Rear window leak

[mikeru82]

I've got an update from the dealership this morning. They've cancelled my appointment and explained that Stellantis requires all cabin leak cases to go through an independent leak investigation provider. I was surprised to learn that there is a type of company like that, and there are a lot of them across the country.
Stellantis dealership doesn't investigate the source of the leak and they don't replace the rear glass. They manage the whole process, but rely on 3rd party vendor availability to investigate the source of the leak, and then on another vendor to replace the glass. First availability is in a month. My comment that there is clearly a crack in the window trim didn't work - they've responded that there is also a possibility of a leak through the brake light or other sources, and this is a new Stellantis requirement.

So I've parked the truck in the garage with all windows down to let it dry. Appointment is in a month.

Or should I try another dealership?

I'd try another dealership. Stellantis certainly doesn't require all cases to go through an independent leak investigation provider. That's B.S. your dealership is pushing on you unless that's something that changed in the last two days. We're going through this right now, and our dealership has been troubleshooting the problem. I know of one dealership in my area that will replace the rear window if the frame is visibly cracked. It's farther away than the dealership we usually use, but if we don't get a solution here we'll hit the other dealership up for a window replacement.

 

[Nikdfish]

I dropped off the truck this AM & went home in a loaner. Ended up picking it back up around 5. When their glass people started the window frame removal they found a crack in the frame near the drivers side corner & stopped work. The dealer has ordered a replacement window assembly & it should be in around the 8th or 9th (a bit more than a week). I picked up my truck rather than deal with the Tradesman Bighorn loaner (no comparison).

To be continued ...

 

[c3k]

I've got an update from the dealership this morning. They've cancelled my appointment and explained that Stellantis requires all cabin leak cases to go through an independent leak investigation provider. I was surprised to learn that there is a type of company like that, and there are a lot of them across the country.
Stellantis dealership doesn't investigate the source of the leak and they don't replace the rear glass. They manage the whole process, but rely on 3rd party vendor availability to investigate the source of the leak, and then on another vendor to replace the glass. First availability is in a month. My comment that there is clearly a crack in the window trim didn't work - they've responded that there is also a possibility of a leak through the brake light or other sources, and this is a new Stellantis requirement.

So I've parked the truck in the garage with all windows down to let it dry. Appointment is in a month.

Or should I try another dealership?

Contact a lawyer. Have that lawyer contact the dealership.

 

[Scram1500]

This is turning into a real ****show

 

[Handmeawrench]

The more I think about it the more I feel like just permatex sealing the new window after its installed and be done with it.

Here’s the thing:

Permatex is cheap, it’s fast, and it works. End stop. I’m not paid to say that…get whatever brand you like and do whatever you want. I found something that’s been working for me through all four seasons over the past 10+ months and thought I’d share.

If you’re worried about violating terms of your warranty, well guess what? It’s not covered anyway! Replacing perfectly good glass because of a POS plastic surround is wasteful. They throw that removed piece in the garbage.

You can fix this problem today for under $20, or you can have it not be fixed in two months after losing sleep fighting with Ram.


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[Handmeawrench]

Has anyone actually done the permatex that has had the cracks and been able to confirmed it works in the long run? The cracks get bigger over time so I'm interested to see how that will affect it.

10 months in, from 118 degrees F to -20 degrees F. I live in the Pacific NW where it rains 300 days per year. No leaks.


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[firecadet613]

10 months in, from 118 degrees F to -20 degrees F. I live in the Pacific NW where it rains 300 days per year. No leaks.


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Just waiting for it to warm up here in the midwest and I'll be doing this...

 

[RamCares]

Just got off the phone with both mopar vehicle protection and ram customer care and neither is going to help me with this leaking window issue. This is really disappointing and really has just solidified we won’t be buying a mopar car ever again.

