My turn to complain about the dreaded rear window leak (2020)

[flameredram]

And here I thought that 2020's were not affected by the infamous rear window leak issue/recall. Well, now that the weather has taken a turn for the worse, I started noticing small drips all over the upper plastic frame near the headliner. The headliner near the airbag is also pretty damp. Funny thing is it only happens during rain, I couldn't reproduce with high pressure hose directed at the suspect areas (e.g. rear light, antenna, window seam, etc.). No cracks in the frame either. Drove to the dealer to have them witness it before it dries up again, have it booked for Friday, let's see if they can fix it.

At least my headliner is black, so residual staining (if any) won't be visible, as I really don't want to replace that seeing how involved that procedure is.

 

[Keezer]

Bet it is your CHMSL, the fact that the headliner is wet.

 

[NorthStar]

Crazy question but have any of you experiencing the leaks (without having the rear slider crack) removed the CHMSL at anytime since purchase but prior to the leak (to replace bulbs or do any maintenance)?

Knock on wood but I’ve never experienced this in any of my Rams and was curious if it has anything to do with reading the CHMSL and then it leaks after that?

 

[Bufo]

I’m at the dealer now having mine looked at. I have the light color headliner and noticed water staining at the back half. Seems like about every 6 months something let’s me down on the truck.

 

[RHeller1]

first thing I did when I got my truck was replace the gasket. I didnt have the issue, but I also dont want it.

 

[OldMarine]

I swapped out the back-up bulbs for LED's when I first got the truck, then after putting the lens back in, I got out my can of trusty "Flex Seal Clear", masked around the Lens, and gave it a good coating all around the lens where it meets the cab. No leak is really POSSIBLE at that opening now.

 

[HydroRebel]

This is a pretty common issue on many vehicles with a 3rd brake light. I had this happen on my '08 Tundra. I just put some clear silicon around it and it stopped it from leaking. I did a preemptive strike on my '14 Ram as a just in case. I haven't done this to my '20 Rebel yet but I will. I did replace my cargo lights with LED's and tested it afterwards with a garden hose and it never leaked but I will do it anyway for peace of mind.

 

[Biga]

Looks like the third brake light, mine leaked similar to yours. It did not leak with washing with a garden house, I believe it has to sit in the rain for a while to saturate the foam gasket then it starts leaking. I replaced mine twice. the last time about 6 months ago and it has been dry since.

 

[bill-e]

Is ther an updated seal that resolves the issue? I know that this was a problem with 4th Gen trucks as well and I had that 3rd break light out 2 or 3 times over the 5 years I owned it. Never replaced the gasket and never ha a leak...weird,

 

[jastevenson]

Is there a good Reason Ram doesn’t seal it with a rubber gasket instead of the foam one people are describing? Or use some other method to “caulk” the edges so water can’t get in?

It seems like an easy fix, so I wonder if there is some benefit to the seal being not completely airtight/watertight.

 

[flameredram]

Crazy question but have any of you experiencing the leaks (without having the rear slider crack) removed the CHMSL at anytime since purchase but prior to the leak (to replace bulbs or do any maintenance)?

Knock on wood but I’ve never experienced this in any of my Rams and was curious if it has anything to do with reading the CHMSL and then it leaks after that?

Nope, never touched it

 

[PsychoBilly]

Put silicone on mine, worked like a charm. If you watch the light when you tighten it down it pulls the top away from the truck a good bit. The angle of the screws is a engineering mistake. in my opinion they should have made a cup type seal for the third brake light. When I pulled mine out and saw the headliner I couldn't believe they didn't seal it any better than they did.

 

[jastevenson]

Interesting, I may try that. What product did you use?

 

[brian42]

I used this...

M-D Building Products 1033 M-D 0 All Profile Weather-Strip Tape, 10 Ft L X 19/32 in W 5/16 in T, Epdm Rubber, Black - Weather Stripping - Amazon.com

M-D Building Products 1033 M-D 0 All Profile Weather-Strip Tape, 10 Ft L X 19/32 in W 5/16 in T, Epdm Rubber, Black - Weather Stripping - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

You can also pick up something similar at your local home improvement store also.

 

[Buz]

How about just caulking around the entire light assembly with a high quality clear silicone caulk?

 

[NorthStar]

I considered purchasing this and slapping it over the entire 3rd brake light. I have LEDs in there now so should have to worry about changing them for a while.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Flex-Tape-4-in-x-5-ft-Clear-Heavy-Duty-Duct-Tape/1000476975

 

[brian42]

How about just caulking around the entire light assembly with a high quality clear silicone caulk?

You can do that but then you'd have to pull/cut it off to get the light out then re-caulk it when you put the light back in.

If my truck was 20 years old then I'd consider the clear silicone or Flex Tape. Since I don't have any peeling or rust yet I wanted to keep the truck as new looking as possible. I replaced the gasket and put a dab of clear silicone RTV on each of the screw heads when I put it back in. I figure I'll be taking it off at least one more time down the road.

 

[Buz]

You can do that but then you'd have to pull/cut it off to get the light out then re-caulk it when you put the light back in.

If my truck was 20 years old then I'd consider the clear silicone or Flex Tape. Since I don't have any peeling or rust yet I wanted to keep the truck as new looking as possible. I replaced the gasket and put a dab of clear silicone RTV on each of the screw heads when I put it back in. I figure I'll be taking it off at least one more time down the road.

What gasket did you use if you don't mind me asking?

 

[NorthStar]

You can do that but then you'd have to pull/cut it off to get the light out then re-caulk it when you put the light back in.

If my truck was 20 years old then I'd consider the clear silicone or Flex Tape. Since I don't have any peeling or rust yet I wanted to keep the truck as new looking as possible. I replaced the gasket and put a dab of clear silicone RTV on each of the screw heads when I put it back in. I figure I'll be taking it off at least one more time down the road.

My thoughts for using the Flex Tape is because I am about to put a new Leer topper/canopy on my truck and the flex tape won't be showing nor will I need access to that area...and I want to ensure I've got the 3rd brake like well protected from leaking. Then again, if I suffer the sliding rear window fate then it's a whole new headache.

If I could, I'd simply remove the 3rd brake like and seal the hole up permanently but then that introduces a whole new set of headaches...

 

[Aseras]

Butyl Tape. It's like putty. Pull the light, toss the POS gasket. Apply a nice single layer of Butyl Tape all around and try to minimize any overage. Peel off the second side and stick the light back on. tighten evenly until the tape just smooshes. use a plastic putty knife and carefully trim the excess. DO NOT DRAG THE KNIFE. Only cut pressing straight down. It's not a steak.

Never worry about it leaking ever again.