Jump to content

2016 Edge Titanium Condensation - Rear Illumination (Taillights and Hatch Center bar Lighting)


Recommended Posts

I've searched the forum and found an original post from 2016 on the 'Condensation' subject relative to rear lighting. It was too old to post something under it, so I opened this one.

 

My son noticed the fog in the rear lights on our 2016 Edge AWD - Titanium the other day. Haven't checked this morning, but will give it a closer look.

 

I've experienced this moisture problem a number of times over the years, particularly with integrated headlights that used removable halogen bulbs. Was easily rectified in our 1999 Montana van by drilling a vent hole in the bottom rear of the integrated headlight housing just below the halogen bulb location. Caused the heated air to draw in more air and exit out the top rear where the original vent was. The root cause is the high pressure in front of the vehicle at speed finding a way to force water into the housing; - usually a bad seal between the lens and the housing.

 

I realize in this particular problem with the Edge that we are talking about LEDs that generate little if any heat. I agree that changes in temperature will cause moisture to condense in the rear lighting of our Edge, but I also think that since the rear of the Edge is in a slight vacuum at speed, the moist air can be drawn into the housings because of a bad seal somewhere in each unit. Moisture can also be forced in during a run to the 'touchless' car wash and high pressure water used to rinse the vehicle.

 

And as I think about this further, I look at the energy being expended to complain about the problem without ever coming up with a workable solution other than telling the manufacturer to fix it.

 

So, my thought is there must be a way to create ventilation that causes air to circulate and remove the moisture without replacing the units. Replacing them with new ones in or outside warranty doesn't solve the problem,  because the overall design is flawed. Finding the root cause and fixing that is a better solution in my mind.

 

Just a side note:

 

Interesting chatter in the original post about how manufacturers interpret the duration of a warranty repair inside warranty. BUT, they can still be held responsible after the warranty ends. It relates to replacing parts that have a known or demonstrated inherent flaw in them that will re-surface each time the component fails. I sued Chrysler when they replaced the transmission in my car with a new one due to a design flaw that caused the transmission to shudder in reverse and stall the engine.

 

The new transmission had the same flaw and at literally the same mileage it failed the same way the first one did, BUT the car was out of warranty when this occurred. The dealer told me it was going to cost me a new transmission to fix the problem. I knew a transmission tech who worked on Chrysler vehicles and one Saturday he and I pulled the transmission out and replaced two nylon sealing washers with steel ones (we cleaned up the trans too and replaced any worn bands or clutches). Problem solved! Cost me a few bucks and 4 hours to re and re the trans. 

 

I turned around and sued Chrysler based on the dealer's estimate to repair and won a judgment against the manufacturer which was eventually settled out of court. Chrysler couldn't afford to see this go public.

 

Any thoughts on how someone might introduce more ventilation in these light assemblies?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well actually NO, these 'active' posts do not provide solutions, only 'ready made' solutions and a lot of complaining, moaning and groaning ... it's easy to criticize and complain about something; - it takes creativity to clearly understand the root cause and find real working solutions, or at least alternatives that don't include installing new poorly engineered parts that simply mask but do not fix the problem. 

 

That is why I started a new thread ... I may examine the taillights and center bar light this spring and see if there is a way to increase air flow.

 

Thanks for your reply. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...