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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
 
#29 ·
Headlight issues, dealership issues - Chapter 2

Not knowing I was being lied to, I followed the service repsrecommendation and had the parts department order me a new headlightassembly. After 4 weeks of checking inwith the dealership on when new headlight assembly was coming in, my headlightsuddenly started working again. That’swhen I started to search the internet for info on RAM 1500 headlight problems.

I quickly realized that I was not alone and that RAM 1500headlight issues are a common problem. There are a lot of great YouTube videos describing the issues and variousways of fixing the problem. Here is myfavorite from an actual Dodge service technician:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptcqtJg189s&t=582s

Technician in video describes how this is a common problemand the issue is almost always a poor wire connection.

Unfortunately my headlight issues were not over. The passenger headlight workedintermittently. And, at the same time,the driver headlight stopped working also. I tried one of the tricks in the video and gave the side of theheadlight a Fonzie-like thump and it worked again. But the fix didn’t last and I was soon drivingat night only with my fog lights.

I called Chrysler about recall info and to log acomplaint. Woman on the phone took myinfo but there is no chance they are going to do anything to recall the poorwiring harnesses.

So, I decided to take matters in my own hands. Per video above, it didn’t look toodifficult to take the headlights out to tinker with the wiring. I grabbed my 10mm wrench and went towork. It only took me a few minutesbefore I removed headlight #1 to access the wiring. As soon as I jiggled the wiring the headlightturned on. In an attempt to make thefix more permanent, I disconnected the wiring harnesses, cleaned theconnections, and put some dielectric grease on the connections. I noticed that the heavy connection on thewiring harness was dangling unsupported so I zip-tied it to the headlightassembly. (see attached photos)

Now onto headlight #2. Once I had it removed from the vehicle, I understood why the stealershipsaid it needed to be replaced. Thestealership technician had broken the headlight assembly in several places:

  • They tab in the back of the headlight assembly thatlocks it into place was broken off
  • The lower 10mm fastener was missing, and thehole for the fastener was broken
  • The low beam wiring harness was not attached tothe back of the headlight assembly

Again I disconnected wiring harnesses, cleaned connections,and applied dielectric grease. I wasable to use some more zip ties to secure the headlight assembly. And I zip tied the dangling heavy greenconnector.

All lights are fully functional. I did not spend $500 for a part I didn’tneed.

I think the problem is equal parts poor wiring connectiondesign/manufacturing combined with the large heavy green connector danglingwithout support. So far, my fixes havesolved the problem.
 
#30 ·
I dunno if anybody is still keepin up with this thread, but bought me a 2011Ram 2500 last year and the driver side headlight quit working. The high beam went first found it was just a loose wire. Fixed it and now the whole assembly quit working except for the corner light. Checked a couple weeks ago and couldn’t find any loose wires. The headlight is also a aftermarket headlight. Any thoughts?
 
#31 ·
I have a 2011 Ram 1500. I have had it for about 2 years. Pretty good truck, but have had issues with both the low and high beam headlights going out. I have had both fail multiple times and have replaced bulbs and the wiring harness/pigtail that connects to all the bulbs all the way back to the plug in the wiring harness. After much frustration and reading up on this, the issue was in the connection/plug. I tried zip ties, bulb grease and it seemed to help, but eventually, the headlights would fail again. I finally got the courage to cut out the plug, strip and connect the 3 wires, take the extra time to solder them together and wrap them really good with electrical tape. So far so good. It seems to be the plastic connector all the time! I still have plenty of slack and can change bulbs easily. I plan to switch out to complete LED bulbs soon. I hope this helps someone!
 
#34 ·
Dudes, I had the same problem with my passenger side headlight. Investigation revealed the Wiring harness white junction plug to the headline assembly.. Add 1 of the electrical pins was not full seat into the connector and had pushed back within the male plug.. Therefore causing an intermittent connection of the held low beam. I used a jeweler screwdriver from the wiring side and push the pin to re-seated it back into the connector.. And have never had another issue. I have found this type of problem before on many other vehicles. Therefore always begin troubleshooting at the electrical connectors To save yourself some time. While its apart give a shot of WD40.. To displace moisture and douch out any dirt or debris. Hope this info helps. NAVY TECH REP
 
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