The center-high light has all three bulbs blown, I replaced them and the work.

I've checked the fuse, checked voltage in/out of the switch at the pedal, voltage to the tail light assembly on both sides, continuity of brown wire from driver to passenger side assemblies, continuity of correct (white/tan) terminal to the brake light socket within the assembly, continuity of the sockets (tried swapping brake and reverse sockets and still reverse works and brakes don't), and even continuity of the bulbs.

So seemingly every single piece works independently but when all connected I get nothing. Every other function within the tail light assembly works.

I tried bending the assembly's terminals up to meet the socket better, no luck. The only thing that seems strange to me is where I have continuity from the terminal to the socket, vs where I think the socket's terminal lines up. Please see the attached image.

At this point you're probably thinking I should just buy new assemblies. I will. But I'm hoping someone can look/check their working vehicle and confirm for me that I should have continuity from the terminal that's receiving the voltage to where I think the socket's terminal touches, because nobody actually has the tail light assembly in stock so it has to be ordered/delivered.

 

That's a very odd set of circumstances. Maybe the previous owner did something that burned the connection inside the assembly? Definitely a confusing situation. Do the Turn signals work? If you have to have new housings, I would hit a salvage yard first. Plenty of Durangos to pick from. It just seems very odd that they both have the same problem.

 

I'm the original owner. Every other lighting function works. They didn't both go out at the same time, hadn't meant to imply that but was reasonable of you to infer. My main hope for posting was that someone with the same year would check the signal continuity in theirs and confirm that I should indeed be a seeing a brake light voltage where I think the socket contacts the housing terminal. Someone directed me to rock-auto.com here the housings are only $25 so I went ahead and ordered them.

 

There is a pdf copy of the factory service manual in the diy section. It has wiring diagrams/pinouts of all the electrical components.

 

Oh okay I see. Well I can check mine for continuity if I have some time after work tonight and remember to do so. But I would believe you should have power at 2 of those three pins, running light, brake light, and ground at the other. But I would just have to put a meter on mine to confirm that. I've never even heard of these light assemblies going bad. Just another thing that makes this a very odd situation

 

That may be the saddest thing I hear all week.

 

Thanks! I checked out the 2002 service manual since I couldn't find an '01 version. I see diagrams that cover from the brake light switch to the assembly, and the actual connector that plugs into the assembly, but not the assembly itself. The diagram only shows whether each bulb is single or double filament and which color wire from the connector is related to which function. I know that power from the brake light switch is getting into the assembly in the middle socket, it's just not getting from the assembly to the socket/bulb (though the turn/hazard/tail signal, in the same socket all work fine).

 

It is sad... but also a sad truth. At least in my area. These Durangos sadly don't hold a lot of value these days. I find them in the salvage yard all day long not even wrecked. Clean straight panels in better shape than mine sitting in a salvage yard. It is sad though

 

So it turns out I should have kept poking around with the continuity tester, as the new housing was exhibiting the same continuity patterns. Turns out I wasn't even looking at the right socket for the brake light! From top to bottom the lights are tail/brake, tail/hazard, reverse. I was testing the middle socket. The spot in the middle socket where the signal for the brake light passes is just on it's way to the terminal in the top socket, no idea why it's exposed in the middle there. That terminal I circled where the socket touches is the ground. So armed with the complete knowledge I pulled all the sockets and bulbs and started testing multiple combinations. I think I did have a bad filament in the tail/brake socket, but that bulb still works for reverse, and shuffling them around I have all lights working on that side without replacing anything. On the other side, looking at the correct position, I discovered that it was warped and melted. The replacement housing works, and now all my brake lights are working!

So pretty annoying all around but at least it's fixed.