There are known recalls on 2018 Dodge Journeys. For some reason my VIN [XXX] doesn't show on the list. 1) back up camera shows a black screen or a blurry dark picture (on going issue for over a year) 2) electrical system sometimes refuses to acknowledge the key fob and or won't start due to it thinking it has a dead battery. (on going issue for almost two years) 3) when braking in an emergency situation, heavy vibration from the rear of vehicle (on going issue for a few years when hard braking rarely occurs) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Dodge Journey battery drain problems
44 of the 5,299 owner complaints about the Dodge Journey describe battery drain or dead battery, most of them for the 2010 model year.
- owner complaints
- 44
- worst model year
- 2010
- typical mileage
- 60,000
By model year
Often reported together
Won't start 15Stalling 6Key fob 6Warning lights 5Won't shift 4Headlights 3Door locks 3Backup camera 3
What owners say
It all started with no starts and had starter replaced and then charging problem had new battery and alternator replaced . Then driving to work all the dashboard lights lit up like a Christmas tree and died a couple of times once in the middle of the road . Even when the car was in park and key out of the ignition the lights on dashboard would light up , like the car never totally shut off?Replaced ecm afterwards thinking that was the problem but wasn’t the case (I still have the original ecm unit ) and still there was a battery drain , driving it and the lights lit up the dashboard and stalled out . You can here a buzzing sound after the car if off and key is removed ?
Recently I have been having issues with the rear back up camera in the vehicle not working turning off beeping when nothing is around, also glitching and showing the camera upside down. I am also experiencing battery drainage in the vehicle I have just had the battery replaced and the alternator replaced as well, while I am searching online for common issues this seems to be happening to a large amount of people and the issues just keep equaling out to more then one problem. Motors staying on, electrical problems, constant power draws, many more issues I have many links to articles with dodge journey owners having numerous issues and dodge not wanting to fix anything or recall things to fix their mistakes. I can add links to this page. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The electrical is so messed up the battery drains within hours, I have shorts in all aspects of this car(Bluetooth, navigation, clicking relays nonstop, heat goes out intermittently, power switches on doors. I saw my headlights surging in power in the middle of nowhere, they would get bright, then go dim, then a battery icon illuminated on my dashboard before my car downshifted so hard I almost lost control of the car. The dealer replaced my motor mounts and my alternator, after calling to say my battery is bad and then turned around and said it wasn’t. Not to mention my brakes locked up in a little rain and I couldn’t stop crashing through a wall. Replaced my rear light turning bulb and it exploded with fire when I went to change it. The suspension is horrible and I am pretty sure my cv axles are all broken. Everything keeps breaking. Lifter Taps intermittently, rough idling and hard shifting. Key fob doesn’t start car or is recognized with fresh batteries in it. When I jump start it sometimes the horn goes off for a minute. The reverse camera goes out for days and randomly comes on again. Under the hood feels so extremely hot and for some reason it doesn’t register as overheating. Even when I check fluids and for the coolant levels are low for some reason. There is an actuator That constantly is going off under the dash. Airbags didn’t deploy when i hit the wall at all. The limp mode has come on and gone off a few times. Only codes I have is for tps and an outdoor ambient temperature sensor that says it’s either negative 40 degrees or 122 degrees. Which won’t let me clear nor allow me to remote start. Warranty is gone and when you take the fuse box cover off under the hood(just the cover) it goes haywire shaking and lights all over the dash and I have to shut the car off. Yes somebody please inspect this vehicle. The absolute worst vehicle I owe 12k on and I can’t afford to fix all of this that’s shutting down at the same time
Battery drain when car turned off
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that the horn would engage independently while the vehicle was turned off and parked in the garage. The contact stated that she would disconnect the horn fuse per the Owner’s Manual. However, the failure would reoccur whenever the fuse was reconnected. The contact stated that the failure was draining the battery and the battery was replaced several times. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and shut off while driving on three different occasions. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and jumpstarted the vehicle with assistance. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly and the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) module was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Vehicle will not start. Took to dealership and they charged battery. After repairing some recommendations I got the car back and it wouldn’t start. Same issue as before, I took it back and they said it was dead battery. I paid for a new battery and drove it home. Next day it would not start. I’ve been reading some reader boards and I’m told it has to do with wiring to the transmission. It gets cold in Alaska and my daughter and granddaughter can’t be stranded in inclement weather. Tested the starter and the alternator and both are good. New battery and new key fob battery and still a no go. Dodge needs to figure this out, as their certified mechanics can’t seem to diagnose the issue.
