How to fix a Ram 1500 3rd brake light water leak 5th Gen 2019 2020 2021. We fix headliner stain too

[@davidholmer6099]

Thank you, this video was very helpful. I noticed the storage well under the rear passenger side seat in my Quad Cab was damp. My first thought was there might be a rear window leak, but the window was never wet or streaked. On my 2019 Classic there are only two screws on the 3rd brake lens and the passenger side screw was very loose. The gasket was still pliable, so I just retightened it. If the leak persists I’ll follow your instructions. I love KZbin.

[@crit8262]

So, I have a 2019 Ram 1500 (newer model) and have had to replace my windshield wiper motor at 20000 miles. Noticed the dampness on my windshield and also back rear. Now found same water stain on rear passenger area that you have. Seats are soaked. I have had nothing but issues with this truck, and hate to trade in, but I am to that point. Sad that Ram can't stand behind their products and fix these problems.

[@twoOnine]

Had to replace the entire rear window because it had cracks on the upper bracket. The dealership refused to repair it because they said it was out of warranty. They should do a recall on this!

[@dakotawainwright9186]

5 months later, you’ll be happy to know Stellantis has finally issued a TSB for this to be replaced - check with your local dealer, they refer to it as a Backlite replacement, but it’s the fix for this

[@brianeyre5901]

Mine was out of warranty too but the dealership got Ram to replace it outside of warranty

[@earlburkhart8132]

Recently purchased a uesd 2019 5th gen. Ram 1500 from a dealer. Noticed water staining in headliner. I questioned it & they told me it was 3rd. brake light gasket issue & it was resolved by replacing light & gasket. This dealer upon my request retested for water leaks & failed . Noticed rear window frame was carcked & replaced it as well. Long & short of it after 3 attempts to purchase vehicle ,I did on third attemp assured leak issue was fixed. About 1 month later it is still leaking right now I am in the middle of process of resovling issue. They said they would send a new 3rd brake light & gasket to try & resolve issue , but this is the one & only courtesy thing they are willing to do. I am shocked there isn't some kind of class action law suit against RAM to not only replace third brake light assembly & rear window but consequential water damages such as water loged head liners.seats.& carpets, ect. P.S. This dealer is over 2 hours away from my home,tried to buy 3rd. brake light from local dealer & was told they are on back order for 1-2 months out & no other dealer in a 2 hour radius had one. To me this is a good indicator this is known & ongoing issue. Paid cash for vehicle so no satification of stopping payment to dealer if their one & only attempt to resolve issue doesn't work.

[@AutoAtlantica]

I got Stellantis involved directly to replace my rear window.

[@draftplus]

Any rubber gasket will "dry out" over time, losing its ability to expand. I took the third lamp off, cleaned off the gasket, tapping the dirt loose, letting it fall out... then saturated the gasket with just enough silicone, leaving the lamp off while it absorbed. Then reinstalled the lamp. For good measure sprayed a small amount along the top edge using the straw. Two rainstorms later, still no leaking.

[@allanbrown3598]

How will you take the brake light assembly out to replace bulbs when they burn out if it’s sealed shut?

[@MichaelScottFishing]

And on a serious note if you want to clean the headliner use barbasol shaving cream with a scrub brush. That’s what we use to clean the carpet in our bass boats and it is absolutely amazing when it comes to cleaning. You can thank me later.

[@mikeyp4404]

Check that shark fin antenna. My 19 PW was leaking badly from their.

[@mr09R1]

How did you determine it was from the antenna and not the brake light?

[@Mystic_vocabulary]

Just did this! Here’s to hoping I works!

[@garagetoyzllc2248]

Hope so! Let us know.

[@AutoAtlantica]

This is a monumental problem which Ram essentially ignored. My dealer re-sealed my brake light and comped it, however it was also leaking from the window surround which they wouldn’t comp, so I got Stellantis involved and they did pay to replace it. Truck is a 2019 with only 14,000 miles when it started leaking!

[@bdanielcal4608]

Make sure you check the remote start antenna that's next to the brake light that's were the water was coming in on mine

[@adolfoc3314]

I had the same problem a week that I bought my truck but the deeler fixed it for me, I think he just put silicon on it like you

[@garagetoyzllc2248]

Thats great!

[@travisthornton4954]

Where did you have water in your cabin? I took my truck in last year and they did a leak test and couldn't find anything, I had water under my weather tech mat. Today my back seat was wet only on the passenger side and some water under my mat again. Not as much as before. We had a heavy rain yesterday. My roof is dry no staining.

[@alexrodriguez6437]

Same issue. My passenger side carpet is soaked with water.

