Melted rear tail light plugs

[Axekicker]

About 10 years ago I installed LED rear tail light assemblies in my 2004.5 Ram. They've been great until last week when the mounts on the drivers-side broke and I saw the light dangling behind my truck in the rear-view mirror. So I ordered new rear light assemblies from Amazon and the next night started the swap.

The passengers-side male & female plugs had melted together and couldn't be separated without damaging both plugs so I ordered a MOPAR replacement wiring kit for both light sockets. What I'm noticing more and more on this truck as well as my '97 Lincoln is heat-damaged plugs, sockets, lenses and other components after I've swapped out various incandescent emitters to LED's. Are you guys seeing the same thing with your LED-conversions? When I re-wire both assemblies I'm going to use hi-temp thermal grease in the sockets and see if that helps.

 

[Ozymandias]

Many LED have a resistor built into the socket to keep the dreaded light out message of modern cars away. The heat goes somewhere.
Our Gen3 need these, Gen4 is easier there one can switch that message off in the BCM/FCM.

 

[User113]

I have had the rear tail light housings on my truck melt with incandescent bulbs, but so far not with LEDs. But my LED bulbs are old school; the resistors for the LED bulbs are external so the heat is not dissipated anywhere near the bulb socket.