2017 Dodge Durango exterior lighting problems

What owners report

• “The rear racetrack led keeps getting water inside them and shorting out all of the lights on the tailgate. When this happens I don’t have taillights, running lights, brake lights, reverse lights or even tag lights who’s is all extremely dangerous when driving and the car doesn’t tell me anything about it. I notice it usually when I get in the car because the lights don’t flash in the back when I unlock it but when I’m not home and this happens I still have to get home to fix the issue and luckil…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 10/22/2026

• “2017 Dodge Durango, rear racetrack lights went out due to widely publicized problem of water getting in and shorting the lights out, also took out my license plate lights. I had to get it replaced so I didnt get fined for the license plate lights being out. Dodge just announced a program for 2018-2024 years, this issued started in 2014-2015. All other years need included also. It cost me $2100 to get my required license plate lights back on.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 10/21/2026

• “Approximately 3 years ago we noticed water accumulating in the rear light. They refer to it as a race track light bar. Went to dealer who said not covered under warranty, and it would be $1,455 to replace. I did not have the money at that time to replace it. So we kept draining the water, as I noticed the light getting dimmer. I charged the $1455 and replaced it. 1/8/23. I did find that there were numerous complaints. and this week I found water in the entire light had approximately 3 inches of…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 03/19/2026

• “Race light tail lights went out. Water can get in around light . Known issue in class action lawsuit”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 03/11/2026

• “I am filing a complaint regarding a known defect with the rear racetrack taillight assembly on the 2017 Dodge Durango GT. The rear racetrack taillight allows water and moisture to enter the sealed housing. Over time, this causes condensation buildup, corrosion, and partial or complete failure of the LED lighting. In my case, the racetrack light has gone out and shows visible water inside the assembly. This issue creates a safety concern because the rear lighting becomes dim or nonfunctional, r…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 01/23/2026

• “Rear liftgate taillight assembly seal has failed allowing water to get in. As a result, the led lighting element has failed which dramatically reduces rear visibility by other vehicles.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 05/05/2025

• “The rear lights on the tailgate on these vehicles continue to fail due to water inclusion. This affects night time visibility. I've noticed this trend on many Dodge Durango models spanning many different years. My vehicle had this occurrence with roughly 70,000 miles. Many vehicle owners have had much earlier failures.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 01/01/2025

• “Bought a used 17 durangoGT on July 29th 2024 notice a crack in tail light and told the used car manager about it and brushed it off now there is an issue with racetrack light and water is getting in and is now half lite the dealer said there isn’t a problem so took it to dodge and had a 2nd option and they said it was the crack and on top of that there is a class action lawsuit against dodge for the track light and it can cause electrical issues and license plate light and rear camera issues thi…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 10/12/2024

Unverified owner reports from NHTSA's public complaint database.

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