Armando G

Journ, you mention just going through the process so I was curious...do you have the 4.3 or 8.4 screen? And out of curiosity, how much did you end up spending total with the adapter, installation, and camera (I assume)?

They are not marked, but it's pretty obvious which one goes in front and back when you go to install them. One is longer than the other. I believe longer one goes on the front. You can also use the brackets to hook your tie straps or tire a rope to. Great value.

Really glad to hear your great experience with your DJ. I've always kept my cars for years and have average over 200K miles on my last two keepers (Explorer and Windstar). I did try a BMW at one point, but ended up spending more money in one year for other than regular maintenance items. I'm completely amazed at how well your paint and body look, I unfortunately have a couple of grocery cart dings on mine from other careless people. Great job maintaining your DJ.

Welcome. If you got that kind of mileage on your escape, I would think you maintain your vehicles...hopefully your DJ will be comparable.

Good luck...hope it is not a big issue. And yes, different dealers definitely take a different approach.

Curt hitch packaged with the receiver, ball, and wiring kit is the way to go. Ebay has the package deal for under $190 and installation is easy (if you have at least basic car skills). I installed my hitch and wiring harness by myself without even having to jack it up. Just keep in mind that you will most likely use the receiver in the 'rise' position since the hitch sits a little low. I would of loved to use the pre-installed harness (connector was $80), but the 2 dealers I went to couldn't figure out if they would be able to flash my specific car. I was told to buy the harness and then they would give it a try. I could then return the harness if it didn't work, minus the restocking fee. Finally decided to go with the Curt wiring harness and it works like a charm.

Curious if you ever got your hitch installed, and if it worked out for the trailer you were thinking? Installed the Curt hitch and wiring harness on mine and worked out great. Did have to get a receiver with a 2.5" lift in order for the hitch to be level for your average trailer. It seems that the hitch on the DJ is a little low.

Welcome. I had the same thought of lifting mine a bit for bigger tires, but gave up since (like jkeaton said) it would have to be custom. Then I looked into spacers, again for a little bigger tires, but got scared into NOT doing it after reading all the negatives. Figured I would plan on a 4X4 pickup in the near future to play with and leave the family SUV alone.

We had an explorer with a third row seat and I tried out a number of SUV's with third row seats when I was looking for a truck last year, and the DJ is not bad at all in my opinion. With the middle row having the ability to slide forward, you can get a good amount of room back there. Plus the fact that the floor is lower than the rear storage, leaves you some leg room. You won't want to stuff a 200 lb, 6' person back there, but my teenagers fit great. You do lose any storage capacity, but that's why they sell roof carriers and crossbars. We did a 6 person person trip from SF to Disneyland in L.A. and it worked out great.

Am I reading it correctly that you have a 2017 model? Did you buy it new...and not want the third row when purchasing it? Seems like it would be a lot of work, but probably possible with a donor.

Welcome aboard. I'm still thrilled that I bought my DJ after just over a year. It's been great and I am definitely happy with the price I paid compared to the other options out there. Great forum to be a part of with great stuff to help you out. Have fun exploring.

I'm confused, are you guys talking about crossbars or the rails that attach/install to the car? Installing the rails to the car may affect something during installation if done incorrectly. If you are installing the crossbars you have no chance of messing up anything since they are completely external. Robertlane were you asking about installing rails or crossbars?

I bought the ebay ones last December and they have worked out great. They had recently come out when I bought them so they were over $100, now they are like $70. I've had a storage box attached to it (Thule style), a sofa tied to it, and a bunch of other miscellaneous items strapped to it. Link is below...and those guys were great when one piece was sent incorrectly. I've never heard of any airbag issues with the crossbars. http://m.ebay.com/itm/Fit-For-09-17-Dodge-Journey-OE-Style-Roof-Rack-Cross-Bar-Crossbar-Black-Aluminum-/191573937438?fits=Make%3ADodge|Model%3AJourney&hash=item2c9ab24d1e%3Ag%3AJLMAAOSwwbdWMCuU&_trkparms=pageci%3A31ab2f0d-7676-11e7-91e4-74dbd1806ed4%7Cparentrq%3A9c29bb4e15d0aa6697a3e039fff8b82f%7Ciid%3A2

So after a little back and forth I finally installed the Curt wiring harness instead of trying to make the pre-installed harness work (plus, from what the dealer said, I would of been looking at another $250 in parts and flashing). Instead of routing the Curt harness the way they suggest I took the extra time and went over the wheel wells by removing the covers and going through the side plate thing under the driver side doors. I didn't want to attach anything to the brake lines, or try to go around/over/through the suspension, muffler, or gas tank. It took a little longer, but well worth it. At the end of the day, it went on just as promised, no problems with the connections, and worked like a charm. First road trip with trailer is in two weeks, can't wait. Journeyphenia, I would still be interested in trying to work something out with the harness you have...if you are not going to do anything with it.

