tg-journey

We are Toyota fans but when we bought our Journey in early 08 the deciding factor was warranty, price and space. Although if I heard the dealer right the new dodge modales are no longer doing lifetime but matching with GM on warranty life. We have had lots of issues but they have all been resolved for the most part. They should by now know the common issues and have had them fixed. Although I would have to say on a personal note is that I think the front leather seats are less than impressive than other dodge models or makers....I have only seen the particular stitching in the journeys and every dodge model is stiched more. Has been a great ehicle for us overall and my huskies love the space to run about when we travel.

I have the oem hitch and works great although if you go with that option you may also want to look into the adapter to get rid of the slop from the adapters since there is an L-shaped adapter since it is a verticale adapter and then you have the hitch adapter....seen reports it is a little sloppy under use.

My tranny whines also at lower speeds but from what i have been told its a common chrysler/dodge issue and that it is normal.

I just had my journey in for service a couple weeks ago and they said to me it was normal and the tranny was tight. GUess I'll have to go back again after other issues.

I just had the OEM hitch put on myself to but I was seaching online tonight and just looking and came across an adapter that will solve your issue of the hithc moving. It pretty much slips over the L adapter and tightens down on the vertical hitch with two screws. If you search for accessories on google or something you will find it if you look hard enough. I would give you the site but I dont have it currently.

I have the factory hitch on mine as well. Looks exactly the same as yours, however, mine has a 4-pin wiring connector and it looks like yours is the 7pin? the dealer asked which one I wanted and at the time, I had no idea what the difference was (and he didn't know either), so I went with the 4 pin.

I mainly use mine for my bike rack. I must say that I'm a little disappointed because I now realize that each additional piece you need to attach to the hitch allows for additional lateral movement... So when I'm driving and I go over a bump or turn corners, I can see the bikes in the back swaying side to side. When I'm in my garage and I look at that L-shaped adaptor (which, in your picture, you have a ball mount attached to it), if I take it and move it side to side while it's attached to the hitch, there is considerable movement... about 1/4 cm either way. Then when I attach the bike rack, it also has side to side movement because not everything fits snug. So if I put everything on, and move the bike rack side to side, it's scary to see how much movement there is.

I've followed other cars with bike racks and I've never noticed the bikes moving side to side like this. This leads me to wonder how they are able to get everything to fit so tight? Am I missing something? Anyone have any pointers for me?

If you want some pics with my bike rack attached, let me know and I'll post some.

Thanks.

To fix the issue with the slop in the adapter I actually came across an adapter that slips over the horizontal adapter and has two screws on it to elimate the slop....I cannot currently find the site again but if you search for journey accessories and search that way you will find it.

I have the SXT AWD version with every option except leather and nav so I have the trailer tow package. I negotiated the hitch when purchasing the vehicle and they installed it with no problem. Mine looks different as they had to cut the bumper to make way for the 4 or 7pin connector. At the time, I didn't know what the difference was between 4 and 7 pin so I just went with the 4 pin as the only thing I would be towing is small trailer and a bike rack. The difference is the 7 pin has extra connectors for trailer assisted braking if the trailer is equipped with this functionality. The 4pin has connectors for the brake lights only. Just saying so anyone who has no clue will know when they read this.

Anyway, I also got the mopar verticle to horizontal (L shaped) 2 inch receiver and I must say that I'm a little disappointed with it. It fits in the hitch but it is loose... meaning that there is excessive lateral movement. This may not be of great concern when towing a trailer, but when you have a bike rack hooked up to it, it's a bit unnerving to see your bikes sway back and forth in the rear view mirror while you make turns. Plus, the drivers behind you keep their distance as they too are nervous that something will fall off. I have not found a solution short of putting shims to keep it from doing this. Do you have this problem Sprout Car?

I will take some pictures of my setup and will post.

I've had the same issue but the first was mid 08 and nobody had them but we've had to more puntures since but I had the dealer search for tires and they have no issue getting new ones but yeah the price is high but they are 19's. 22,000 miles and they are sitll in good shape so they will stay on mine a bit longer.

I bought an 09 journey R/T FWD w/tow package in may of 08 and had problems since: 1ST week passenger half shaft replaced, 2nd week brake module along with having the cooler door replaced and the little cubby door on top of the dash replaced due to both not operating correctly (not opening), 2 months wireless ignition module (i think thats how it was discribed) and then it was fine for about a year. Last spring the crome bezel arounf the shifter was loose, along with the chrome strip on the dash was loose and had those replaced. But the most annoying thing is having the little screw hole covers falling off all over the vehicle, especially the two across the top when you open the hatch and the ones at the top by the headrests of the two front seats. All together though we never had a problem getting anything fixed. I get so annoyed going in and complaining about problems I never mentioned the noise I heard until two weeks ago. Here they go and replace the power steering resivior. I haven't heard a noise since and I would have done it sooner if I had known about this forum since I read quite a few posts before signing up today. Also had the hitch installed that day to. Now if someone could help me with this, I checked on the dodge website for accessories and they list the elbow that is provided (actually purchased but dont tell you) for 1000lbs but an after market site states that the same elbow is rated for the 3500 lbs. Which is true? Would be dumb if it really was only 1000 lbs.

My main question is, is anyone disappointed with their leather seats in the front? I have 22000 miles on my journey so they have been used but I have never seen a leather seat loosen up like mine has to the point it has rolls in it when your not sitting in it. That is the driver seat and the passenger seat is not so bad but I also worry about the back seats when you have the seats folded and when you fold them back up the seatbelt look as if they are about the pucture the leather. When I had my journey in for service the time before last they were supposed to check into the driver seat issue for me but they must have forgotten since it was not on the work order and the service guy I had dealt with agreed with me it was not right. So this last service I had them check it and they say it is normal wear. LOL I know if I was going to buy a newer car with those miles and looked at the seat and saw that I wouldnt like it.

Long post I know, anyone know of any other tire manufacturers that make the 19" other than kumho? Not a very good tire for minnesota winters.