dkplatner

Final post: Picked up Journey with following recommendations: 1) Keep on charger 2) Keep keys away from vehicle 3) Turn off passive entry feature "All modules were updated" according to the service report. Only up side is this is a lease vehicle, which will be returned at end of lease. We will also be going back to GM cars, or maybe try a Ford hybrid this time. Dodge may have one the battle, but once again they have lost another customer!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for all the help and recommendations, too bad Dodge doesn't read these.

Picked up Journey with following recommendations: 1) Keep on charger 2) Keep keys away from vehicle 3) Turn off passive entry feature "All modules were updated" according to the service report. Only up side is this is a lease vehicle, which will be returned at end of lease. We will also be going back to GM cars, or maybe try a Ford hybrid this time. Dodge may have one the battle, but once again they have lost another customer!!!!!!!!!!!!

Picked up Journey with following recommendations: 1) Keep on charger 2) Keep keys away from vehicle 3) Turn off passive entry feature "All modules were updated" according to the service report. Only up side is this is a lease vehicle, which will be returned at end of lease. We will also be going back to GM cars, or maybe try a Ford hybrid this time. Dodge may have one the battle, but once again they have lost another customer!!!!!!!!!!!!

No resolution!!! Picked up Journey with following recommendations: 1) Keep on charger 2) Keep keys away from vehicle 3) Turn off passive entry feature "All modules were updated" according to the service report. Only up side is this is a lease vehicle, which will be returned at end of lease. We will also be going back to GM cars, or maybe try a Ford hybrid this time. Dodge may have one the battle, but once again they have lost another customer!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a 2012 Journey that we picked up on June 26th. No issues until we took a one month trip out East in September, and returned to a dead Journey battery. We keep it in the garage, so I hooked up the battery charger and everything jumped to life, but required an over-night charge to get it started. Since returning from our trip, the battery has required charging, twice. On November 7th the same problem, but this time when I hooked up the charger, the green light immediately came on the charger and the Journey battery would only take about one amp on the gauge. The inside lights were going crazy, the windshield wipers were coming on and the gauges were swinging back and forth. I called service and they said to have it towed in. We live 25 miles from the closest Dodge dealer, so I left the charger on over night and the Journey started up the next morning. The gauges were still going crazy, and there was NO control of the throttle, but I limped along at 35 MPH MAX and got to the dealer. They said the ETC was fried and accused me of hooking up the charger backwards (not a chance, red-to-red, black-to-black. I've been doing this for 50 years). But they replaced the ETC at no charge and updated "all" modules. Two weeks later, November 20th, the battery was once again dead. Again, service recommended having it towed in. Same 25 mile issue, so I charged it over night and everything was fine for the next two weeks. Until Wednesday, Dec 12th. Not quite dead, but low enough to not start. Put the charger on, got it started and took it to the dealer. Where we were informed that this was "normal for this type of vehicle with passive entry". "These active systems will draw down the battery in 13 to 14 days." Really?? So if you go to the airport you better call AAA on your way back to your car? The dealer kept the Journey over night to run "cold" diagnostics, but found nothing abnormal, again repeating that the battery draining was "normal". The Journey is still at the dealer, waiting for us to pick it up. I've now called Doug Chambers, our sales member, and asked him if this was considered an acceptable battery life. Doug does not believe this is acceptable and is trying to get a straight answer. I will ask him about the Body Control Module, today, and report back when I have a good answer. This smells like a serious problem, but I'm hoping for resolution.

I'm having similar problems with my 2012 Journey. Battery is going dead in just over a week. The car is currently at the Chrysler dealer, who just informed me that they have completed their diagnostic tests and have found nothing. The battery is charging and holding a charge (at least for the duration of their test). Their suggestion is to hook the Journey up to a trickle charger, which is difficult to do at Detroit Metro Airport. I can read my tire pressures and many other functions, but there is NO provision for battery voltage. Second suggestion is to keep the key fobs at least 30 feet from the vehicle, since any closer than that, the passive electronics are activated and seeking various modules while drawing battery current. Interesting suggestion, but not very practical and not entirely accurate, since we have always kept the keys near the garage door and this battery issue was not present in June, when we picked up the vehicle. Third suggestion was to use the "shipping disconnect" which is present on my 2010 Caliber, but removed in 2012 for a "dealer activated shipping key", which is not available to the public. Fifth suggestion is to go to an auto parts store and buy a manual battery disconnect switch. Additional info: the ECU toasted itself last month and had to be replaced. Just read about all the similar battery problems and the possibility of the passive entry button drawing in moisture. We have had a lot of freezing and thawing the last few weeks and moisture collecting on the windows and under body metal is obvious. Anything more current on this button issue and, by the way, how can you turn the passive entry system off?

I'm having similar problems with my 2012 Journey. Battery is going dead in just over a week. The car is currently at the Chrysler dealer, who just informed me that they have completed their diagnostic tests and have found nothing. The battery is charging and holding a charge (at least for the duration of their test). Their suggestion is to hook the Journey up to a trickle charger, which is difficult to do at Detroit Metro Airport. I can read my tire pressures and many other functions, but there is NO provision for battery voltage. Second suggestion is to keep the key fobs at least 30 feet from the vehicle, since any closer than that, the passive electronics are activated and seeking various modules while drawing battery current. Interesting suggestion, but not very practical and not entirely accurate, since we have always kept the keys near the garage door and this battery issue was not present in June, when we picked up the vehicle. Third suggestion was to use the "shipping disconnect" which is present on my 2010 Caliber, but removed in 2012 for a "dealer activated shipping key", which is not available to the public. Fifth suggestion is to go to an auto parts store and buy a manual battery disconnect switch. Additional info: the ECU toasted itself last month and had to be replaced. Just read about all the similar battery problems and the possibility of the passive entry button drawing in moisture. We have had a lot of freezing and thawing the last few weeks and moisture collecting on the windows and under body metal is obvious. Anything more current on this button issue and, by the way, how can you turn the passive entry system off?

I'm having similar problems with my 2012 Journey. Battery is going dead in just over a week. The car is currently at the Chrysler dealer, who just informed me that they have completed their diagnostic tests and have found nothing. The battery is charging and holding a charge (at least for the duration of their test). Their suggestion is to hook the Journey up to a trickle charger, which is difficult to do at Detroit Metro Airport. I can read my tire pressures and many other functions, but there is NO provision for battery voltage. Second suggestion is to keep the key fobs at least 30 feet from the vehicle, since any closer than that, the passive electronics are activated and seeking various modules while drawing battery current. Interesting suggestion, but not very practical and not entirely accurate, since we have always kept the keys near the garage door and this battery issue was not present in June, when we picked up the vehicle. Third suggestion was to use the "shipping disconnect" which is present on my 2010 Caliber, but removed in 2012 for a "dealer activated shipping key", which is not available to the public. Fifth suggestion is to go to an auto parts store and buy a manual battery disconnect switch. Additional info: the ECU toasted itself last month and had to be replaced. Just read about all the similar battery problems and the possibility of the passive entry button drawing in moisture. We have had a lot of freezing and thawing the last few weeks and moisture collecting of the windows and under body metal is obvious. Anything more current on this button issue and, by the way, how can you turn the passive entry system off?