My car was bought CPO and I bought the 7yr/100,000 mile extended warranty. Ram customer care said I don’t qualify for any goodwill (which apparently works if you’re within 2 years or 24,000 mi after your factory warranty lapses BUT you have to be the original owner apparently). So because I’m the 2nd owner the goodwill doesn’t apply (note: my car is actually only 10 months passed the original 3 year warranty and actually 5k miles BELOW the original 36k mile warranty - but because I’m not original owner then the goodwill doesn’t apply).

As a consumer I thought I did all the right things when buying this truck used - I made sure to buy CPO and made sure to buy the extended warranty direct form mopar. Yep somehow I’m still screwed for something that shouldn’t happen in a car - water leaking into it.

Anyways - any other suggestions on how to resolve?

Hey there,

Did they create a case for you? We'd love to look into it or get you some assistance if necessary. If you're interested, please send us a DM!

Callie
Ram Cares

 

[GMetal]

I'm going to post this again. The glass is bonded to a piece of plastic that is bonded to the body with Urethane glass adhesive (3M 08693 ) that is also used to install the front window. If you ever worked with this stuff its tough as nails and waterproof. The problem here is the plastic is separating from the glass with a crack or just a delamination. When you install the silicone in the crack you are sealing the window and preventing a leak but the problem still remains. Youd be just as successful by stuffing a seal or butyl tape in the seam between the glass and body. Stellantis needs to figure out the root cause of this problem. Putting a new backlite (back glass) in using the same products that are prone to failure will just mean this problem will continue. I hope this gets fixed at the manufacturing level. Im really surprised at the lack of photos of the actual removal of a bad backlite and the installation process.

 

[UglyMonk3y]

View attachment 150327
I'm going to post this again. The glass is bonded to a piece of plastic that is bonded to the body with Urethane glass adhesive (3M 08693 ) that is also used to install the front window. If you ever worked with this stuff its tough as nails and waterproof. The problem here is the plastic is separating from the glass with a crack or just a delamination. When you install the silicone in the crack you are sealing the window and preventing a leak but the problem still remains. Youd be just as successful by stuffing a seal or butyl tape in the seam between the glass and body. Stellantis needs to figure out the root cause of this problem. Putting a new backlite (back glass) in using the same products that are prone to failure will just mean this problem will continue. I hope this gets fixed at the manufacturing level. Im really surprised at the lack of photos of the actual removal of a bad backlite and the installation process.

i agree with u 100% that the manufacturers and/or engineers need to get a better design and/or fix to this reoccurring 5 yr old rear window leak issue.

but sometimes, a $10 fix (sealant) for a $2000 problem (window replacement) is better. not counting the wasted time of back & forth communication with the dealers, the several days/months wait for an appointment, another several days/months wait for parts, that if the dealers decided it's covered under warranty repair but i guess that's debatable too. & the chances of the electronic boxes behind the back seat getting shorted plus interior damages. then that increases the cost of repair & more wait time.

that $10 fix also seems to be more dependable than the window replacement since there were still many complaints after the windows was replaced. i know i used a very small amount (smaller than a jelly bean) of black silicone sealant from Lowe's & I've been leak free for almost 5 months of light rains & several washes.

 

[Chris3058]

I've got an update from the dealership this morning. They've cancelled my appointment and explained that Stellantis requires all cabin leak cases to go through an independent leak investigation provider. I was surprised to learn that there is a type of company like that, and there are a lot of them across the country.
Stellantis dealership doesn't investigate the source of the leak and they don't replace the rear glass. They manage the whole process, but rely on 3rd party vendor availability to investigate the source of the leak, and then on another vendor to replace the glass. First availability is in a month. My comment that there is clearly a crack in the window trim didn't work - they've responded that there is also a possibility of a leak through the brake light or other sources, and this is a new Stellantis requirement.

So I've parked the truck in the garage with all windows down to let it dry. Appointment is in a month.

Or should I try another dealership?

