NiceTrip

I put in quite a few random VINs at Dodge.com, and none of them showed the recall. My guess is they haven't yet updated the individual VINs with the recalled status. Judging by your delivery date, I'd say the chances are pretty good you'll be getting a letter in the mail over the next few weeks. Keep us posted...

Chris, I'm betting that the car that is on its way is not *exactly* like the one you ordered, notwithstanding what Jim told you. My guess is it's either going to be an SXT instead of R/T or it won't have the Flexible Seating Group. Let us know... It does seem that with the exception of Hit-By-Thunder who holds the record for longest wait time, that those who ordered R/T's with third row seats are waiting the longest in general for their orders. So there could be something to the 3rd row seats being back-ordered (at least the leather ones).

Can someone supply a good picture of the shifter? From the photos I've seen, it looks like you would have to move the shifter to the right in order to shift from neutral into reverse. Based on that, I wonder if yours is somehow mis-adjusted allowing it to go from neutral to reverse too easily. SnowRunner, You are right that there is a lockout that won't engage reverse if you are going over a certain speed, but it WILL engage reverse at a non-zero forward speed. So that does constitute an unsafe condition in my opinion. I will definitely check this when I recieve mine (hopefully by week's end), and will post an update.

Found this online today. Also contains sales numbers for the Journey. Looks like the recall amounts to about 1/3 of the units delivered so far. http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti.../FREE/815384694

In many designs, it is normal for the seatbelts not to lock up during normal operation. The last Dodge I had was designed this way, and I find it to be a superior design. In this design, which I assume the Journey uses, the seatbelts should only lock during a crash or abrupt maneuver. On the other hand, one of the most irritatating "features" of my 2003 Jetta is the ease with which the seatbelts lock up. If I get in the car, and don't consciously pull the belt out s-l-o-w-l-y while putting it on, it will catch, and I will have the release the tension a bit so I can continue pulling out the belt. If you want to confirm that the belts will lock during a crash, you should be able to test them by executing a sudden stop while at the same time giving the belt a hard yank. (In a safe place of course). If you time it right, and jerk hard enough while stopping hard enough, the belt will lock up.

Since the AWD is electronically controlled, and only engages when the car senses it's needed, I doubt that's the source of the clicking. I would absolutely have the dealers check it out. If need be, insist on accompanying the service tech on a check ride so you can reproduce the click.

Yeah, after I posted the question, I took a close look at some of the pictures, and reached the same conclusion. There does not look to be any place to install the cover in the 3-row car. Oh well, ya win some, ya lose some. I may try to figure a creative way to make it work, but most likely I'll live with it. The glass is tinted quite dark, and the rear windows are somewhat small, so it may not make that much difference anyway.

I'm curious as to the different incentives that people were offered, and if you had to choose between different incentives, which did you choose and why? It looks like I'll have a choice between $1000 cash allowance and the $2.99 gas guarantee when mine comes in. I'll probably choose the gas card. I'll have no trouble using the 1800 gallons of gas over the next 3 years, so neglecting carrying costs, the break-even gas price is $3.55. If the average price for the next three years exceeds $3.55 I win, if it falls below that, I'd have been better off with the $1000. Factoring in interest pushes the break-even gas price up to about $3.65. Still a good deal if prices stay up in the $3.90 range or higher. The way I see it, if gas prices fall, and I "lose" money because I took the gas card - that's a good problem to have. Much better than if I take the $1000, and gas prices go to $5 or $6 within the next three years. Or to put it in other terms, the downside risk is limited to $1000, while the upside potential is pretty much unlimited. I just hope I can take delivery before the offer expires.

If anything, perhaps the leather-clad third row seats are on back-order. I ordered an SXT with Pebble-Beige cloth and third-row seat on May 14, and I'm told mine is in production as I type this.

If you scroll toward the upper left (between Industrias Quimicas and Independencia), you will see a huge parking lot with cars parked in 4-deep rows. Now as to whether those are Journeys or PT Cruisers, You'd need a bit more detail.

June 6 - In Production - WooHoo!!!!

Looks to me like the Radio/NAV is different between the 2nd and 3rd pics, but the AC controls are identical. Do you know where the 3rd pic comes from - i.e. what the exact option list was on the vehicle from which it was taken? I'd be willing to bet it is an SXT with Flex seating, and Entertainment Group II, but WITHOUT Premium Convenience Group, while the 2nd pic is from an SXT with Flex seating, but with neither EG2 or PCG. The presence or absence of NAV (EG2). The only way to get ATC in the SXT is with Premium Conv Group, which contains: Remote Start System UConnect® Hands-Free Communication Heated Front Seats Air Conditioning with Dual Zone Auto Temp Control Automatically-Dimming Rearview Mirror w/ Microphone Since your sig says you have ordered Premium Convenience Group, I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised when you get your Journey and it has the AC controls from the 1st pic.