FYI...the pics are before tightening the bolts and torquing them. The exhaust was still hanging and I wanted to take pictures before I forgot. They were just hand tightened at the point of the pictures. Probably should of taken the picture after tightening ;-)

Are you saying the white connector I circled in the picture attached is not there? That is the part that connects to the pre-installed wire on the truck? Am I misunderstanding you? I am asking because I would really like to see if we can work something out. I'd love to give it a try.

Cody, out of curiosity, did the spacers help with the spring plates you mentioned earlier in your post? I was looking at bigger tires but heard of issues with that plate thing, and wanted to see if this helped...I may consider adding them on. Also, how are the spacers going so far?

As far as this harness is concerned, the Mopar site shows almost every SXT model year as being compatible, except the 2015 (see pic). I keep getting directed to the more expensive 7 PIN harness. My Curt wiring harness is looking better every day. Plus, I was told that the P68080977AC harness would not flash correctly.

So I installed my Curt hitch and am going to install the Curt wiring harness tomorrow, unless I can confirmation and a hold of the correct harness to plug into the pre-installed wire. After install I started measuring the hitch height and it is 13". With the 2" drop on the ball mount it seems like it is going to be sitting pretty low. I am curious what the height of other DJ owner's hitch? Has anyone out there measured and/or had any issues? I am used to my hitch being in the 17" area (height off the ground). Am I overthinking it? Anyway, picture attached...I like the look, hope the performance is as good.

Are you referring to the harness that connects to the pre-wired connector? Is it for the 2015? I was told 2015 is a specific harness. Let me know and maybe we can work something out. Thanks

Finally received and installed my Curt hitch (13201) on my 2015 DJ. After reading all the posts on here and researching the options, it was easy to decide on the Curt package on eBay. I did want to originally use the pre-installed wiring on my Journey, but the hassle and cost from the dealer was ridiculous. Installation was pretty straight forward, with the hardest part being just getting started. Installation was done by myself (it is possible), no lifting, and with basic home mechanic tools. Maneuvering to the rubber exhaust hangers was actually the hardest part. Proud of getting it done and love how it looks. A big thank you to all the contributors on the forum. The information made my decision easier and have me the courage to do it myself.

I am also curious what PN BrianS used and if it is a 4 PIN or 7 PIN. My dealer says I can only use the 7 PIN connector on mine even though I DO NOT plan on towing anything that heavy to warrant a 7 PIN. IN either case the CURT hitch and wiring harness has been ordered and on its way (all under $200)...not too worried about the hitch itself, just the wiring working out correctly.

ShrtBus I sent you a PM on this...but yes I am interested. Also, did you ever install a hitch?

Hello all. I've spent weeks researching getting a hitch installed on my '15 SXT and finally resolved to buying the Curt hitch and wiring harness (package deal on ebay for $182 w/ball). Then I read a couple more threads and started wondering if the factory installed harness by the spare with the 82212721AG attachment would be a better option. I was getting hopeful reading this thread, but no one really said how things turned out. Did either of the folks having issues (ShrtBus & Sharkbait8574) ever get them resolved? Did the factory harness work out better than the Curt harness? I did go to my dealer and was initially told I did not have anything installed (by my VIN), and would need to pay almost $700 to get the wiring installed. I then walked them out to my car and showed them the wire by the spare and suddenly I was told I needed to install the 82212721AG harness and pay $200 to re-flash my system. This definitely made the $40 Curt harness a lot more appealing. So I am wondering... -Are there people out there using the Curt harness and happy with it? -Has anyone had the factory wiring harness installed successfully (4pin or 7 pin) and happy with it? Ultimately I am not planning on towing anything bigger than maybe two jet skis, but if the factory 7-pin harness gives me the braking option and say control, I thought why not. Anyway, any feedback and results from the folks on this thread would be great.