Well I had mine replaced by the dealer two weeks ago??? So this must have changed Damn recently. Or your dealer is feeding you a line.

 

[c3k]

Well I had mine replaced by the dealer two weeks ago??? So this must have changed Damn recently. Or your dealer is feeding you a line.

That dealership is feeding him a line.

 

[Chris3058]

That dealership is feeding him a line.

Lol. Yep!!

 

[yellowboy]

Well lets bump this up again. Why not. Window leaking for the 5th time. After it's fixed ( OR IF) unloading this big POS my last RAM . I'll go Hyundai or Kia if I have to can't be any worse.

 

[Biga]

Thier needs to be a recall on it, I'm told those are only for safety issues but their will be a lot of safety issues once all these trucks start growing black mold and people start getting sick.

 

[GeorgeA]

They already have a safety issue with the rear window / brake light allowing water intrusion.

In many cases the water drips onto the RF Hub and the e-Torque battery/module.

Many of us on the forum think it is causing our vehicles to shut down and go into PARK - while driving!!

This is a serious SAFETY issue.

I only found out about the rear window leak in my truck after experiencing the "phantom" shut down

The dealer replaced the window and brake light, but never came to a conclusion on the components that may have been affected by the water. I asked them to at least replace the RF Hub, but they said they could not do that without seeing an error code. The part is also on back order for over 4 months.

 

[GoRavens]

Contact a lawyer. Have that lawyer contact the dealership.

Something to consider short of legal representation- I used the Better Business Bureau in addition to Ram Cares for my window leak/module short fiasco. The combination of both- a RAM owner advocate and a local consumer advocate helped a lot. Ram Cares did a great job in negotiating the cost. The BBB essentially called out the dealership for the over four-week delay in repair, forcing their hand to perform my fix instead of keeping me waiting in the que. Hope this helps someone else going through this mess. . .

 

[Synergy26]

So I have a leaking back window on my 2020 LIMITED 1500 again and for the third time its going to be replaced. This time my trucks battery went dead and then dead again after being jumped, also noticed the inside of the truck was getting a lot of condensation right before this happened. Well my truck has been in the shop for another 2 weeks and they are telling me the rear window leaked and ruined the RH hub and corroded some wires and another rear defrost module. The RF hub is causing my screens to remain on when the truck was turned off. All these problems again. to top it off there is a big back order on the RF hub. I cant believe some law firm hasn't performed a lawsuit. This rear window needs a recall and a new design. Does anyone know if there is a aftermarket version made with a metal frame? TIA

 

[yellowboy]

So I have a leaking back window on my LIMITED 1500 again and for the third time its going to be replaced. This time my trucks battery went dead and then dead again after being jumped, also noticed the inside of the truck was getting a lot of condensation right before this happened. Well my truck has been in the shop for another 2 weeks and they are telling me the rear window leaked and ruined the RH hub and corroded some wires and another rear defrost module. The RF hub is causing my screens to remain on when the truck was turned off. All these problems again. to top it off there is a big back order on the RF hub. I cant believe some law firm hasn't performed a lawsuit. This rear window needs a recall and a new design. Does anyone know if there is a aftermarket version made with a metal frame? TIA

What year is your truck ? - and yes there needs to be legal action

 

[Scram1500]

So I have a leaking back window on my LIMITED 1500 again and for the third time its going to be replaced. This time my trucks battery went dead and then dead again after being jumped, also noticed the inside of the truck was getting a lot of condensation right before this happened. Well my truck has been in the shop for another 2 weeks and they are telling me the rear window leaked and ruined the RH hub and corroded some wires and another rear defrost module. The RF hub is causing my screens to remain on when the truck was turned off. All these problems again. to top it off there is a big back order on the RF hub. I cant believe some law firm hasn't performed a lawsuit. This rear window needs a recall and a new design. Does anyone know if there is a aftermarket version made with a metal frame? TIA

A solid glass back window from a Tradesmen would solve this problem