Roof leak covered under 3/36 warranty?

[PoMansRam]

Yep. Just got done putting painter's tape around the light. I actually tried this weeks ago, but of course it barely rained during that time. It does indeed look like they replaced the light and not just the gasket. I didn't unscrew it, but it appears and feels to be mounted tight.

Yeah, this particular Dodge and Ram dealer is insanely busy. It's one of those mega chain dealers that sells everything.

 

[JB1]

There is no new and improved 3rd brake light, you should change the gasket yourself

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/leaky-brake-light-fixed.91885/

 

[PoMansRam]

There is no new and improved 3rd brake light, you should change the gasket yourself

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/leaky-brake-light-fixed.91885/

I hear you and I've done that. Dealer tossed that light with my aftermarket gasket on it in the trash apparently.

 

[PoMansRam]

My service adviser just called me back. They're going to fit me in tomorrow to have another crack at this. That's a lot better than the 16 day out appt they gave me yesterday.

 

[PoMansRam]

The dealer had it all day again today. They claim they've leak checked it and are now blaming the leak on the rear window and won't touch it because it's not OEM glass. I don't get how a rear window leak would only run down the rear pillars, but I have no leverage at this point given the rear glass is aftermarket, and was replaced at some point by someone before I bought the truck used. I'll set something up with a local glass shop I know and trust.

 

[PoMansRam]

Had my glass guy remove and reset the rear glass yesterday like I should have done in the very beginning. He said who ever did that install made a mess of it and was probably the cause of my leaks all along. The fourth trip to a shop for this and another $150. If this doesn't do it, I'm flex-sealing the whole truck. Might even have an Amish metal roof put over the original.

 

[PatinAZ]

Right before the 3/36 ran out, I noted to the dealer the felt on the rear sliding window was deformed. They said they would have to get back to me because they needed higher approval because the rear window would need to be replaced. I never heard back from them and forgot about it. Fast forward a few months and outside my 3/36, we had rain for several days straight and my cab was wet under the rear seat. I took it in for the recalls and told them the cab got wet inside. They said they resealed the 3rd brake light, done under warranty.

 

[Tim7139]

Could it be a seam in where the body panels come together? Had that happen in my wife’s car, but that car was almost 10 years old when that occurred. Took them a while to find it. They had the headliner out and had to run the hose for 30min or more before it really started coming in. They sealed it up and the problem went away. Good luck.

This happened to my 2015 RAM above the driver door under the black weatherstripping.

 

[mtofell]

If the water is coming in at the back corners I don't see how it could be the brake light but dealers love to just get rid of you with the easiest "fix" for them. fwiw, I fixed my own 3rd brake light with some rubber weather stripping in the Home Depot parking lot and it hasn't leaked in 4+ years. I park on an up slope outside and my area gets LOTS of rain so I know it's been tested.

 

[chrisbh17]

The water appears at the back corners because the area behind the third brake light is "tilted" towards either side of the cab...its not perfectly flat, so the water rolls downhill to either side. Plus we never park on 100% flat ground so the truck will be leaned one way or another.

There is a chance its not the third brake light as PoMansRam can attest to, but a lot of the time its the simple 3rd brake light fix that is necessary.

 

[PoMansRam]

There is a chance its not the third brake light as PoMansRam can attest to, but a lot of the time its the simple 3rd brake light fix that is necessary.

Yep. How the 3rd brake light fits into the roof is a horrible design and will most likely be the cause of most roof leaks on later model Rams. In my case, the 3rd brake light did leak some, but the majority of my problem wasn't a Ram issue at all. It was a shoddy install of the aftermarket rear (solid) glass.

It would be cool to see some pics of a 2019 Ram with the 3rd brake light removed to see if FCA actually tried to fix this problem. I couldn't imagine the amount of time and resources Ram service techs have spent patching up this issue over the years for those effected.

 

[chrisbh17]

Funny you mention that.. Parked next to a '19 ram tonight and the first thing I looked at was the third brake light....

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[JohnnyMac]

Funny you mention that.. Parked next to a '19 ram tonight and the first thing I looked at was the third brake light....

Sneak over there with a screwdriver and take a couple pics would ya?

 

[Viper2320]

I just bought my 2017 Ram sport and the rear driver side up in the corner is all wet and is dripping down under the seat as well. Taking it into the dealer tomorrow after waiting a week for an appointment. So they can look at it.they said it could be either the sunroof drains or the third brake light. They said that that is a known issue .So why don't they fix it in the past.