[@mr09R1]

What if you need to take the brake light off again at some point? How difficult will it be to break this silicone bead?

[@BuzzJones]

I have a 2020 1500 and just got a letter in the mail that the extended the warranty for the back window and the back light leak to 120,000 miles and the 2019 on up series. I have a water stain also in the same spot which the dealers replacing the light and window leaks but they’re not cleaning or replacing headliners which I don’t understand why they shouldn’t. Did your headliner come out and stay clean after it dried ??

[@offthecha1n]

Hope I get a similar letter. No leaks yet but you never know

[@rightushook8700]

Mine still leaks after "dealer fixed it". Think I'm to give this a try because I'm out of warranty now aswell. Mine leaks down the drivers side and comes down behind the seats

[@stretchapotamus2049]

Did this sealed around the fin antenna and along the topside of window with flowable silicone. Still leaking.

[@TOXIC-jq3ry]

i silcioned the weather strips, in the 4th gen theres a hole in the left side under the strip, so siliconed both sides, got a replacement assembly with a rubber gasket preinstalled, cos i cant wait for a gasket, which would come in a week. hope it fixes the issue.

[@user-ez2bs3fq1x]

Did it work?

[@jesusrebolledo8716]

​@@user-ez2bs3fq1x2nd'ing as well @TOXIX-jq3ry did it get fixed?

[@user-ez2bs3fq1x]

@@jesusrebolledo8716 didnt work for our 2021 ram laramie We had to get the whole window replaced under warranty. They said its the assembly of the window the seal around it was just put in bad in some trucks

[@butterblood]

2019 Ram here. 34,000 miles. Water leaking fried a “radio frequency hub” making the truck inoperable. Dealer said it was the rear window frame. Dealer and Chrysler said it was wear and tear and wouldn’t fix it. $1800 that my insurance decided to cover. ($3100 all said and done). 4 weeks later I get the truck back. Rained a day after I got it and it’s leaking again. I’m assuming it wasn’t the window. Now wondering if it’s the light or the antenna

[@bishopzbc45]

I replaced my rear window as well. One month later is leaking in the corner exact same corner as this video. Any up dates on yours? @butterblood

[@butterblood]

@@bishopzbc45 When i realized the new window didn’t fix the problem. I pulled the third break light. And the cheap foam gasket was soaked. I got a water bottle and sprayed water making sure it was contained to that area. Immediately had water coming from the window frame and soaking the headliner. I got some silicon and sealed that entire foam gasket before putting the light back on. Haven’t had a drop since.

[@MikeyLaPeste]

You put silicone on top of the gasket? Or just right next to it? Inner or outer part? Im dealing with this as we speak 😭​@@butterblood

[@butterblood]

@@MikeyLaPeste I let the light sit out in the sun to dry the foam gasket out. Then put a bead of RV silicone on the face of the gasket and another bead along the outer edge. Hasn’t leaked since.

[@HUMINT1]

Thanks!! Looks great!

[@KraigManna]

Would love to know if this worked. Dealer change my light with the AG version at the end of the warranty in Nov 21 but its leaking still.

[@garagetoyzllc2248]

My sons 2020 was changed at the dealer with most up to date version and it hasn't had an issue. His is not garaged at all. My 2019 in the video hasn't had any leaks since I made it. Hope this helps.

[@mattsaul6187]

I woke up yesterday with a bad battery on my 2020 ram Laramie. I took it to the dealer and three hours later they just let me know that they need it for a couple days to run some test. When I was leaving the dealership. I noticed a stain on the roof. Now it’s a whole Nother ball game. The light comes in on December 25. My truck is still under warranty. I have another six months left, and I also bought the extended warranty. Regardless, since I have the same issue, will I be having to pay out-of-pocket for all of this? Do they repair/clean everything? I went from having a bad battery to having a really really bad day! I live in Buffalo New York and we are getting a foot and a half of snow tonight

[@HUMINT1]

Sir May I ask has the stain come back at all anytime after this video was made? Not say from water actually getting through but from say bleeding through again? I’ve got a similar issue with my 2016 Ram Laramie 3500 DRW. I just purchased it say 4 months ago but never noticed any stains. Sorta kicking myself in the rear because I thought it’s something I shoulda caught at the time of purchase. Anyways your video was extremely helpful and positive. My truck is immaculate and having a stained headliner really chaps my hide! 🤣 ✌🏽

[@dmcc0912]

Thanks for video this is a major problem..4 points of entry...3rd light, window, roof seam and satellite antenna. My only question to you would be if this is 2019 wasn't it under warranty

[@garagetoyzllc2248]

It was delivered in July of 2018 as a 2019 model year. It was one of the first ones built. It was just out of the bumper to bumper warrantee.

