While your vehicle needs water in order to run properly, there are some places it just doesn’t belong. For example, no one wants water in their headlights, but it can occasionally happen. One vehicle that is very prone to filling up with water is the Dodge Ram 1500, particularly from before the days when Dodge separated its truck division to just be Ram. It is known to be a reliable truck for the most part, but many model years have water leaking into the cab.

Even though the Dodge Ram is praised as being a good family vehicle, many owners wish they had never bought one. Here’s which models are affected by this rather bizarre problems and what you can do if your Dodge Ram now doubles as a swimming pool. 

Rain, rain, go away

According to RepairPal, “On some models, a void in the rear window seal may cause a water leak. Water may be present on or under the carpet. The seal will need to be replaced if that is the source of the leak.”

For many owners, this is a very annoying problem that can cause a lot of headaches. Not only do you have to shell out money in order to fix this, but you also have to deal with cleaning up the mess. Mildew is also a concern for many owners. 

The model years that are affected are 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 – all before Ram separated from Dodge. Many owners from sites like Reddit have asked questions about their 2016 and 2017 model years filling up with water as well, so it appears that this is a problem that still plagues the Dodge Ram.

Do Ram seals actually work?

While the general consensus is to fix the seal, many owners report that this simply isn’t adequate. The third brake light seal is the major culprit mentioned most often, and it’s the first place most people check. Those who have been through this report that fixing the seal there will fix the problem. At the same time, there are many owners who have tried this, and still get their shoes wet when they hop in the cab.

Some drivers on Dodge Talk mentioned that the rear door seal was the problem. There was a hole there that allowed water to pour in. A bit of sealant was more than enough to fix the problem. 

Owners who chat in the Dodge Forum report that Dodge Ram dealerships generally seem more than willing to help owners. They replace the faulty seals, and many owners report that this helped with the issue. It seems to be those who try a DIY approach who continue to have the most problems.

Still, even the dealerships are having problems. On Ram Forumz, one owner stated, “We have a water leak in the cab of our Crew Cab that the dealer has tried to fix over 4 times now over the past 16 months of ownership. The constant moisture being trapped in the truck has caused a lot of rust and corrosion to develop all over the cab. We are now starting to get a few weird electrical issues.”

According to Repair Pal, it usually costs $88-$111 to repair the seals, but that doesn’t take into consideration other factors. Owners who have water filling up their cab have to take the time to clean up the mess as well as trying to get off work in order to take the Dodge Ram to a mechanic and having to deal with it all again when the area that is sealed isn’t the real problem.

Is there an end in sight?

As frustrating as hearing your floorboards squish every time you get in, the Dodge Ram is plagued by other issues. Problems like dashboards that crack and rust in the oil pans, the problems just keep coming. Things are getting better, however. 

Ram has gone back to the drawing board to make some major changes. Recent model years aren’t plagued with water-logged cabs anymore, so they’re finally getting it right. Granted, the American automaker seems to be more focused on things like trick tailgates these days, but if the cab is dry, go for it.