The dreaded rear area water leak! 2019 bighorn.

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Fnjoey

Fnjoey

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The 2019 Rear window frames were prone to cracking,
2020 window frame seem to be OK

If the roof liner is stained above the window, the 3rd brake light seal is likely the cause
but,
there is a slight chance, that the roof line rubber seals could contribute

If the water stain is along the bottom of the Sliding window, the window Track can get filled with natures trash.
Like pollen, pieces of leaves, dust, a touch of sand, etc.
There are 1 or 2 holes in the window track.
The drain exit holes are built into the window seal rubber.
If you use a plastic scraper, and run it along the bottom of the rubber seal outside, you may open up the holes exit.
In one video a guy was using something to squirt water into the window track, it was not enough to overflow the track.
Then outside he used a scraper to separate the rubber from the paint.
That allowed the water to drain & run down the exterior of the cab

Thanks I'll check them out.
 

Juice17

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I used marine weatherstripping and made my own gasket. Then ran a bead of black all metal silicone around outer light. Worked great
 
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Fnjoey

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I used marine weatherstripping and made my own gasket. Then ran a bead of black all metal silicone around outer light. Worked great
Did you take the old gasket off?
 

Railrider

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My 2022 2500 Limited had a 3rd brake light leak from the factory. I received the truck in late December 2021 and had the truck for about two months when it started smelling really skanky (no more new car leather smell.. bummer). My dealer said the brake light assembly had to be replaced because the gasket was attached to the assembly and it (gasket) could not be replaced by itself. They replaced the assembly and so far I have not had another leak. I did not have any water stains on the headliner or behind the seats that I could see. The dealer said that the gasket sometimes gets misaligned and mangled at the factory during the light installation and then a leak is a result.
 
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Fnjoey

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Ok, so I pulled the light, the gasket looked good, assuming it's a new assembly because the gasket wasn't that smoothed except on tge sides, so I doubled up on the gaskets and put it back in. Took a bucket of water and dumped it on the pas side glass first, no water. Then I went over to the driver side and did it, and, I got water in.. checked the window again, and sure as **** there is a Crack in the plastic... so now, how do I go about this? Just go to the dealer and tell them my rear window frame is cracked and they need to replace my window for free? It's a 19 with 30k miles so I should be covered, I'm also calling the dealer in got it from too because I think they knew it had a leak.. this was a leased trucked before I got it so I would imagine at some point someone knew it was leaking. But anyway, should I contact @RamCares first?
 

yomanne

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PoMansRam

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I did this fix using (new thicker gasket) about a year ago and it worked great. Can't imagine anyone thinking silicone is a good idea when it comes time to replace a bulb.
For sure on that. The biggest problem with silicone on body surfaces is lawd help ya if/when you need body work in that area.

It's really difficult to remove all traces of silicone and trace amounts ruin paint/body work.

Glad the OP got his leak figured out. I didn't realize his 2019 was a 5th gen. I don't think the 3rd brake light is as much an issue on them as it is on 4th gens.
 

RamCares

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Ok, so I pulled the light, the gasket looked good, assuming it's a new assembly because the gasket wasn't that smoothed except on tge sides, so I doubled up on the gaskets and put it back in. Took a bucket of water and dumped it on the pas side glass first, no water. Then I went over to the driver side and did it, and, I got water in.. checked the window again, and sure as **** there is a Crack in the plastic... so now, how do I go about this? Just go to the dealer and tell them my rear window frame is cracked and they need to replace my window for free? It's a 19 with 30k miles so I should be covered, I'm also calling the dealer in got it from too because I think they knew it had a leak.. this was a leased trucked before I got it so I would imagine at some point someone knew it was leaking. But anyway, should I contact @RamCares first?
Hey!

Please send us a direct message. We'd love to gather more information and get a case started for you.

Callie
Ram Cares
 

Taspeace

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What ever you do, do it soon! I paid $1,600 to get my brake housing replaced (they don't sell the component parts - specifically the gasket), my rear window replaced (went for the single piece window and left the leaky-framed electric slider on the shop floor, and the headliner, seats, carpets and padding pulled to be washed and have the mold removed (soaked with enzymatic cleaners). It took over a week to get it all dried out and put back in the vehicle.
 
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Fnjoey

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What ever you do, do it soon! I paid $1,600 to get my brake housing replaced (they don't sell the component parts - specifically the gasket), my rear window replaced (went for the single piece window and left the leaky-framed electric slider on the shop floor, and the headliner, seats, carpets and padding pulled to be washed and have the mold removed (soaked with enzymatic cleaners). It took over a week to get it all dried out and put back in the vehicle.
Thankfully it's not leaking that bad yet, sent a msg to ram cares, so we shall see where I go from here, I bought it from a non ram dealer and have an appointment with them on Thursday, they are good, but I doubt they'll want to eat $1000 to replace a window that's under the 3/36.. so as long as @RamCares gets back to me quick, I can get an appointment at the local ram dealer. I'm out of work right now for probably this week and next week, but go back and won't have time off for a while so I'm trying to get it resolved before then.
 
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Fnjoey

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Went to the local dealer to me this morning, they didn't give me the run around yet, service guy cane out and took pictures, going to send it off to ram and let me know in a couple of days/weeks. But the tech that was there even Saud we'll just pull the old put in a new window. So it appears they are aware of this issue. So we shall see.. I would like @RamCares to get back to me so I can get something going with them in case if there is an issue down the road.
 

RamCares

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Hi Fnjoey,

We've replied to your direct message. Thank you for your patience while we got back to you!

Callie
Ram Cares
 

yroyerr

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Ok, so I pulled the light, the gasket looked good, assuming it's a new assembly because the gasket wasn't that smoothed except on tge sides, so I doubled up on the gaskets and put it back in. Took a bucket of water and dumped it on the pas side glass first, no water. Then I went over to the driver side and did it, and, I got water in.. checked the window again, and sure as **** there is a Crack in the plastic... so now, how do I go about this? Just go to the dealer and tell them my rear window frame is cracked and they need to replace my window for free? It's a 19 with 30k miles so I should be covered, I'm also calling the dealer in got it from too because I think they knew it had a leak.. this was a leased trucked before I got it so I would imagine at some point someone knew it was leaking. But anyway, should I contact @RamCares first?
I have a 2012 RAM 3500 and always had a moist cabin after a rain. When I finally got a severe leak, it was dirt plugging the moonroof drain holes and finding iits way in the back through the headliner since I was parked on a slope. Fixing this problem only led me to noticing further leaks - a total of 5 and none of them was the3rd brake light. Both cab vents were letting in small amount of water. The rear sliding window channels were letting water in too but here is a twist: from the outside looking below the 3rd brake light, there is a horizontal rubber/plastic piece between the fixed side windows. If you see small gaps on either side, it’s likely that water drains down from the edges of the brake light, follows the vertical channels formed by the sliding and fixed windows, and accelerates on its way down to this trim part and small openings. It will overwhelm the inside drain channels And they need caulking carefully as you don’t want to glue the sliding windows. One way to find out if you have a small leak is to roll a paper towel and slide it under the rear seats all the way to the back under the rug; if it gets moist, you have a small leak.
 
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