I know the computer chip shortage is not helping this matter either.

My 2019 Ram 1500 with 20k miles has a water leak which stained the rear headliner. Dealer said the entire rear window needs replaced, it’s under warranty. I’m just concerned about keeping this vehicle now, with only 1 year left on the warranty. I have read on a Ram forum about the leak happening again, even after the window being replaced. Once I’m out of the factory warranty this issue will no longer be covered. I have an extended warranty but it will not cover water leaks.

I have had several other uncorrected issues either the truck also, such as a paint defect and wind noise.

I planned on keeping this truck for 8 years but now I really don’t trust it. I was looking at the F150 but I don’t like the styling as much as the Ram.

I really don’t know what to do. Would you trust this truck to last?

quote:

Would you trust this truck to last?

once that essential "trust" is gone for me, I move on.

Of course there is a $ issue whatever you do.

The nature of any vehicle is to eat money. They don't have to eat our joy & our confidence in basic reliability.

Does it have clearance lights?
#1 common leak problem on Ram cabs if it does.

I mention this because I have a Ram 3500 series with the cab top clearance lights. I started having a leak and a dealer said it was the rear window. (Out of warranty also)

Nope. I found one of the clearance lights lens had a crack around the screw hole area. Replaced the lens and no more leak.
Good luck-

quote:

Originally posted by Rinehart:
Does it have clearance lights?
#1 common leak problem on Ram cabs if it does.

I mention this because I have a Ram 3500 series with the cab top clearance lights. I started having a leak and a dealer said it was the rear window. (Out of warranty also)

Nope. I found one of the clearance lights lens had a crack around the screw hole area. Replaced the lens and no more leak.
Good luck-

He listed it as a 1500 so probably doesn’t have the clearance lights.

That said, the brake light in the back of the cab is/was also known to leak. This happened on my 2014 so I took it off, ran a bead of clear RTV and put it back on. No issue since doing that.

Crap happens, I’m not going to complain. I bought the truck new almost 7 years ago and am about to turn 136k on it, that’s been the only issue the truck has had to date.

My story: I bought a new 2003 F-150 and kept it until 2017 when I became the 2nd owner of a 2013 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn with 44k on the odometer. The previous owner (a neighbor) replaced the Ram with a new F-150 Platinum 4x4 and kept it for a year. He couldn't wait to get out of it and back into a new Ram because he didn't like the ride or the road noise. He didn't care for the ergonomics of the controls either.

Is the water stained area being replaced as well? If not, is it noticeable? I just looked and my back window slider shows no sign of leaking. (And believe me, it's been tested over the last three weeks with the rain we've gotten.) Maybe the repair the dealer is going to do at no cost will be a permanent solution. That's a bet I would take.

The Ram 5.7 Hemi is a great motor, but I recently ran into the "common" problem with the exhaust manifold bolts. I've apparently broken at least one, and I am scheduled to have this rectified next week. My mechanic (whom I trust) said to budget no more than $500 for the repair and expect less.

For me, I'm comfortable with the fact that all vehicles may or may not have issues, and the severity will be different for each. For example, in 2012 I had the 5.4 Triton rebuilt in the 2003 F-150 at 105k miles due to the infamous head gasket issue. That was $5.5k I spent to keep a truck I liked (at the time) on the road for a few more years because a new replacement was just to expensive to me. Then the dreaded ignition coils started acting up AGAIN, so I unloaded it for the Ram in 2017. Meanwhile, my wife's 2001 Eddie Bauer Expedition (yes, the one she bought new and won't let go of) has the same 5.4 Triton motor. After preemptively replacing the spark plugs and coils at 80k miles, it continues to soldier on flawlessly with 108k miles on the odometer. We should all be so lucky to own a vehicle such as this.

The broken exhaust bolt is just an irritant I've come to expect from any vehicle. I'd rather spend $500 to fix it than spend ~$70k to replace the entire truck, but that's just me. I still have the 1991 F-150 4x4 I bought new because it doesn't give me any real or expensive problems. That 5.0 motor now has 30 years and 128k miles, and has never had an issue beyond regular changing of spark plugs, wires, oil, etc.

In your case, trading into a new Ram which may or may not have the same issue later, or may have other/additional issues is not a trade I would make because that's waaaay too expensive for my cheap ass. If your next new truck develops the same leak after the warranty is out, how much will it really cost to repair? Does Chevy/GMC or Ford offer anything that you're willing to make an expensive bet on that their trucks will never have similar problems?

At the end of the day, you'll need to run an honest cost/benefit analysis for what's best for you. You're going to get additional and better information from others on this Forum, and hopefully what you get helps you make a decision. Best of luck, gpbst3.

i am with Signewt.

I'm with signewt also. Once a car becomes problematic for me, it's always in the back of my mind. A good car detailer might be able to get the stain out of the headliner. But have the dealer fix it......take it to a car wash, or hit it with a concentrated stream from the hose nozzle after it's fixed with someone checking inside for leaks.

And check the shark fin antenna as a leak source too.

Looking on a Ram forum there are issues with the 3rd brake light. Most are buying weather stripping from Home Depot and removing the factory piece.

I would assume (I know it’s a big assumption) the dealer would have checked the brake light first before replacing the window.

quote:

Dealer said the entire rear window needs replaced,

Which is likely complete and utter BS. You obviously have a seal that's failed somewhere allowing water intrusion. Shouldn't be that hard to find and resolve, certainly not to the point of considering selling the truck. I'd have the dealer fix and heavily notate what specifically they did, and if they couldn't adequately clean the headliner (which they likely can't) I'd force them to replace it as part of the warranty claim. You have a very reliable, very nice truck. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater over something so trivial. Find the issue, fix it, and enjoy your truck for many years to come.

