ProtoMD

Never did this again. Perhaps the dealership we brought it to fixed that.

I should probably update this so anyone experiencing this can find the solution. The simplest way of fixing this was just... Pulling the fuse. We've been fine for 2 winters and have no more issues. So... Yeah... The Bluetooth module killed like 4 batteries and cost us a couple grand in the process, stumping a large Dodge dealer and is for years. Cool beans.

Yep. Dealership seems to have now confirmed that. We're going to leave it disconnected as they quoted $1300 CAD for the replacement of the Bluetooth unit.

Back again, not a year later. Going to have to send it to an auto electric shop. This will be the third shop to try to assess this same issue. Per the 8A Schumacher charger, the battery is bad. So this is like the 4th battery since we got it so we'llbe on our 5th. We're getting less than a year per battery still. Bluetooth has also recently fully died and passenger side climate pumps out heat even when set to min. We regret getting this lemon.

We got the car back a couple days ago. Seems to be running well. They checked everything (no issue with alternator or other drains) so hopefully this addresses it and I won't be back on here this winter. Thanks everyone for the insight.

To clarify, we bought used from another dealership and paid cash in full. No financing. The dealership we bought from we bought from claimed to had done a full inspection and was unaware of the GPS and did not install it. They would not uninstall it as warranty. The Dodge dealership we took it to for service called us about 5 or 6 minutes after we dropped it off having found it and confirmed what it was. We'll get the car back later today, without a GPS tracker.

So after trying to jump it, we're called a tow. Tow truck driver tries to jump it repeatedly, can't. Is having trouble getting the truck in position with the car in the garage. Can't shift into neutral without power so I suggest connecting the jump starter to at least power on the accessories so I can shift it into neutral. It amazingly started. Drove it to the dealership. Dealership is convinced that OEM batteries simply seem to do better in Journeys for some reason. Not sure I believe that but leave it with them. We get a call 5 minutes later asking if we knew there was a GPS tracking device connected on the car (nope, we did not). They're checking over everything but they seem to think that the GPS tracker may have been a constant drain on the battery all the time and could have been causing the issue. Will update this as we go on.

Bluetooth is working or has been working prior. Just checked the battery, 3.09V. So it's not charging. Tried boosting it, accessories came on while boosting, but didn't start. I think we're calling for a tow at this point.

Alternator was checked by mechanic that had said the previous battery tested fine. The "sweating" was at a quick oil change place. "Sweating transmission pan" is the quote. Just checked the battery, it's been plugged into a 2A charger/maintainer for 2 hours and it's at 3.15v. Previous reading was not stable as TIPM was clicking. Battery is a mid range Motomaster (Canadian Tire). It ran yesterday. It's not cold. It's been in a garage. Hopefully we can start it this afternoon to get it to the dealer.

Less than a year (8 months) and we're back. My wife was trying to start it to drive it to the dealership for service on another issue (had gotten an oil change and said transmission fluid was "sweating" and suggested to bring it in). Displays were all clicking on and off while trying to start it, now nothing. No interior lights, nothing. Popped the hood to check the battery, less than 5v, could hear TIPM clicking. Charger is on the battery again.

Confirmed bad battery. Apparently, so bad that the tester machine at Canadian Tire had issues. It was under warranty and the swapped it out at no cost. Replaced battery and is immediately improved from lifeless to looking like it's all good. I haven't been able to take it for a drive yet but I'll keep an eye on it and will update the post if another issue is found that should be added.

I'll get the battery tested again. Was just tested in early September and passed. I haven't jumped it. I can't reach it with ny jumper cables from the other car as one is inside the garage and one out. Can't shift it out of park to move it closer. The battery I pulled out last year looked relatively new before I put this new battery in and the previous one was not OEM. It's been connected to a charger for about 24 hours now. No life signs. Just metered the battery from the remote terminals and it read just over 3v. I guess the battery just suddenly failed. I'll dig for the receipt to see if I can warranty claim it and I get the great joy of removing it.

To clarify: Battery is less than a year old. Checked at 4 hours on the battery charger and at over 8. No lights, nothing.

Hi there, 2013 Journey. Went to drive it today, unlucked the car of the touch sensor on the door handle (interior lights came on) then noticed my tail lights were flickering before I got in the car to start it. Garage door remote clicked and the display faded for a second but didn't transmit. Tried to start, fob not detected, touched fob to start button and pressed. Then the screen flashed and the image on the screen distorted in pixelated lines before going black. No click, no turn, no start. Interior went dark including all dash lights. Lock buttons on exterior stopped working. I've had my charger on the battery in the car for over 4 hours. No signs of life upon trying again. I replaced the battery with a good battery last winter, finding a battery that looked new and not OEM. I last drove it on Wednesday or Thursday and it was working well. Temp is around 0 Celsius. Any ideas?