journey13

Let me tell you my experience. I had a similar problem. My Dodge Journey would blow hot air on the driver side and lukewarm air on the passenger side. It then would have issues changing the air-flow from your feet, to your face, to the window, etc. After investigating the issue for about a month I have come to the realization that the computer in the Dodge Journey's is actually pretty clever if not SMART. You see, whenever there is a problem, anywhere in the vehicle with any component, the Dodge Journey will start giving you issues with things you will notice right away. When this happens, there is a fault/problem somewhere in your car. It doesn't mean that the problem your facing is the actual problem, it just means you have a problem and you need to look deeper as to the root cause. In my situation, it started to happen as the weather got cold. At first, I thought I had to replace the entire wiring harness as whenever I touched wires, the blending doors started to work. Which made no sense BTW. It drove me and the mechanic/repair shop crazy. We couldn't make any sense of it. A few weeks went by and we started to test the blending doors. We soon discovered that the blending acuator on the passenger side that regulates the heat/cold temperature was malfunctioning. Depending on how cold the weather got, the actuator would actually not turn. This would cause the computer to throw alerts and refuse to change the climate temperature on the passenger side. At the same time, it would not allow you to change the air flow from feet, face, to window and it would constantly default to the window air flow. The minute we replaced the blending door actuator, all the problems have gone away. I should also mention that when we hooked up a scanner to it, there were two faults that were totally unrelated to the blending door actuator which stated an open circuit. So, when your Dodge Journey is having problems and you can't explain them, look further. Take the time to investigate because the car is simply telling you that something is wrong. It is your job to diagnose the problem. A few years ago, I had a fuse blow on me on the air bag system. I would constantly get an air bag light turn on in the vehicle. Took me a while to figure it out. The way the car was telling me that there is a problem is whenever I tried to put fuel in it, the pump would cut out. Once the fuse was replaced, I was able to pump gas no problems.

I would think that you would only need to buy the maps if (1) you want the latest ones in your unit or (2) you haven't bought a copy for yourself yet. If you do not have the maps CD/USB, then yes, you would have to buy the maps as you need them to reload onto or update the unit. Once you have the maps CD/USB, then each time the "unlock maps" issue occurs, you'd have to reload it. If the reload is successful, your GPS unit would function again but am no expert, not sure how effective or how many times you could actually reload onto the unit. I have a 2013 Dodge Journey, my GPS unit failed with the "unlock maps" issue 3x during the warranty period. I am now out of the warranty period and a few months back it failed on me again. The last time I took my car to Dodge, they told me they were unsuccessful in reloading the maps onto the unit and it would need to be replaced. So just because you buy the maps, doesn't mean the reload will succeed. I am surprised to hear this is still occuring with the new model Dodge vehicles. One would think Dodge would get their act together and fix the problem already...

I did firmware updates on my unit this morning from the following link @ https://www.driveuconnect.com/software-update/. You have to supply your VIN number to get the two downloads, maps however are not included. The instructions are pretty straight forward.

Yeah...am not so sure about the reloading part...last time the dealer tried it, they told me that it did not work and they had to order a replacement...I did recently upgrade the unit to CTP17...a few days later the entire radio went black on me, nothing on the screen. After the car was off over night the screen came back....In order for me to reload the maps, I need to have the maps CD from uconnect supplier, that costs $150+ US dollars. I am not sure I am willing to jump ship just yet to invest that much to have a disappointment...has anyone tried to reload their maps after buying the expensive map CD/USB?

Myself, since my GPS Nav is not working, I am searching for an after-market unit. There is no sense in getting a replacement for the UConnect system when its going to fail again anyway down the road. It is just not worth to replace it every year at a cost of $600 CAD per year. Dodge needs to do something about this and until all the Dodge owners complain or file a class action lawsuit, nothing is going to happen. I've tried going to the dealer to resolve the problem, the dealers won't do anything once the vehicle is out of warranty so there is no hope in hell of resolving any issues with the Uconnect system once your main or extended warranties expire. If I find an after market solution I will post here to share with everyone... If someone has found a solution, please share with all of us... Thank you

I took it to a vehicle service center (non-dealer) to have it scanned and was told of the error code. I was also told that no defective fuses were found. I guess they did not check for any missing ones. Since no problems were found, I took it to the dealer.

So, I had the car serviced at a dealer. They ran diagnostics. Wiring was OK. Relays OK. Turns out my PDC under the hood was the problem as somehow it got dislodged from the clips and a fuse was missing as no power was found to F118. How in the heck does that happen? It cost me a few hundred dollars to get the dealer to troubleshoot but at least I am grateful it was not thousands. Both error codes for the Air Bag Module and the AWD are now gone and the dash camera is working fine. I'm still left with a broken GPS unit though. The dealer told me it would cost me $600+ labour to repair. No thanks! Anyone have suggestions for an after market replacement radio with GPS for the journey?