[@Noneofyourbiz71]

That brake light assembly is going to hard to pull off with all that silicone! Good luck!!!

[@JRs-guitars]

Good video. Wouldn't it make more sense to let the silicone dry first before you reinstall the light...?

[@dancingonyourgrave4323]

No because, when it's wet it seals between the light and truck when you press it on. Then dries together, bonded.

[@guffv93]

how do you know if you have the “new” light

[@dylangarner5065]

Just another ram problem that they don't want to honor like the exhaust studs that cost a fortune to fix. They know it's a problem. They should fix everyone's for free for life

[@garagetoyzllc2248]

Agree 100%. This has been a problem for several generations. There should have been a design change to eliminate this issue ages ago.

[@PatriotPlus179]

Service and repair is where these dealerships make their money. It's terrible. My 2017 Laramie is leaking like crazy!

[@user-ez2bs3fq1x]

@@PatriotPlus179 my 2021 laramie is leaking too🤦🏻‍♀️ but nothing on headliner its all coming down corners of back window and down between seat sides and seatbelts. They replaced 3rd light and still doing it

[@PatriotPlus179]

@@user-ez2bs3fq1x Buy your own replacement seal. Clean the brake light housing, add the new seal, and reinforce the seal with some RTV. I'm adding a very small amount of blue thread-locker (Literally a small dot), to the bolts to make sure they don't loosen over time. I'm still waiting on the new seal. Then it's time to cut the old molded carpet out. I wish we could just delete the third brake light because it's not needed anyways.

[@user-ez2bs3fq1x]

@@PatriotPlus179 nope they already replaced the brake light turns out its the rear back window. There was no cracks in frame of it. No liner was wet but the water was coming through back left and right top corners. Dealer just replaced the window and redid my tint 🙌🏻😁

[@dustinwebb7432]

I didn’t see in your video, where exactly did yours leak from? I have the stains in both the corners of my headliner, already had Dodge replace 3rd brake light/gasket and hardware which I asked them why are they doing this when it’s leaking on the sides, perhaps sunroof drains? I had them change my headliner, and windshield since it broke during headliner removal; but here we are again with same stains in my headliner and my warranty just expired. I am so done with this truck, all the other issues I’ve had combined they should have bought it back - I did go on 5th gen forums and had a case rep reach out, which they paid me for my trouble my monthly amount - it was a nice gesture but doesn’t fix the issue with a $60k piece of crap now.

[@jwestphal2010]

So did that fix the issue?

[@navarrolaurent7548]

hello when you repaired the brake light seal on the ram!! did you solve the problem?? do you have a good seal now? thank you

[@garagetoyzllc2248]

So far so good. Been out in the rain a couple time and a handful of hand car washes. No issues far.

[@navarrolaurent7548]

@@garagetoyzllc2248 ok I put a double-sided seal for the fire now I know it is well sealed but I still had water getting in I noticed a crack on both sides of the rear window

[@rickylee2477]

@@navarrolaurent7548 I have a crack at the corner of driver side under corn of rear slider. Was that the source of you leak? I move sealed the hell out of the shark fin and the cargo light and still get bad leaks. Seats are soaked. But my head liner is soaked 6to 8 inches up the liner at the very back. Could that be for the water wicking up the liner from the top of the rear window?

[@bethg7026]

I just noticed this stain in my 2019 ram. Is this covered under warranty?

[@travisporter0801]

I just noticed it also. Did you ever find out?

[@bethg7026]

@travis porter for me its the rear window frame

[@mikeyp4404]

Antenna shark fin is leaking. I've owed 19 PW and it was bad.

[@Tarrnation]

After you siliconed the light did that stop the leak?

[@garagetoyzllc2248]

No leaks so far and it's been outside during several rainstorms and through a couple carwashes.

[@jtastick33]

Did this fix the leak?

[@NicolasGarcia-Abarca]

Did the repair end up working for you?

[@garagetoyzllc2248]

so far so good

[@edward_dantonio]

I hate it when you get a politician response from a company.

[@Chris-bl5fs]

Butyl tape might be a better gasket solution. YMMV…

[@mrcboy1]

I’m going to RTV silicon mines, I can see the crack in the plastic frame from the outside, smh shits stupid

[@DrRedRoger]

REPLACE THE GASKET

[@MichaelScottFishing]

Is it me or does he sound like Kermit the Frog?

[@dancingonyourgrave4323]

I noticed this on my truck too, sons of bitches always doing it cheaper and cheaper😂