Hit-By-Thunder

My Journey has a rather unattractive black panel below the thermostat (above the stereo). Is this room for expansion? What can go there? I wish they would've at least made a little change drawer or something...

That is used for the rear seat heat controls for the 7 seater (Flexible seating group) With a 5 seater, the space is just bank. I do agree though, it should of had a tray/drawer option there instead of a blank cover. Who knows, maybe the next year model will have that and you can order it

Rob

I heard the same thing Keith from the store manager. Now I know it is true., kinda

Funny how all the media says the Journey is a terrible or whatever Crossover, but the numbers show different.

I think most (not all) auto journalists should listen to what the manufactures tell them and start telling the truth or even better DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!! then do a report. The first I heard of the sliding arm rest was like weeks after ordering and not one mention was made of it in all the other reports. Sure it may sound petty but hey, get the facts, then print it. I had to confirm the sliding armrest here cause no other journalist mentioned it. Thank you to that member by the way!!!

just like the flex seating, alot of journalists were slamming how small and terrible it is, well it is not designed to be a full time 7 seater, it is a 5 seater with the available 7 seats when needed. If I was to be transporting 7 adults, this car would not be what I need, I would be looking for something alot bigger.

alright, alright, I'll get off my soap box now, rant is over

hey at least I didn't buy a Full size SUV from GM :rolleyes:

Rob

My SXT AWD Journey ended up shipping with the ATC HVAC controls!!

If anyone remembers back in March when I was looking to order, this option was not available except on the R/T, and it was one of the features I really wanted to have. I went ahead with the order anyway, and oddly enough, it was in the vehicle.

Rick.

so Rick is it the full ATC or is it Automatic Air Conditioning as mentioned in the Premiuim Convenience Group?

can you take a picture and post it here or e-mail it to me?

I wanted the ATC but was only available in the R/T only, I sure hope this is true as I was REALLY dissapointed it was not available

I know Nicetrip what you are talking about but if you look at the pictures, the dash for ATC is different than the AAC (Auto Air Cond.) with Flex seating (7 seater)

Rob

It's the Light Sandstone although the color came out a little different in the pictures. Looks as though there is a greenish tint to it. I think maybe it's reflecting some of the color of our house.

I'll take more pictures on a cloudy day. Maybe the actual color will show better.

Katz

DANG KATZ!!!!!! drive it to my house please, I want our Light Sandstone Metallic soooooo bad it the driveway

Thanks you very much for the pictures xoxo

Rob

Good to hear this Rob. What a Soap Opera this is turning out to be. I keep looking at this site to see the latest twist and turn. Maybe CTV would be interested for their next Sit Com.

Anyway I think the long wait will be worth it in the end. Still not many on the roads yet. So far I saw one Black R/T ahead of me on the highway and of course we waved, sort of like motorcycles passing.

All the best Rob!

Keith

Hey Thanks Keith & Katz!!!! Yes "Soap Opera"

IT IS BUILT!!!!!!! OMG!!!! GIDDY UP!!!!!!

yes, I so very F@#$king excited sorry for the enthusiasm!!!!!!!!!!!

for those who want to know. If you go to the recall site (dodge .ca then "for owners, then to recall information) and type in your VIN # and it comes up as "not a Valid VIN", this means it is N O T built yet. Today, ours came up as an SXT AWD Hatchback. Last night it was an invalid VIN. This is for Canadian customers only as you can't check on status of the order in Canada other than the dealer, TRUST ME, I have tried soooooooooo hard. I figured this out for myself and now pass it onto you other Buyers here in Canada.

I am going to stoip by the dealer tomorrow and tell them it is built, when do we get it!!!!!!!!!!

OH BY THE WAY, I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!! where is the wife

Rob

The dealer had already ordered ours... the remote start was just an afterthought. Living in deep south TX heated seats are definitely something that I can live without. We had to order ours right away, to hopefully get it before we take our summer trip. Thanks for the input though, I really appreciate it. That waranty would have been nice, wish I would have thought about it before we had him order it. Oh well.

ya I noticed after posting you were in Texas,... Heated seats there is like A/C at the north pole

As for keeping an eye on the order, in the States as long as you have a VIN and your VON (vehicle order #) you can track it through a 1800 number. It is posted here but I do not have it available. AND!!!!!!! you get the lifetime warranty <_<

Keep us posted how the order goes

Rob

Glad to hear that news! I hope your patience gets a good reward at the end.

