plaintiffs contest that the sheer number of complaints about the problem has forced FCA US to acknowledge the inherent taillight defect internally, apparently evidenced by the automaker’s issuance of a March 2020 technical service bulletin (TSB). In that TSB, the suit says, FCA US requested that dealers handling 2018-2021 Durangos with moisture and/or water intrusion in the tail lamp assembly send the automaker photos of the vehicle, its VIN and “defect images” of the water/moisture.

“Thus, Defendant was aware—and acknowledged the existence—of the Defect, at latest, as of March 2020,” the case reads.

Crucially, FCA US’s March 2020 TSB does not instruct dealers to inform consumers of the water leakage problem, the filing adds.

Per the case, FCA issued another TSB in June 2021, this time concerning 2014-2021 model year Durangos. The communication acknowledged that “visible moisture may infiltrate the license plate lamp housing contained in the Taillight Assembly” of the Durangos, causing the license plate lamp to fail, the suit says.

According to the case, FCA US has gone so far as to refuse to disclose the defect’s existence even when a Dodge Durango brought in for repairs displays symptoms consistent with the water-leakage problem. Further, the automaker has “routinely refused” to fix consumers’ vehicles without charge, even if they’re still under warranty, the suit alleges.

Durango drivers forced to pay “multiple times for multiple repairs” to racetrack taillight, suit says

Per the case, FCA US has “routinely” refused to do anything to correct the design and/or manufacturing defect plaguing the Dodge Durango racetrack taillight assembly whether it manifests before or after a vehicle’s warranty expires, the lawsuit says. As the case tells it, since the issue can manifest “shortly outside of the warranty period” for 2014-2023 Durangos, and given FCA’s apparent knowledge of the problem, the automaker’s attempt to limit its warranty exposure is “unconscionable and unenforceable.”

Per the filing, some Durango drivers have been charged “multiple times for multiple replacements/repairs,” sometimes spending as much as $2,000 out of pocket to repair the problem each time it occurs.

“Defendant omitted and/or concealed the existence of the Defect to increase profits by selling additional Class Vehicles,” the complaint alleges. “Knowledge and information regarding the Defect were in the exclusive and superior possession of Defendant and its dealers, and this information was not provided to Plaintiffs and members of the Class.”

To date, FCA has not recalled the Dodge Durangos at issue, or so much as redesigned a replacement part to prevent water leakage into the racetrack taillight assembly, the case contests. Further, the company has offered drivers neither suitable repairs/replacements free of charge nor offered reimbursements for out-of-pocket expenses, the filing says.

Complaints from Durango drivers mount online

The case includes a laundry list of complaints from Durango drivers who claim to have experienced water leakage problems with their racetrack taillight assembly. One driver, per the suit, shared the following image that shows how quickly water intrusion into the assembly caused the vehicle’s rear lights to dim and then fail completely:

Other images posted online, the suit continues, purport to show water sitting inside of the taillight assembly, including one where standing water attracted insects inside the component:

Another image, a screenshot from a video instructing Durango drivers how to fix the water leakage problem themselves, shows water pouring out of a Durango taillight assembly when the fasteners and bolts are removed, according to the suit:

Roughly 13 pages of the complaint, embedded at the bottom of this page, are dedicated to sharing driver complaints submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and other online forums about the apparent Durango racetrack taillight assembly defect.

“Despite hundreds of complaints made over the course of years from owners of the Class Vehicles, Defendant has failed to take any affirmative steps to notify owners of [the defect] or fix it on its own volition by way of issuing a recall or any other means,” the lawsuit states.

Who’s covered by the lawsuit?

The lawsuit aims to cover all persons or entities in the United States who are current or former owners and/or lessees of a 2014-2023 model year Dodge Durango.

I have had water issues with my Dodge Durango taillights. How do I join?

There’s typically nothing you need to do to join or sign up for a class action case when it’s initially filed. It’s only if and when a suit settles that the people impacted by the lawsuit—called class members—need to act, usually by filling out and filing a claim form online or by mail.

If you’ve experienced water leakage in the racetrack taillights of your Dodge Durango, or just want to stay in the loop on class action lawsuit and settlement news, sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter.