Water Leak?

Time to get some flex seal

 

Yeah, I got the temp fix. Looks ghetto. Man, it let a lot of rain into my truck.

 

Ghetto beats a moldy truck and having to gut the insides! I'll take ghetto anyday!

 

What is the part number for the updated brake light? The ones on some of the parts sites show what looks light a brake light with screws coming from outside...
Found it from a TSB(T-SB-0055-18)(81570-04050).

 

If you drop the headliner. Good time to soundproof the roof.

 

Or you can just pack it with clear silicone . Mine never had a leak but I’m not taking chances. Since I have the softopper, I just jerryrigged mine with aluminum tape since it’s covered by the topper .

 

Where does the water end up when the light is leaking? I’m in San Diego and it’s just getting into rainy season and I found a lot of water to the left of my drivers side rear seat and behind the seat all on the floor. Nothing on the rear window, any chance this is the 3rd brake light or coming from somewhere else?

 

depends if you park at an angle, water has a magical way of finding the easiest path of least resistance. Spray a strong pressure at the 3rd light and see if you can notice water coming in. You'll notice some dry water drips on the back window and seat, headliner is usually affected as well

 

Have the '19's had this problem?

 

Don't know why I thought my truck would be immune from this issue.. I had been noticing for a while now after a hard rain, the next day there would be moisture on the inside lower portion of the windshield. This is a telltale sign of moisture in the cab. I passed it off as leaving a wet umbrella inside the cab, wrong on my part. So two weeks ago after a hard rain the moisture on the inside of the windshield returned. It was then that I noticed the rear of the headliner discolored. I then decided to confirm the source. After lowering the rear of the headliner I took a spray bottle and sprayed the top of the light assy. Sure enough looked inside and there was a drop of water. First I considered removing the light and resealing with some sort of sealer. I then found on Amazon a company that makes a improved foam seal. I ordered the seal and it arrived last Friday. On Saturday I dropped the headliner completely and removed the light. During the removal process one of the mounting studs broke off the light. I probably could have glued the stud back on but didn't have time for the glue to cure. Local dealer had one in stock so purchased it. Appears the seal is thicker than original part. Glad I didn't have a mold issue as others have! I think it was a small leak that was dripping down on the headliner and the headliner was acting like a wick, since no signs of water were found in lower rear of cab. A lot of work to repair properly. Another case of why did they do it (secure from inside) this way??

 

Good thing you caught it before the mold started. Caught mine a few weeks after I got it from the dealership and it was agonizing just to get them to fix it.

 

I've scoured the internet for a video detailing how to drop the headliner to no avail. Could you detail how to do this? As well, did you use the new larger gasket you got from Amazon? Did it work? Would you recommend this method over simply resealing with Geocel clear sealant?

 

My third brake light was over tightened on my double cab so the light housing broke from the bolts holding it in place so water would get in when ever it rained. I could literally wiggle the light and feel it move. I was also out of the warranty period. Dealer quoted me $400 for labor and parts to replace the light. Water also likes to get in between the gasket, so if it's cold enough, it will freeze and expand and loosen over time.

Bought the light myself, pulled down the headliner, and installed the light and applied a bead of silicone beforehand. Costed me $150 total and maybe 4 hours of work since I didn’t know how to remove the headliner at first. It’s been holding up well for the past 3 years. The third brake light is different for the double cab and access cab Tacomas. Access cabs have screws outside and are easily assessable. Double cabs need to have the headliner removed to access the nuts holding the light from the interior. The light is held in by two nuts. It's a narrow space so having small hands or magnetic tools is useful.

Here's a video on how to remove the headliner. It starts at the 27:10 mark.
https://youtu.be/A4THbHjqwfg

Had a hard time finding the part because online parts stores call the third brake light a “Center High Mount Stop Light”. Here’s a link to the light for double cabs if anyone needs it. https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota_2017_Tacoma/Center-High-Mount-Stop-Light/63228182/8157004030.html