...which makes me wonder - any chance the loose 4-wire pigtail that was loose in the trunk, is the harness you refer to for the Electric Brake connection? I know that the tow prep package comes with a 4-wire connector, and the accessory (not available from factory) hitch comes with a 7-pin connector.

Hey Rob, can you provide links to the pictures you're referring to so we can try to figure this out? You are correct, that the A/C controls on SXT with rear seat but without Premium Convenince are not the Automatic Temp Control and are not the same as on R/T. However, on the US site at http://www.dodge.com/en/2009/journey/interior/conveniences/ under climate control it says: Automatic temperature control is standard on R/T and available on SXT. It also says: Tri-zone temperature control is available on SXT and R/T as part of the Flexible Seating Group. So as far as I can tell, the you get the standard A/C controls on SXT unless you get the Premium Convenience Group, which gives you the same Automatic temp control as R/T. If you get Flex Seating, you get the rear A/C, either standard controls or Automatic temp control depending on your option choices.

That's where the rear A/C controls go if you got the Flexible Seating Group. I agree that it is unsightly, and a waste of potential utility.

Does the lever feel like it is moving forward (toward you)? If it does and you're still not getting spray, I'd say either the dealer didn't fill the reservoir or it is broken. 'Course if the reservior is empty, you should be getting an annoying warning, based on other posts I've seen - so that means there's a good chance it's defective. If you can't get it working, definitely stop by the dealer and have them demonstrate. I'm betting you'll see a puzzled look on your sales person's face when they can't get it to work either.

ATC is standard on the R/T and is part of the Premium Convenience Group on the SXT. The Flexible Seating Group includes Rear AC with 3-zone Manual Control. The Premium Convenience Group upgrades your Standard AC to Dual zone Automatic Temperature Control, or with the Flexible Seating Group, to 3-zone ATC. That's why the Premium Convenience Group price goes up by $45 when you add the Flexible Seating Group.

That is excellent news Rob!! I don't think anyone deserves to get their new Journey more than you. Way to go! And from a selfish perspective, that means mine is hopefully not far behind!

1971 Ford Custom 500 Station Wagon (hand-me down family car) 1970 Ford Mustang Fastback (Shoulda kept this one) 1976 Oldsmobile Starfire (Traded the Mustang for this POS - what an idiot I was!) 1980 Dodge Omni 024 (by marriage - bullet proof little car with a VW engine) 1982 Ford Mustang GT (First new car - totalled in 1991 - not my fault) 1987 Ford Taurus LX (the car that saved Ford - at least at the time) 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse (replaced the Mustang) 1996 Nissan Quest (Being replaced by the Journey) 2003 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Wagon (42 MPG mixed city/highway) 2009 Dodge Journey (any day now)

So ask your dealer where's the Oil Cooler, and how do you install it. Because according to the dodge website, the Trailer Prep Package comes with: Engine Oil Cooler Trailer Tow with 4-Pin Connector Wiring After all, if they don't install the Wiring Harness when you order this FACTORY INSTALLED OPTION, then why would you expect them to install the oil cooler? Serirously though, if your dealer gave you a wiring harness but didn't install it - I would question whether you actually got the factory trailer prep package or "dealer installed" trailer package. I.e. you got charged $130 for a $10 wiring harness and you didn't get the oil cooler at all.

Good point radon360. I'd like to suggest that all mileage quotes posted on this forum be accomanied by the calculation method - i.e. trip computer vs. gallons at pump / miles driven vs. whatever other method you may use. Also, I'd like to hear if anyone has done any comparisons on the trip computer vs. fill-up method. I've only ever had one other car with a trip computer (1987 Ford Taurus LX), and it was notoriously optimistic regarding MPG on trip computer vs. fill-up method.

ZERO miles! I've only been waiting about 2 weeks so far, but it's KILLING me - and it's not even MY car - it's the wife's!

I hope you're right. I ordered the 7-seater, FWD, and have a G - 3D4GG57V9xTxxxxxx. I'm gonna be very disappointed if I get a 5-seater.

I will pay $140 more per six months when I remove the 1996 Nissan Quest and replace it with the 2009 Dodge Journey, both full Collision and Comprehensive coverage with $250 Deductible. Considering the replacement cost of the new vehicle is 10x or more than the one it's replacing on the policy, that seems pretty reasonable.

I believe that even the stock radio is a 6-disc changer that plays both DVD's and MP3's, which means you can load up around 28GB of mp3's (4.7GBx6) on DVDs, and have a few days worth of music in the jukebox, even without the hard drive.