2018 Dodge Durango · symptom sheet

Tail lights or brake lights fail

30owner reports
45,000median miles
$1,480median quote
0involved a crash

Newest report Sep 8, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

56 of the 232 complaints on this car are about the exterior lighting. 30 of those describe tail light failure. Only infotainment is reported more often on this car.

No recall on this systemas of Oct 2, 2026

No crash reportedin 30 reports

Tick what matches of 30 reports

water or condensation inside the lens

one side went out first

the whole assembly needed replacing

it happens with LED lights specifically

other drivers cannot tell I am braking

it comes and goes intermittently

Tail light failure on other Durango years

2014159 reports 2015120 reports 201637 reports 201746 reports 201830 reports

Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2019, 2021, 2026.

What this problem usually is

These owners find a tail light or brake light dead, and then learn the fix is a whole lamp assembly rather than a bulb. Water inside the lens comes up again and again.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the LED module (14 reports) and the tail light assembly (6 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the exterior lighting covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.

What owners paid

10 of the 30 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,000 to $1,900.

$1,000$1,480$1,900

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 24,000 and 55,000 miles, from the 10 reports that gave a mileage.

Is this a known problem?

The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 3 service bulletins or notices for the 2018 Dodge Durango that deal with this problem. Newest first.

Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.

Service bulletin0812323May 16, 2023
License Plate LED Light Inoperative - Moisture Visible Within the Lens The customer may experience the following: ? There is a potential for water intrusion which over time could lead to an inoperable license plate lamp.
Service bulletin0810121Jun 19, 2021
License Plate LED Light Inoperative - Moisture Visible Within the Lens This bulletin involves inspecting the license plate LED lamp for being inoperative or visible signs of moisture within the LED lamp housing and if necessary replacing the LED and ...
Service bulletin9004099Mar 18, 2020
LAMP, Liftgate If you have a tail lamp assembly with moisture and/or water in the assembly, please do the following: 1.) Call FCA Redacted Content (If no answer, leave a message) 2.) Photograph the defect on the vehicle 3.) Provide the VIN 4.) Please send an ...

What owners wrote

“The rear taillights are filling up with water and burning the rear lights out which causes safety for other not being able to see the rear of the car. I know 3 other people that have the same issue on there dodge durango. You have to take the bolt out to drain the water. There is no seal or gasket inside preventing water from going in also can cause other electrical problems which is not safe.”
Filed Apr 25, 2024

“The center hate LED brake light has water in it and shorted out making visibility of the rear of the vehicle hard to see at night. Dealer told me this is a very common issue and wants over $1000 for me to order another. Dodge needs to fix this and make it right as it's a design issue. This is a serious safety concern and will not drive with my family in the vehicle until able to fix it.”
Filed Apr 21, 2024

“Water is getting into the tail lights which is starting to burn the lights out. It's a safety concern especially at night time. They're should be a recall on this issue as fixing it is costly. A lot of people are being affected by this.”
Filed Mar 28, 2024

“Water entered into the rear tail light from rain and shorted the light and caused it to stop working. And is burnt out. This doesnât have a bulb to replace itâs the entire running light system.”
Filed Mar 20, 2024

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 30 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.

Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found