For many years (at least 8) this SUV has experienced odd, electrical issues (1) on at least 4 occasions I have found all windows lowered halfway when coming out to the car in the morning. (2) on 2 occasions I could not get the interior lights to turn off. It took multiple restarts and stops to stop effect. (3) about 18 months ago, while parked frequently at night, the horn would start honking. It appeared the alarm system was responding. The remote would not turn it off. Car needed key inserted and to be started. Finally it started randomly blowing while I was driving. I removed fuses to stop issue. (4) recently, overnight, the relatively new (less than a year) battery would be dead in morning. No lights left on. Alternator working. On the 2nd occasion I noticed when jumped the turn indicator was blinking despite not being turned on. This was the first time I decided to seek service help as a dead battery every morning is not just a minor problem. Vehicle current at garage.
Out of fuel vehicle ended up in traffic with cars zipping by. Police were called because the transmission could not be placed in neutral to push vehicle out of traffic. Had police not assisted it would result in being rear ended with children in the vehicle. The police nor the tow truck knew how to place vehicle in neutral. 3 months later the battery died and vehicle could not be placed in neutral to allow jump start. Lucky this did not happen in traffic or children would be at risk again . This could also have been avoided except that there is no idiot light on dash to warn of battery condition.
Driving down the highway or street, car completely shuts off, causing loss of brakes and power steering. Will restart after several attempts but is dangerous on the interstate or while passing or driving down the highway. Has happened on several occasions. Mechanic code pulls dead battery but battery changed and still shuts off.
Related recalls
Electrical system: wiring: front underhood
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
- Risk
- A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
Recall number 18V524000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
- Risk
- If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
Recall number 18V332000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2009 dodge journey vehicles manufacturer from november 1, 2007, through november 7, 2008. The wires within the front door wire harnesses may fatigue and break, which can interrupt the circuits for the side impact sensor(s), resulting in an airbag warning lamp illumination and loss of side crash sensing capability.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the side airbag may not deploy, reducing the protection intended for the occupant and increasing the risk of injuries.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners and replace the left and right door wiring harnesses free of charge. The safety recall began on february 18, 2011. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 10V658000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling 16,852 my 2009 dodge journey vehicles equipped without optional 115 volt auxiliary power outlet. An unused electrical connector for the optional 115 volt auxiliary power outlet option may become corroded and could short circuit.
- Risk
- If the fuse for this circuit does not blow, the connector could overheat and potentially catch fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will re-route and stow the 115 volt auxiliary power outlet connector and pull the 25 amp fuse to remove power from this unused circuit free of charge. The recall began on march 30, 2009. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 09V082000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling 6,692 my 2009 dodge journey vehicles equipped with a 3.5l engine. The engine wiring harness may contact the left transaxle mount.
- Risk
- Damage to the wiring harness could result in an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the engine wiring harness for damage. If the harness is damaged, the wiring will be repaired and a tie wrap installed to secure the harness away from the left transaxle mount. If no damage is found, a tie wrap will be installed to secure the harness away from the left transaxle mount. The recall began on july 7, 2008. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 08V247000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge Journey battery drain
Which Dodge Journey years have battery drain or dead battery problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2010 (17 complaints), 2009 (8 complaints) and 2013 (7 complaints).
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