I checked the 3rd brake light it appears to be dry. I unscrewed it and stuffed papers towels behind the light and hit it with the garden hose for several minutes.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

quote:

Dealer said the entire rear window needs replaced,

Which is likely complete and utter BS. You obviously have a seal that's failed somewhere allowing water intrusion.

The back window does not have a typical surface mount seal. The seal is between the glass and the cab and there is about a 1/4 in reveal around the window (yes, it’s supposed to be that way). I could literally run a bead of black caulk in there and no one would know. Guess that will be plan B.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
I checked the 3rd brake light it appears to be dry. I unscrewed it and stuffed papers towels behind the light and hit it with the garden hose for several minutes.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

quote:

Dealer said the entire rear window needs replaced,

Which is likely complete and utter BS. You obviously have a seal that's failed somewhere allowing water intrusion.

The back window does not have a typical surface mount seal. The seal is between the glass and the cab and there is about a 1/4 in reveal around the window (yes, it’s supposed to be that way). I could literally run a bead of black caulk in there and no one would know. Guess that will be plan B.

I’m not going to argue and I’m not doubting you, or the dealer, but I will say this.

The very top of the rear window is, I believe, under where the headliner should be. I’ll look at mine, and my daughter’s 2016 in the morning, but I’m pretty sure I’m right about that statement. That said, as I posted above, I had a similar issue and it was an easy fix and the truck has been exceptional other than that hiccup.

I honestly don’t care if you ditch your truck an move on to something else but do yourself a favor and check around. I say this because the wife and I bought a 2016 Ram 1500 4x4 Laramie Longhorn for our daughter in February, right before the Used vehicle market exploded due to the computer chip shortage.

We gave 26k for that truck basically 3 months ago, February 18 to be exact, and that truck spec’d out is currently appraising for that same amount, on the low end of trade value at a dealership. The private part value is 5-6k higher so I’m sure you can imagine what a dealership would want.

By all means, plan on getting rid of it if that’s what you want, but shop around for what it’ll cost to replace the truck first.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
I checked the 3rd brake light it appears to be dry. I unscrewed it and stuffed papers towels behind the light and hit it with the garden hose for several minutes.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

quote:

Dealer said the entire rear window needs replaced,

Which is likely complete and utter BS. You obviously have a seal that's failed somewhere allowing water intrusion.

The back window does not have a typical surface mount seal. The seal is between the glass and the cab and there is about a 1/4 in reveal around the window (yes, it’s supposed to be that way). I could literally run a bead of black caulk in there and no one would know. Guess that will be plan B.

Unless I'm missing something, I find it rather hard to believe a leak in the moulding around the rear window would allow staining of the headliner above it. I would have bet on the 3rd brake light seal leaking or something up higher on the truck.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Looking on a Ram forum there are issues with the 3rd brake light. Most are buying weather stripping from Home Depot and removing the factory piece.

I would assume (I know it’s a big assumption) the dealer would have checked the brake light first before replacing the window.

This. ^^

2014 Ram bought new. I had the brake light leak. Fixed it the first year I had it. No issues since.


Rick

This is a remarkably bad time to get a new vehicle.

A water leak with a very small number of possible leak sites could be run to ground faster than getting the right replacement at a reasonable cost.

My recommendation is keep after diagnosing and fixing the bird in the hand.

As a preventive measure I replaced the weather seal around the 3rd brake light with one recommended on the Ram forum.

Ill let the dealer replace the rear window and see what happens. I have 1 year left on the factory warranty. At that point Ill reassess trading in the vehicle.

I purchased an extended warranty last month that Im going to cancel. If I decide to keep the truck Ill but it again.

I’m rather skittish on Dodge & longevity, especially once off the warranty.

Yes, much of my experience is a little dated. I do skim through consumer reports at times. I see some similarities with complaints compared to years back.

You have an under warranty vehicle with a water leak. The water leak is fixed when there is no longer any water intrusion, not when the window is replaced. I would get it fixed and take the position that any subsequent leaking is an old problem that should be covered rather than a new one that is not.

In short, there are good reasons to trade your vehicle in but I wouldn't let this be the deciding factor.

I own a 2019 1500 so I was concerned about this issue as well. Honestly, you will be hard-pressed to find any vehicle without some issue. With the market being what it is I would just force them to fix it and go home and douse it with a hose for a while. I lean towards the 3rd brake light or antenna myself as your likely source. Remember you can take it elsewhere as well.

I drive to a different city for my VW that was effected by the whole dieselgate thing. The locals wanted to leave the wheel well cover off stating maybe we could find a shop to glue it back on. I called a different shop I use now and they completed the repair without issue stating it was weird that the other dealer told us that. Not the first weird issue at the local place. Long story short, see if maybe it's time to get a second opinion?

This issue with Ram trucks has been going on for a LONG time. My dad bought a 2007 new and took exceptional care of it. It had an off and on issue with leaking. I knew about it and despite that bought it from him in 2011 with 37k on the odometer and still looking like new. The dealer was still working the issue since it appeared early into his ownership and was trying to fix it for me as well despite being just out of warranty. Over seven different service trips it received a new brake light, new back glass, new gaskets/seals/weatherstripping of all sorts, and on the last trip in it was recommended to remove the window and fix the issue in the body shop. Not sure what they had planned, but that was it. I traded it in and never looked back. It’s hard to believe that in 14 years they haven’t got this problem solved.

My leak was frustrating because it would collect in the storage bin under the rear passenger side seat. It could downpour and stay totally dry, or there could be a light 10 minute shower and I’d have 1” of water in that spot. I really liked the truck, but just couldn’t commit to owning it long term with that going on.