Photo: Dodge
The Journey has an exceptionally bad reputation. Like any Dodge product developed with Fiat's input, quality and reliability leave much to be desired. The crossover is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over electrical issues that resulted in a vehicle fire.
Back in January 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation was informed of an extremely alarming event. On December 9 last year, the owner of a Journey pulled to the side of the road after experiencing multiple electrical malfunctions with their minivan-esque crossover. The owner couldn't get out of the vehicle due to inoperative door locks and windows. The vehicle caught fire, and – unfortunately – said fire consumed the owner. The safety boffins at the Office of Defects Investigation are presently collecting information to determine if a problem causing the aforementioned entrapment exists.
ODI references complaint number 11508217 in the report attached below, listing the Journey in question as a 2009 model. The submitted complaint reads that the warning lights began flashing, horn started honking, and wipers came on prior to the vehicle catching fire. If the federal watchdog does find something off, a safety recall encompassing an estimated 82,527 units of the 2009 model year Journey may be issued.
It's not known which model years the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is referring to, chiefly because 2008 deliveries totaled 47,097 units. Come 2009, no fewer than 53,826 of the notoriously bad Journey were sold in the US of A.
Assembled in Mexico rather than the United States, the Journey was discontinued after the 2020 model year. According to Dodge, its three-row crossover had to go because – at the time – the Fiat Chrylser-owned brand intended to focus on performance-oriented vehicles. Right, and that's why Dodge rolled out a badge-engineered crossover for 2023?
FCA merged with PSA in 2021, thus becoming Stellantis. The funny thing is, FCA US LLC still exists, and every recall involving Stellantis products in the United States lists FCA US LLC as the manufacturer. It's also worth noting that Dodge is pulling the plug on the Charger and Challenger – as well as V8 engines – as it transitions to all-electric vehicles. The Challenger doesn't have a direct replacement, but given time, the Charger is coming back as an electric three-door coupe.
The closest thing that Dodge has to the Journey nowadays is the Durango, a three-row sport utility vehicle that costs more than the Charger ($33,200), Challenger ($31,100), and Alfa Romeo Tonale-twinned Hornet ($29,995). Retailing at $39,445 sans destination charge, the Durango is joined at the hip to the WK2 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 166 series from Mercedes-Benz (i.e., W166 ML-Class and X166 GL-Class).
Manufactured at Jefferson North Assembly in Detroit, the Durango faces an uncertain future. FCA didn't confirm or deny its passing after the 2023 model year, at least not for the time being. If the Durango does go away, which it needs to given its old bones, then a WL-gen Jeep Grand Cherokee L-based sport utility vehicle seems like the most likely replacement.
ODI references complaint number 11508217 in the report attached below, listing the Journey in question as a 2009 model. The submitted complaint reads that the warning lights began flashing, horn started honking, and wipers came on prior to the vehicle catching fire. If the federal watchdog does find something off, a safety recall encompassing an estimated 82,527 units of the 2009 model year Journey may be issued.
It's not known which model years the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is referring to, chiefly because 2008 deliveries totaled 47,097 units. Come 2009, no fewer than 53,826 of the notoriously bad Journey were sold in the US of A.
Assembled in Mexico rather than the United States, the Journey was discontinued after the 2020 model year. According to Dodge, its three-row crossover had to go because – at the time – the Fiat Chrylser-owned brand intended to focus on performance-oriented vehicles. Right, and that's why Dodge rolled out a badge-engineered crossover for 2023?
FCA merged with PSA in 2021, thus becoming Stellantis. The funny thing is, FCA US LLC still exists, and every recall involving Stellantis products in the United States lists FCA US LLC as the manufacturer. It's also worth noting that Dodge is pulling the plug on the Charger and Challenger – as well as V8 engines – as it transitions to all-electric vehicles. The Challenger doesn't have a direct replacement, but given time, the Charger is coming back as an electric three-door coupe.
The closest thing that Dodge has to the Journey nowadays is the Durango, a three-row sport utility vehicle that costs more than the Charger ($33,200), Challenger ($31,100), and Alfa Romeo Tonale-twinned Hornet ($29,995). Retailing at $39,445 sans destination charge, the Durango is joined at the hip to the WK2 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 166 series from Mercedes-Benz (i.e., W166 ML-Class and X166 GL-Class).
Manufactured at Jefferson North Assembly in Detroit, the Durango faces an uncertain future. FCA didn't confirm or deny its passing after the 2023 model year, at least not for the time being. If the Durango does go away, which it needs to given its old bones, then a WL-gen Jeep Grand Cherokee L-based sport utility vehicle seems like the most likely replacement.
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