Which tail light assembly??

[Brianxrson]

I need to replace the Dodge Ram 1500 tail light assembly on my truck, but I’m stuck between going with OEM or trying one of the aftermarket options. Some of the aftermarket ones look nice with LEDs, but I don’t want to deal with fitment issues or wiring headaches.
Anyone here have recommendations on which way to go?
TIA

 

[RamDiver]

I need to replace the Dodge Ram 1500 tail light assembly on my truck, but I’m stuck between going with OEM or trying one of the aftermarket options. Some of the aftermarket ones look nice with LEDs, but I don’t want to deal with fitment issues or wiring headaches.
Anyone here have recommendations on which way to go?
TIA

What year & model is your truck?

You will save everyone's time and yours by updating your avatar with your truck details.

Another consideration for deciding between OE and aftermarket is cost and the ability to replace individual bulbs versus the entire assembly.

My truck came with incandescent bulbs all around, except for the running (fog) lights.
I've since changed to drop-in LED bulbs almost everywhere except tails and signal lights.

The advantage I have is that I can change individual LED bulbs when they expire instead of the entire assembly. The OE LED light assemblies and many aftermarket LED assemblies are changed as a unit at great cost.

All of the LED bulbs I have can be replaced very inexpensively, and were not difficult to install.
And, not changing the light housings/assemblies has saved me from any wiring alterations or compatibility issues. I have required no additional end-of-line (EOL) resistor packs.

After about 1 year of LED use, I used AlfaOBD to change the Body Control Module (BCM) settings to LED to cure the barely perceptible flicker in one of the low beams. I adjusted all the lighting to LED, at that time.

If you own a 2014-2016 vehicle, you may have extra hoops to jump through when upgrading to LED bulbs. If you scan the 'LED bulb upgrade' threads here, you will discover that those years have variable consistency of success without extra measures. This is just the nature of those beasts.

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[mikeru]

I need to replace the Dodge Ram 1500 tail light assembly on my truck, but I’m stuck between going with OEM or trying one of the aftermarket options. Some of the aftermarket ones look nice with LEDs, but I don’t want to deal with fitment issues or wiring headaches.
Anyone here have recommendations on which way to go?
TIA

Personally, I always try to stick with OEM. It sounds like you have incandescent tail lights now so I would stick with that type of housing. They're the simplest and also the least expensive. You can switch out the bulbs for LED bulbs as @RamDiver mentioned.

I'd stay away from the Chinese made aftermarket stuff on ebay and Amazon. It can be pretty hit or miss. I have zero experience with Hawkglow, but it's based in Hong Kong so for me it would be a pass.

 

[Pull Ya]

Contact

RetroShopLLC​

Jay

 

[MADDOG]

I just installed some Morimoto XB Hybrid LED tail lights on my 2024 2055. The model I purchased is compatible with the OEM incandescent bulb arrangement. No hyperflash, no tail light out messages on EVIC and they look awesome.

They aren't cheap and there are other brands out there to consider.

I too would suggest you get in touch with Jeremy at RetroShop LLC.

Morimoto LED Tail Lights

 

[Cableman]

I run anzo tails, no errors ever. Many to choose from

1500 CLASSIC

AnzoUSA

anzousa.com

 

[xtryfun]

I need to replace the Dodge Ram 1500 tail light assembly on my truck, but I’m stuck between going with OEM or trying one of the aftermarket options. Some of the aftermarket ones look nice with LEDs, but I don’t want to deal with fitment issues or wiring headaches.
Anyone here have recommendations on which way to go?
TIA

Honestly, for a truck like the Ram 1500, I usually stick with OEM unless you’re really after a specific look. The fitment is perfect, wiring is plug-and-play, and you don’t risk voiding anything. Aftermarket LED assemblies can look cool, but I’ve seen plenty of people struggle with wiring, grounding issues, or the lenses not lining up perfectly with the tailgate and body panels.
If you do want LEDs, some brands like Spyder or Anzo make high-quality options that fit almost perfectly, but even then, you may need minor wiring tweaks or resistors to avoid hyper-flashing. My advice: if reliability and zero headaches are your priority, OEM is the way to go. If you want flashiness and don’t mind a little tinkering, pick a reputable aftermarket brand with lots of good reviews.