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2013 ram headlight condensation problem

42K views 111 replies 44 participants last post by  banditalex 
#1 ·
Only reason i am starting a new thread on this is because i feel it should be noticed as I called Chrysler and they talked to engineer and they said THIS IS NORMAL FOR THE 2013's In normal temperature should go away in 20min but may not when colder........ I THINK THIS IS CRAP.... :4-dontknow:
O and with HID's It takes longer to go away :smileup: if at all
 
#2 · (Edited)
I talked to the dealerships Service Dept. about my '09 having moisture in the headlight
i had a stone or something hit it, but i didn't mention it
the Service Writer told me up front that it can ONLY happen if the headlights SEAL is comprimised , in other words, a bad seal

Moisture in the headlights, i believe is a SAFETY issue
go back to whoever says it is normal, after looking at the other 2013 Rams to see if they are indeed all like that, mention the safety factor & reduced night vision.
ask them to put it in writing, saying it is normal

Tell them that you would like to file a formal complaint, that ought to get them going :)

Then go to the NHTSA website:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/
& then
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
check for complaints & if there are none, file your own complaint about the headlights
you may want to send along any paperwork from the dealership/Chrysler, stating that it is NORMAL

become a crusader, i am sure there will be loads of complaints added to yours

Good Luck
 
#4 ·
#5 ·
Thanks you for the recommendation, did a search, didn't find Anything. Figured it couldn't be isolated as my dad's 2012, bosses 2012, and my new 2013 have all had the same problem. Tail gates have been around for forever, I shouldn't have to spray anything on a 50000$ truck. What did the engineers screw up so bad?
 
#7 ·
well i took it right up to the engineers of chrysler and apperently its normal for the 2013's... Also tonight at dinner i somebody parked right next to me with the same truck his had the exact same issue. Were both not happy. I put in HID's and its worse because the heat isn't as warm so it has more now grrrrrrrrr. Condensation only happens if its cold outside. when it gets warm it goes away. Still fighting for a recall wish their was a way of going about it. I went as far as i could.
 
#10 · (Edited)
If you are actually getting condensation in the low/high beam compartment and you added HID's I would say when you did you either broke the seal or never properly put the seal in place. The other issue would be when you did put your HID's in you may have done it in a high moisture area. Whenever one chages a headlight bulb whether changing a factory bulb to factory buld or adding HID's. One should always do it in a dry environment.

One should always take a blow dryer or heat gun to heat the inside of the bulb compartment before installing the bulb. This will remove any condensation and moister that got into the sealed bulb compartment. This is also a way to remove and fix the condensation issue in headlight low/high beam compartments.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Lets get something clear when you say moisture in my headlights. Is it actually in the low/high beam area or in the turning/parking light area?

There are actually two sepearte compartments in the 2013 headlight housing. In fact many of the manufactures have gone this route of sealed/non-sealed desgin.

Reason I ask is the reason Chrysler is saying it is normal is because the turn/parking LED lights section isn't a sealed design but the actual low/high beam projector/quad is sealed design.

So again make sure you are explaining it correctly. specially to your dealer or Chrysler.

If you are actually getting moisture in front of the low/high beam housing area then there is something wrong and you have a broken seal. If you only have moisture around the LED turning/parking lights then that is normal and will remain there untill the housing warms up. Because the turn/parking lights are LED's and produce very little heat. there is no way for them to remove the moisture. The only way the moisture will get removed is in warmer climate.
 
#18 ·
Looking at the set of '13 projectors that I have, the route of entry that I see is the lower vent. I would try silicone on the lower vent to seal it off and keep the upper vent open. Then heat the entire assembly to vaporize and expel any moisture. This should stop moisture intrusion and allow any build up to vent out the top.
 
#19 ·
what did NHTSA say ?
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

it is a safety issue, you can't see & the moisture causes light reflection in weird ways, blinding oncoming drivers
 
#20 ·
The fact of the matter is these guys are driving a brand new 2013 truck that's hovering at and around 50K; they shouldn't have to do a SINGLE thing from their end to rectify the issue.

Shame on you Chrysler is you're telling these owners it's 'normal.'

Pathetic!
 
#23 ·
well if i had the power to get chrysler to recall this problem i would.... however at this point looks like aftermarkets down the road will be in the books. If it is an issue will be the last chrysler i buy. Never had an issue till i bought a 2013, this is my 7th truck and may be my last.
 
#26 ·
I checked several on the local lot here and didn't notice any condensation. We've had some significant temperature changes of late-maybe they fixed the problem along the way. Dealer here is getting quite a few in with LED's all around.
 
#34 ·
Just so everyone is aware... they are not sealed in any way, there is no division between the LED and the projector/high sections, they are both open to each other. The reason it's clear in front of those two sections is because of the heat generated by the bulb is directed forward by the lenses in the same way the light is. Because the LEDs don't generate heat they will allow any condensation to crystallize there. You need to seal the lower vent to prevent any moisture intrusion and heat up the assembly to get any residual moisture out of them. The upper vent should be sufficient to allow the vapors to escape once they have been heated.
 
#36 ·
This is on a good day sometimes it will wraps right around. Guess i will try some 55watt HID's that should produce enouph heat to help :)....

Still a dumb design... don't know how this is any different than tinting out your lights and getting a ticket for it.
 
#41 ·
Unfortunately you have a great truck with an issue, the Idea mention earlier about putting sillica beads in your headlamps might help, but you would need to get them heated up first to remove the condensation, then once back to normal room temperature add the beads, then seal the holes with some silicone,. it might work, or even no silica, just heat, room temp then seal, see if it works out, It would be to bad to loose 600-700$ worth of lights for some condensation.
 
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