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2011 1500 Headlight Problems

83K views 33 replies 29 participants last post by  Banz 
#1 ·
I have had issues with the passenger headlight working off an on and it finally went out. Brought the truck to the dealer and they needed to swap out a lighting module. I had this done and all worked fine for 2 to 3 weeks and now it started again off and on working not working and now out again.

Has anyone else had this problem

Thanks in advance Bones
 
#3 ·
Had this exact problem with my 11 ram on the drivers side headlight. I took it back and same thing fixed for about 3-4 weeks. Then off and on again. Funny part was if you gave it a good tap on the side it would turn back on. Lol. After getting aggravated with 2 different trips to the dealer and them saying we cannot find anything wrong due to it working when it went in.

Anyways decided to tear into it myself and come to find out it was a loose connection at the wiring hookup from the main harness to the headlight. Made 2 simply attached the wires with spades instead of the plug and have not had an issue since. Is now going on a year without a problem.

That's what it was for me and I hope this might help you out on at least a start.
 
#5 · (Edited)
First I apologize if you got the response and were confused. Am actually on 2 almost identical threads regarding headlights. All I did was use a jumper wire around the main connector. You could tell which one was loose by simply wiggling each wire at the box. I used 2 inline connectors on either side of the positive feed(which was the loose wire) for my low beams connecting it around the connection box, then used 2 waterproof spades in between to make it removable if necessary.

Hope this helps. If you need anything further let me know.
 
#6 ·
I am having the same issue with my truck. I can deal with loose connections, but what box are you talking about Jmac86201? I've had the whole front of my truck apart several times trying to figure this out. The driver's side headlight will come on and then after 10 minutes or so will go out, once things cool down(my assumption) it will come on and do the same thing over and over.
 
#8 ·
Passenger side high and low beams not working - looks like this is where I will start. Marker light works, but no headlight. About a year ago I noticed the RH flickered a couple of times, had not noticed since and kinda forgot about it. Looks like the Gremlin is back.
 
#13 ·
Hey guys, so the issue is with the ground pin in the connector. Generally the pin spreads and causes the intermittent connection. Also I have found twisting the male pins just slightly gives a much tighter connection.
You are the best. This suggestion just save me a ton of time, money and headaches.

I have been having an intermittent problem with my driver's side headlight, and was almost completely convinced by a few mechanics and many internet forum posts that the issue was going to take a new FCM to fix.

Last night I took the driver's side headlight assembly out, gave the male ground pin a slight twist with a pair of needle nose pliers, and the problem seems to have completely gone away.
 
#14 ·
I know this is a fairly old post but I have the same issue regarding both low and high beam going out. Stopped by the dealer and service guy says..... if your low beam goes out it won't allow the high beam to come on because the circuit is closed??????? This does't make sense to me.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Our drivers headlight keeps going out as well. When my wife called the dealer they said that a lot of the time its a loose connector and if we brought it in they would "tighten the connection and charge us an hour and a half labour".

The truck is under warranty and this is a common problem, it should actually be a recall.

I see people saying the twisted the ground pin on the connector to fix this. What connector is that, the one to the headlight or to the controller?
 
#17 ·
I have been having this problem as well. Seems very common. After reading the above and several other posts about the issue, I did as suggested and tightened the connection points in the headlight wiring harness. After doing so, I was unable to manually re-created the outage (which I could easily do before fix). I am hoping this takes care of it. Evidently a pretty common issue and this is easiest and cheapest fix.
 
#18 ·
I've had this problem twice now. I turned out to be the headlight connector itself. It ran about 40 bucks to replace the connector. It evan stumped the dealer the second time. If you want to do the work yourself, you'll notice that changing a headlight or accessing the harness requires that you remove the grill and radiator top shroud in order to access the frond light assembly bolts. You cant get to them from behind. As this has happened twice now, Im concerned that it is a design defect. In my case, both high and low beams shut down on the same side even though they are two different bulbs. The TPNM module is to blame and may need to be reset after making the repair. I did not have to do this the first time but the dealer indicated they had too during the most recent occurrence. It may be automatic?? Seems like a bad design that one bulb failure could shut down both lights.
 