Thanks guys, I would have kissed the salesmanager ( in a non homophobic way) I was very happy to hear this news.

I Just hate waiting, what a emotional roller coaster ride of ups and downs it has been so far

Ya Nicetrip you should be getting yours built soon too.

Rob

I have seen the silver ones and they look good. I have an FWD SXT and I am still reading the manual trying to understand how to get the windshield washer to squirt. I still don't know how to do it. On my last vehicle, a 2000 Dodge Caravan, the wiper control was on the left of the steering wheel; it is on the right on the Journey and the odd time I am still trying to shift using the wiper controls! Still getting use to the shift located on the floor (console?).

Hey Jay, I know you already read this in the manual, but this is all I kind find,...

Windshield Washers

To use the washer, pull the Windshield Wiper/Washer

control lever toward you and hold it for as long as

washer spray is desired.

this is the lever on the right side where the shifter used to be.

I am not trying to treat you wrongly, trust me, but it seems simple enough. I don't have mine yet so I can't be sure either.

Reading and doing it are 2 totally different things

Rob

well stopped by the Dealer today and guess what,....

ORDER STATUS,... F

It's being painted woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooooooooo

salesmanager said once it gets built and on it's way, he will update me more often as he knows how excited/frustrated we are.

GOD DANG IT!!!!!!!! that's the best news I've had in a while!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rob

Well, Let me start by saying that I am new to this forum but my wife and I have been reading the posts for about a week. Two weeks ago we purchased a new V6 SXT Journey and we do really like the car/SUV! Unfortunately out of the past 2 weeks we have only had posession of it for 7 days. The day after we bought it the airbag light started coming on so back to the dealership it went. They started out by replacing the side curtain airbag but still kept getting error codes. There next stab at fixing the problem was replacing the "Occupant Safety Module" which controls airbags, seatbelt tensioners and all safety aspects or the car. The dealer ordered the part and also called the maufacturers "Star" line that puts the technician in touch with the Tier 1 technical resources for the product.

According to them their is an issue with the first manufacturing runs of the Journey's because of the type of connectors "Delphi manufactured" utilized on the OSM module. They have since changed to a new style of connector. Of course currently these new connectors have not made it to the regional parts warehouses so there is a delay getting them. This is supposed to finally resolve any airbag issues. Last weekend when we where "visiting" our Journey at the dealership we saw another 1 week old Journey being dropped off for an issue. We feel that it probably has the same issue as ours so that is what prompted the call to the manufacturer.

The only other problem that we have had is noisey lifter sounds from the engine for the 1st minute of a cold start. The dealer replaced lifters and guides on a couple of cylinders.

Problems are to be expected on when you purchase the 1st year of any product. I traded in a Dodge RAM 1500 (2005) for this Journey for my wife and hopefully after these few glitches it will be as reliable as the pickup was!!!!

Thank you for posting this info. Makes it very interesting.

can you PM me your last 6 digits of your VIN? I wonder where abouts yours was built (time frame wise) as compared to mine still on order.

Rob

That looks damn nice.

I'll second that

Rob

Nice shiney new car, gotta love it

Well I finally got an answer. When I emailed them on the 16th of May, they sent an automated resonce saying in 3-4 days I will have an answer

ORIGINAL LETTER

Brief Description:

after 9 weeks, where is my car?

Comments:

I ordered a fully loaded SXT AWD 2009 Dodge Journey March 14th 2008 and

had

a Shiiping date of April 23rd. Still no car after today (9th week)

Dealer

says it is in code D1 D1 means it is,.. D1 – gateline: plant has

sequenced

the unit for production, estimated ship date assigned. I contacted the

dealer through e-mail and if the car is not in by the 10th week we will

just cancel the order. Please contact us either through phone or e-mail

with the status of this order Thank you for your attention to this

matter Robert (the unhappy customer)

NOT TOO BAD,........ IF IT CAME BY PONY EXPRESS!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Mr. XXXXXXX:

Thank you for your email of May 16th, 2008.

We understand your disappointment regarding the delivery time of your

2009 Dodge Journey; however, Chrysler Canada cannot guarantee delivery

dates due to the number of variable factors involved in the lead time of

vehicle production and transportation. Information regarding specific

orders is available to dealers. It is subsequently their responsibility

to keep their customers apprised of both Chrysler's and their

dealership's efforts regarding a vehicle contract. As such, please

remain in contact with the Sales Manager at your Chrysler dealership in

order to review the status of your new vehicle order.

