Water Leak From Bed Light

I noticed the last time it rained that there is a pretty bad leak at my rear sliding window. The back seats get soaked.Originally I thought it was the rear window but after some tests pouring water it appears to be from the outside light above the bed on the cab near the XM antenna. Theres a small gap between it and the body of the truck. The water seems to go in there and then leak from under the liner in the cab alll over the head rest on the back seat.

Is there anyway to fix the gap? I was thinking of some sort of caulking but I'm not sure if that will mess with the paint?

Ugh... i don't want another trip to the dealership.

 

Silicon RTV color of choice. cut a small hole in the application tip and squeeze it in

 

Happened to a friends truck that had the roof wrapped. When the light was removed, the foam seal ripped.

$155 for a new light assembly billed to the shop that did the wrap.


Warning: the new light comes sitting in a cradle in the box, which compressed the seal to the point that it may not seal on the truck. I applied some RTV to these spots as a precaution.

 

If I use RTV and I ever need to remove the assembly will it ruin the paint on the truck trying to remove it?

 

Just found the same problem on my 2016 Toyota Tacoma of course 1000 miles over my 36k mile warranty. I shouldn't have to pay for this it's a defect. I would completely understand if it was a moving part but it's a faulty seal on a light. My entire back seat was soaked. It's probably been doing it for awhile since I always noticed my rear window would fog up.

 

To do it properly you will need to remove the light, and to do that you need to remove the headliner. If you try to squeeze it in without removing the light you will not get a seal that will last very long, or just reduce the water inside enough that you don't notice it, which is probably the worse case as after a few years you'll have a lot bigger issues. But no RTV shouldn't damage the paint, but there are loads of permutations or RTV so you should check with the brand you want to use.
Personally I'd take it to the dealer and make sure you net a new gasket. (& light if it comes that way)

 

I went to the stealership they tell me it's a cracked housing and the part is $268 and $120 labor. Last time I go see those pricks!! I found it for $95 online.

https://www.oempartsquick.com/oem-p...vhDjX4-5h0rMeCb-7aQRMJyRv4JU83zt1cxoCIO7w_wcB

 

How do you remove the headliner?

 

There are some threads on it, if you're lucky you might be able to just drop the back of the headliner to get access to the bolts. Thinking about it, im assuming you have the white/clear 3rd brake light, the red one mounts differently.

 

Yup the clear one and cool yeah I was hoping I could just drop the back.

 

Completely anecdotal 2 cents: I thought I was having a condensation issue with my cargo light on my brand new truck. Upon closer inspection (after a full day of sunny, low humidity weather) the inside edges have a textured appearance that looks a lot like tiny condensation droplets.