Take a look at my dash when I start the vehicle... My Service AWD light came on a few days ago on my way home from work, this was the 2nd time it came on. The last time was about a month ago and after 3 car starts the light disappeared. What is interesting about the day when the Service AWD light came on is on the following morning when I started my car to go to work, the Air Bag light warning came on and does not go away. So the next day, I went to a reputable repair shop and had it scanned and in the Air Bag Module there is an error code stating 'open circuit'...

No luck on the dash cam with a different ground while connected to the under glove compartment fuse box (spare) on the passenger side. I now suspect it is my passenger under the dash harness as faulty as when I connect the dash cam through the lighter plug it has no issues.

Can you post the link to the thread that talks about how to reload the maps onto the GPS unit?

Lucky for you. I've had problems with the navigation system ever since I owned the vehicle. It's been the only repeating issue in the car. Other than that, the vehicle was fine until the most recent issue of the air bag light illumination coming on and the error code of 'open circuit' in the air bag module. I am actually considering changing out the radio with the GPS unit to after market considering its on going problems with the maps etc. I am currently researching what GPS aftermarket unit would be more suitable for the journey to utilize the large touch screen along with the overhead dvd screen in the vehicle. If anyone has any advice or suggestions, I am all ears.

Both times I was told they tried to 1) Reload the Maps and 2) Reload the firmware. I actually had to wait a month for them to get the CD ordered in order to attempt a map update as they did not have a copy on-site.I was told they tried both the firmware and the maps and neither attempt worked. So they replaced the faulty part each time under the warranty. The car dealer is a big dealership with a big name behind it; can't say much for some of their staff as I have had issues with them in the past. They have screwed up work on my car before and had to refund me as a result. As for the dashcam, I changed to a different ground. Perhaps the ground was my issue. I will be monitoring it closely to see if I have any further power issues with it. As for the extended warranty, I did not get it at the time of purchase. Last time I did buy one, I never ended up using it which was a total waste of money. I haven't had major issues with the vehicle other than the problematic GPS unit. The electrical problems that I am having now are something new.

FYI. I never said an open circuit is the same as a fuse. I just said that the fuses were all good when they were checked but when the car was hooked up to a scanner, it threw an open circuit error code. Same to the one in the recall in 2013. The dealer stated that the issue may be related to corrosion and I may need a new harness but they won't know for sure until I bring it in.They wouldn't speculate on the air bag light either until they take a look at the vehicle. As for the GPS, reloading the maps does not work. The dealership has tried multiple times during the warranty period, each time they worked on it for 2-3 months before they finally gave up. In both cases it did not work and they had to replace the unit. And as for the dash cam. I have electrical problems even with my windows not working sometimes, as well as the rear wiper. So I doubt it is my dash cam...dash cam is brand new, only about a month old.

Wait till its out of warranty! BTW I think I may have found a problem to all my electrical issues with my 2013 Dodge Journey. In the last few days, both my AWD Service light came on followed by the famous, wait for it....Air Bag Warning light!!! Some of you may not know but Chrysler had a major recall on their vehicle in April 2013 for a faulty air bag warning light illuminating in the dash for no reason. When this happens, your air bags are disabled and will not deploy in the event of a crash. You can read more about it here -> https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/04/09/chrysler-300-dodge-charger-challenger-recall-airbag/2067947/ I took it to a reputable shop (non dealer) and they tested all the fuses in the vehicle. ALL FUSES WORK. Then they hooked it up to the scanner and in the Air Bag module, there is an alert stating 'open circuit". It is the same code as the recall in 2013... So, perhaps the 2013 Dodge Journey's still are affected by this recall which entails a complete replacement of the interior wiring harness on both driver and passenger side. I also have electrical problems with my Dodge. Every year, while the Vehicle was under warranty. Dodge had to replace my GPS unit 2X due to the "can't unlock maps" feature. Nobody can't figure out why. The GPS unit has died on me for the 3rd time now, this time however after the warranty so I can't get it fixed. The first time it died June 30th 2014, roughly after a year of owning it. The next time it died on Dec 30th 2015. If it is indeed the harness, I will make a request for the GPS module to be repaired/replaced as well as I have a suspicion that this faulty wiring harness and the recall in 2013 has something to do with it. I mean, if your harness is faulty and you have electrical problems, GPS failures and the harness go hand in hand. Would you not think? That and get this, my other electrical issue is the car has turned itself on 2x in the past year without me as the driver even sitting inside it! And no, i did not remote start it. The car was parked once underground for 8hrs. It was turned off when I left it and when I came back, the car was on. Air conditioning at full blast which I never go full blast BTW. And burned through half a tank of gas. So explain that for me! Why would I want to get another Journey? Heck no. This is my only one and if I survive with it to keep longer then I am greateful but I am now done with Dodge Vehicles. I have an appointment next week with Dodge to service the air bag light, they suspect I may need a new wiring harness...we see what happens, stay tuned... One more thing, I also have a dash cam in my car that sometimes, once a week, doesn't turn on with the ignition despite being wired to a spare fuse in the interior. I have to turn off the car and the back again just to get power to the dash camera...so yeah...sounds like a wiring harness!!! My car only has 43,000 km...it's been nothing but a headache!

