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Dodge Journey fire or smoke problems

102 of the 5,298 owner complaints about the Dodge Journey describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2009 model year.

owner complaints
102
worst model year
2009
typical mileage
61,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

What owners say

Filed Sep 1, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · GA · fire

Sitting at red light and with out warning car turns off I place it in park and try to start car again as soon as I push the ignition to crank the car a huge explosion from under the hood blew the hood backwards striking the a-piler to the driver's door trapping me inside the car as flames were observed coming through the dashboard had to forcefully kick driver side window out of frame to dive out of the car because the door being jammed shut

Filed Jul 1, 2026 · Engine · 175,589 miles · WI

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the vehicle, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was diagnosed with catalytic converter failure. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 175,589.

Filed Feb 9, 2026 · Engine · IL · fire

The contact owned a 2012 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that upon her daughter starting the vehicle, an abnormal popping noise was emitted from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle caught fire as the contact's daughter exited the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene of the incident, where they extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported, and a police report was not filed. A corner of the contact's home caught fire, melting the home's siding. Two other vehicles also caught fire, which melted the front ends of those vehicles. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard, where the vehicle was destroyed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had yet been notified of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that there was a recall on the vehicle for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V431000(Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Feb 3, 2026 · Engine · 230,000 miles · FL · fire

The contact's daughter owned a 2014 Dodge Journey. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign: 15V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, parts were not available. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, black smoke was seen coming from under the hood, and the engine caught on fire. The driver was able to successfully exit the vehicle. No warning lights illuminated. The local fire department arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire. A police report was not filed. The source of the fire was deemed recall-related. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location and was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. No injuries or medical attention were sought. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

Filed Nov 18, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · NY

I bought the car in 2019 . Since purchasing it has had electrical issues. The AC blew hot air, the rear windows did not work, the center console usb plug caught fire, the lights on dash flicker. Dome light comes on by itself. Now the head lights flicker and go out. I have had it checked , and on computers nothing comes up.I cannot even use cruise control because it speeds up on its own to high speeds. I contacted the dealership, I was told I was making it up, I took it in and was told they could not find anything. I have taken video, and even have numerous witnesses to this. This is just one of many issues.Three nights ago on my way home from the store all my lights went out on the highway. It was pitch black. I was lucky no one was around me and I was able to get off the near by exit without crashing. There is no recalls on my car but on the 2016 Dodge journey this is mentioned by numerous customers. I even contacted Dodge Chrysler and was told they have no records of any issues with my year make or model.

Filed Oct 13, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · AL

Stated having coolant issues in 2023. September 2025 Engine light Started blinking and Started running rough at 65 mph. Stopped the vehicle and you could see the whole car shaking from the motor running so rough. Fueled up kept going and it kept doing it. Eventually dying at a stop light and I couldn't get it to fire back up. Ended up needing a tow since it wouldn't stay running. White smoke coming from tailpipe. Cracked cylinder head. $3000 repair with a USED PART.

Filed Aug 19, 2025 · Electrical · TX · fire

In April 2025 I was driving and the abs light came on and windshield wipers went off sporadically. Dodge dealer found nothing wrong. It happened again in June 2025. Dodge dealer had car for 1 week and stated they could not find problem but car was safe to drive. They said to return when problems were more constant. On the morning of 8/14/2025, I dropped someone off at the dr and went to Starbucks. Went inside for order. While driving back to drs windshield wipers went crazy and car started to stutter. I pulled over .4 miles from Starbucks. When I stopped I saw smoke so got out of the car and could see flames. I went to open backdoor for my purse but door would not open. Drivers door was not fully closed so was able to retrieve to call 911. Fire department arrived quickly but front of car was already engulfed in flames. Fire department was able to get Fire out. Car was a total loss.

Filed Jun 12, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · IL · fire

The Carbondale Fire Department was dispatched to a vehicle fire In the parking lot behind the above-listed address. Fire personnel arrived and found a 2009 Dodge Journey with an engine compartment fire. Fire personnel used tank water and a pre-connected 1 3/4 In. hose line to extinguish the fire. There were no exposures or damage to other property. Upon completing the extinguishment, an origin and cause investigation was conducted, which Included, but was not limited to, scene examination, documentation, and interviews. The owner of the vehicle stated the following: He purchased the vehicle new. He has liability Insurance only through Allstate. This Is not his primary vehicle. He does his own service. No known electrical Issues, and there were no warning lights on the vehicle before the fire. The vehicle has approximately 160,000 miles on It The only known issue with the vehicle was a power steering issue. Before the discovery of the fire, the owner had pulled into a gas station across town to add power steering fluid. Upon leaving the gas station, the owner reported that within a few blocks, he began seeing black smoke coming from under the hood, and there was an odd odor to the smoke. (Review of Oty Video cameras confirmed this account) He pulled in the parking lot at the above-listed address and accessed the engine compartment to find fire on the power steering reservoir, the plastic engine cover, and the cooling fan. He attempted to extinguish the fire with a soda he had and then attempted to retrieve water from a nearby building. Upon returning with water, the fire was too large to extinguish. The scene examination revealed an engine compartment fire that had transitioned Into the passenger compartment during the failure of the front windshield. The hood of the vehicle had completely melted away during the fire. Fire patterns in the engine compartment were consistent with the owners account of the fire. The fire was determined to be unintentional, with the

Filed Jun 1, 2025 · Body, Electrical · KY · fire

Was driving car after cleaning it had a box in trunk that barely took a portion of the trunk up. While drive smelt smoke and electrical smell and my trunk was on fire inside. Pulled over and the back hatch inside got so hot from what I can only guess was electrical that the box caught fire. This caused a whole inside back hatch and melted part of my seat and damaged my storage containers.

Filed May 21, 2025 · FL · fire

We were driving down the interstate and my vehicle caught fire, there were no warnings on the dash and the vehicle was driving fine. Luckily someone pulled us over to let us know that something was getting on their windshield... Some kind of fluid... Were not sure what. After pulling over we seen fire dropping out from under the vehicle and within 5 minutes the vehicle was completely engulfed

Related recalls

Electrical system: wiring: front underhoodReported August 9, 2018 · 12,779 vehicles affected
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: wiringReported May 17, 2018 · 4,815,661 vehicles affected
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: wiringReported December 24, 2010 · 64,934 vehicles affected
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 systemReported March 12, 2009 · 16,852 vehicles affected
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: wiringReported June 3, 2008 · 6,692 vehicles affected
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 fire or smoke

Which Dodge Journey years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2009 (22 complaints), 2012 (17 complaints) and 2010 (13 complaints).

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