2009 Dodge Journey: jerking or lurching

Filed Oct 26, 2020 · Electrical · 125,000 miles · SC

Randomly, vehicle will not start. Can drive it to the store, come back out and it will not crank. All interior lights, etc., will be on but engine will not turn over. After it sits for a while (but you never know for how long) it will start again. Battery and starter are good. I hear a clicking noise coming from the car after it's been shut of, sometimes hours later. Newest issue is that indicator lights all come on when you start the car and car jerks violently when you are driving. If you connect a diagnostic tool and clear the codes before you start it, the car runs smoothly. I am shocked and frustrated to see that there are so few recalls when I am reading that the same problems are consistently occurring.

Filed Sep 27, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 135,000 miles · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 dodge journey. While driving various speeds, the vehicle shook and jerked before shutting off. After restarting the engine, the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 135,000.

Filed Mar 19, 2018 · Brakes, Engine · 13,300 miles · AZ

Everytime I brake my vehicle it jerks. Ive replaced my brakes and this issue still happens. Also a few times ive had my vehicle turn off with all lights on while I was at a stop light and a couple days ago it wouldnt start after two attempts to start then on the third attempt it started.

Filed Jul 6, 2016 · Electrical, Transmission · 50,000 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 dodge journey. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced trouble starting. Also, when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle jerked forward. The dealer repaired the vehicle per the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v373000 (electrical system), but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Filed Jun 23, 2016 · Brakes · 100,000 miles · CO

While driving this vehicle, when you go to use the brakes they become 'mushy'. You have to push on the brakes all the way to the floor before the vehicle will even try to stop. We have replaced the brakes already since purchasing the vehicle and now not sure what to do. Yesterday while I was driving down the highway, traffic came to a complete stop. I had to push on the brakes very hard. The tires actually squealed, the car jerked, and you could feel the brake give a jerking feeling below my foot. Fortunately, I did not have my babies with me this time. Another incident that has happened this week is when the tires squealed when I was trying to turn right at a light and could not get the vehicle to slow down enough on a decline. This is very scary and I hope this is fixed very soon. I have looked at other sites and notice that there are a lot of brake issues with this particular vehicle.

Filed Jan 23, 2016 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 16,975 miles · AZ

We bought the car new in april of 2009. In august of 2012 brakes started acting 'sticky and jerky'. Took it back to the dealership just because of the brakes (had extended warranty). We had a strong feeling it had something to do with the esp bas system. They didn't even look at it before saying 'no' it wasn't the esp bas system. Through multiple dealership service visits, oil changes and such; brakes stayed constantly jerky. 2+ years ago I went into dealership for tire rotation and oil change and they told me I'd have to replace my brakes soon. Unhappy with the long wait and cost of service at the dealership I've been taking the journey into another shop where I asked them to check my brakes and they said they were fine. Yesterday while driving approx. 35mph the esp bas lights came on and all of a sudden the brakes weren't sticky or jerky. They worked like they were supposed to in the first place. The esp bas (yellow) lights will not turn off. I know sooner or later I'll have to replace the brakes because they put such shoddy ones on at the factory, but the problem with the esp bas is a computer problem that effected the brake system and it should have been addressed by the dealership. Between the poor dismissive way the dealership handled this esp bas problem (didn't even test drive) and the cheap brakes dodge installed. I will never buy a vehicle from either of them again.

Filed Apr 6, 2015 · Brakes · 78,000 miles · KY

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 dodge journey. The contact stated that the brakes and rotors were abnormally worn. The contact replaced the brakes and rotors, but the failure recurred in less than a year after the repairs were performed. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked forward intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.

Filed Dec 30, 2013 · Transmission · 77,000 miles · NY

While making a left hand turn, I felt the car jerk several times as though I was using anti-lock brakes. This was confusing since I did not even have my foot on the brake. Seconds later I heard an almost grinding or dragging noise. I pulled over into the first empty lot I found and checked the tires, got down and checked under the car for anything hanging that could have been dragging on the ground, found nothing that looked out of the ordinary. I thought then that there may have been snow or ice around the tires since it had snowed the night before. I proceeded to get back into the car and drove approximately three minutes and the noise got louder. I drove to my mechanic which was another 5 minutes away. He was amazed that the power train seemed to explode from the inside out. In all his years of fixing cars, he said he had never seen anything like it. We've read many recall notices for the power train yet no one is willing to help with this recall. Since we bought the car used, they say that the recall is not transferable. This is total bull since it is approx $2400. If this was a defective part, there should be no reason why we would be responsible to have it repaired. Something must be able to be done. I would even be willing to pay half the bill but not the entire bill since it must have been defective to start with. I have been without a car now for four weeks and have become a burden to friends and family, needing rides to and from work. I am very upset with dodge for not even attempting to meet me half way. I was under the impression that they were a reputable company. Unless they can help in some way, I will never purchase another dodge and discourage anyone else to also.

Filed Feb 16, 2012 · Acceleration, Brakes · 62,472 miles · ID

Upon taking an exit ramp from the freeway I removed my foot from the gas pedal and placed it on the brake pedal. The traction control light came on and I immediately lost power, then I noticed the electronic throttle control light was flashing too. After sluggishly lurching my way to the side of the road I read that the manual said to place the vehicle in park and cycle the ignition. Upon doing this the lights went off and the vehicle appeared to function normally. Then, it did it again the next day under very similar circumstances, I removed my foot from the accelerator and applied the brake and both lights came on with a total loss of power and some lugging to the side of the road. If a semi had been behind us, there is no way he could have stopped soon enough to avoid a collision. I find numerous complaints about the etc on the internet, but nobody taking action. Does someone have to file a lawsuit first? Because I will.....