Yeah, I'm not giving any more money to Dodge every year. I've replaced the TGM module 2x now within a 3 year period. Customers shouldn't be replacing the module year after year to resolve an issue Dodge is fully aware of and refuses to do something about it. Oh yeah, they did do something about it. They called it a recall for all 2014 and newer models but left all the 2013 out of the recall. It is a wasted breath talking to the dealership here as they keep saying they don't know what the problem is. Unless Dodge gets their act together and deals with this problem and actually initiates a full blown recall on the units, my family and the rest of my friends that know about this won't ever be buying another Dodge vehicle let alone a Dodge Journey, dosen't matter what year its from.

No it does not work. As you notice, it defaults to Blaine WA. I'm no where near Blaine WA. I'm like 50km away from where the map is showing. The GPS module does not work anymore as it can't load the maps from the flash. The car moves across the map from default and does not even reflect my exact location.

Well, I am happy to report (NOT).... that my third (3) radio is dead now.... I've had 2 replacements during the warranty period within three (3) years of owning the vehicle and the warranty expiring. The vehicle is now in its 4th year and the GPS module has died again..each time I had this service, chrysler dealer wasted hours trying to solve it, even weeks at times, making excuses to the point where they finally replaced the radio which only bought me a few months of usage. I plan to go to the media with this problem because after 3 radio's , I have had it! WAY TO GO CHRYSLER! So who's going to fix this now for me now that my car no longer has a warranty eh chrysler??? Just to humilate your product quality, I have posted a video for you to see!!!!

Ya, my Journey sticker price was $39K Canadian on the lot. It is a fully loaded R/T model with every possible option imaginable i.e. V6, AWD, Remote Start, heated seats/steering wheel, nav/gps/dvd with dvd overhead in rear passenger, 7 seats, HID fog and head lamps, sunroof, leather bra for the front, leather interior (black), rear trunk cover, rear leather mat for trunk, chrome nerf bars, chrome handles, chrome trim interior, etc. After negotiation, the selling price was $29,500 + Taxes + Fees + Financing. In the end, the price came backup up to $38,500 after I drove it off the lot. Everything else has been good with the vehicle, no problems except for this stupid and annoying GPS issue....

I will give it one more chance. If this 3rd radio fails by June, then I will be writing. It is nuts that I have gone through 3 GPS units now within the span of a year (12 months). Each radio/gps unit costs estimated $1500 not including labor to replace (according to the car dealer that replaced it 2x now); how can they expect to make money on this and continue down this road? This is the worst experience I have ever had with a vehicle purchase. And here I thought FORD was bad LOL

Well, I got a new GPS unit installed in my car last week tuesday. Let's see how long this one lasts before it implodes with the same issue. I am on radio #3 now...2nd replacement within 12 months...

I think by the time July 2016 hits, I will be trading it in and getting something else. May or may not be a chrysler after this fiasco. I had replaced the GPS console now twice within a year. That is crazy! I shouldn't have to fork out 2K on an extended warranty to protect myself from a a flaw in their product line. I paid nearly $40K for this vehicle, I shouldn't have to be dealing with repeating problem on the same faulty item. I call that a manufacturer defect and it should be fixed/resolved! That or, if the warranty expires, that particular part of the defective item should always be replaced even if the vehicle goes out of warranty. My next car won't be having any GPS built in, I will just get a portable one instead.

Well, my GPS broke when my 2013 Journey hit 11K on the odometer. They first tried to flash it. Wasted 2hrs. It did not work. Then they replaced it. I had to wait almost 3 months for a replacement unit. My vehicle now has 27K on the odometer and guess what? It broke again! Same problem. Can't unlock maps error. So back to the dealer again. They took a look and concluded I need a 2nd replacement. My warranty is up next year July 2016, then what?