general problems of the 2018 Dodge Durango - part 1

Water in racetrack tailgate taillights.

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.

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.

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?.

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.

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.

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?.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the driver-side tailgate led light had gone out. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that water had gotten inside the light the dealer stated that the entire area where the tailgate race track 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. The contact was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.