#20 ·
We had this problem on our 2012. And after being unsuccessful at fixing it, it led to this scenario: The wife just got off the ferry after leaving Galveston, TX. There was a cop coming the other direction, he pulled a u-ey and then pulled her over. He gets her documents and goes back to his patrol car.

While sitting there, she noticed that the light came back on. So when he came back, she asked him to show her which headlight was out. They went to the front of the truck and he was all WTF?!?!?! But all he said was that he was SURE he saw a headlight out!

:D :D :D :D :D
 
#22 ·
I have had this issue on my 2012 QC sport 4x4

it started last year, i took it to the dealer, they replaced the sub-harnesses that run to the headlights, seemed to fix problem, then in May it started again... My passenger headlight wouldnt come on, then the driver side wouldnt work, then both would work, then neither

Dealer replaced TIPM, and now today my drivers side didnt come on in the afternoon, but tonight after walking the dog i hit the unlock button and both came on...

I think i will take assembly apart and check the tightness of the connections...
 
#23 ·
What are the part numbers for the harnesses? I have this issue, with both headlights! One worse than the other but still a PITA.
 
#25 ·
Great thread! I am having the same issue now with my 2012 Outdoorsman. When I bought the truck all headlights were working. A few days went by and I noticed that the passenger side was out so I replaced the bulb....a WEEK goes by and this morning I notice the damn thing is out AGAIN. I was careful to not touch the bulb or anything. I think sgtdragon28 has the right idea, does anyone have pics of what they did? Thanks in advance!
 
#26 ·
Low beam not coming on

My right side low beam wouldn't come on glass week so I replaced the bulb with a new one and it still didn't work. Turned out, the low beam black wire (I assume it's ground) is spliced to the high beam wire after the main harness plug behind the headlight housing. Looks like one of those crappy blade splices. I tightened the connection and added more black tape to keep the wires tight and its been good so far. I can't believe the factory would use garbage splices like that. There are three wires in and out of the plug then turns to four wires about an inch after the plug. I bought the truck new so I know it hasn't been tampered with before now. 2012 ram 2500.
 
#27 ·
Here's the issue I'm having.. Had stock dual halogens. Swapped those out for a bi-xenon retro set. Seemed ok now for a few years but now here's what happens.

Low beams do not come on. High beams do. Once high beams are ON, I can then switch to low beams ad they work fine. Turn headlights off again, no low beams, turn on high beams and they work, and I can switch back to low beams and they work just fine. Just can't get low beams to turn ON without first turning on highbeams.

Any suggestions?
 
#28 · (Edited)
Headlight issues, dealership issues - Chapter 1

Submitting this as 3 chapter post because it is kind of long....


Shortly after purchasing my vehicle driver side headlightstopped working. Even though thevehicle was only a few months old, dealership indicated that bulbs are notcovered under Chrysler warranty and I was charged for a bulb replacement –parts and labor.

A few months later, same headlight stopped working. Dealership indicated that there may havebeen an issue with the wire connections and they were able to clean theconnections, get the headlight working, and they weren’t going to charge me forthe labor. Nice gesture, but then I startedwondering if I should have been charged the first time since the initial issuewas probably a poor wiring connection and not a bulb issue.

I went about 2 years with no headlight issues but then thepassenger headlight stopped working. Icalled the dealership and spoke to the service rep about the repeated issueswith my headlights. Service rep was alittle short with me and indicated that I needed bulbs replaced. Wrong answer. Tried a few more times to explore if therewere other wiring issues going on with RAM 1500’s, but service rep was not thathelpful.

So I tried another Dodge dealership not that far fromme. They charged me ~$100 for adiagnostic and concluded that I need a whole new headlight assembly because(per the service rep):
  • My wiring was fine but there must be an electricalshort somewhere in the headlight assembly
  • They could not check inside the headlight assemblybecause it is a closed/sealed unit
  • Cost for new headlight assembly was ~$500
Service rep completely lied to me.
  • Headlight assembly is NOT a closed unit. High beam, low beam, and turn signal areseparate wiring harnesses that can be easily accessed, removed, and tested forproper electrical current
  • Headlight assembly is essentially a large plasticenclosure with no wiring. Wiringharnesses need to be purchased separately. Replacing the headlight assembly would have done nothing to fix the wiringproblem.
  • New headlight assembly cost about $150, not$500.
 
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