While we regret that we cannot provide a more favourable reply, we

appreciate you taking the time to contact us.

NOTE: Please do not use the 'Reply' function of your email. If you have

a need to respond to this, please visit us at our reply form (link

provided below). Our system is NOT able to accept any emails at this

address.

Rob

Mine has been in D status for three weeks now. I called my sells person and explined that I was reading that the third row seats were on back order he said he had not heard that. But would look into it and get back to me on Friday. Well he never called me back so now I dont know whats up. I will be calling him on Thur and asking about another status.

hey Seth, you sound just like some of us a while ago Pull up a chair and I'll buy you a beer or 2 while we wait togather.

Thanks for checking out the VIN info too buddy I fixed the 5 seater and 7 seater to FWD and AWD in my VIN Decode info, Sorry for all the confusion

Rob

oh, I read here the SE plus comes with flex seating (7)

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!

same here Nice trip, same here

Hey Seth, thanks for mentioning me, yup, I think so far I have been waiting the longest

ZERO miles on the wife's Journey

Rob

We went to the dealership the other day and ordered my wifes new Journey. It's going to be a Bright Silver SXT FWD with the Flex seating group and Entertainment Group II. When it arrives we're thinking about having the dealership install the 10" rear DVD system and remote start system. Does anybody currently have the NAV system in their Journey. I know it was late availability but I'm just curious if it is user friendly or not. I didn't realize it wasn't a touch screen unit like the others. I wonder how easy it will be to use the joystick instead of touchscreen.

I also have a question about the order itself. Is there a tracking number or something that we can get from the dealership to monitor it's progress? Any info would be great.

I love the forum so far! Also check out www.dodgetalk.com/forums and go to the Journey page. Dodge Talk has a wealth of knowledge for anything Dodge. The Journey section is kind of slow right now, but I'm sure that will pick up once more people start buying them.

Thanks,

Nathan

Nathan, you can order the SXT with the remote start. This way it comes under warranty for the life of the car if you are in the States. Rather than a 1 year warranty as an aftermarket one. Bonus is, you get the heated front seats too.

We ordered ours with the Nav too

as for tracking (not in Canada, just your dealer only)

Most orders are 8-10 weeks

Rob

Rob

I ordered an AWD R/T on April 23 through my dealer in London ON - expected delivery date was early June. He was unable to get even a confirmation on when it would be built let alone a delivery date so I accepted essentially the same vehicle in FWD today. I'm disappointed that I won't get the vehicle I ordered but couldn't wait any longer as my miled-out Pacifica will need tires and maintenance by month's end if I keep it. Does anyone know why the AWD R/Ts are taking so long to deliver? Any explanation will be appreciated.

Thanks

ON260

ON260 I ordered mine March 14th and it is still not here. My shipping date went from April 23rd to May 16th and now to June04th. My dealer says it is in D1 status and I know as of tonight, it is still not built (AWD SXT Loaded except smokers group) I do not think the June 04th shipping date will be met and I will get another shipping date.

Store manager (not sales manager or salesman) said it was the 3rd row seating was pushing the car back, AGAIN!!!!

please pardon me for saying "Tired of waiting"

Rob

Great forum.. great car! Just picked up mine this weekend, put about 300 km's on it in the past 2 days... Love it, love the mygig, I was in heaven yesterday driving with my 2 kids in the car with their movie on in the backseat with their wireless headphones on... not a peep for 30 minutes, change the dvd and another 30! lol

That is funny scottstep just wish they had a front screen for my wife keep her quiet for 30 minutes

<enter CYA> No offence to ladies here, just injecting some homor, gotta go, here comes my wife

Rob

You don't have much longer to wait.

You are very funny Guy

ahhhhh justt kidding around there Jay. I hope you are enjoying the Journey. I had no say on the color either but when we ordered I wanted the Nav system.

Ours is still not built as of today

Rob

They are "chrome clad aluminum wheels. They are not Chrome plated aluminum wheels. I did know this this when we ordered our Journey and I was ok with it.

This was brought up before about the wheels being cheap, but it is stated that they are "Chrome Clad" I guess they should be in the option list as Chrome Plastic Covered Aluminum Wheels.

Rob

Thanks for the info, it will be noted

5 on 127 35mm offset

Rob

This is as delivered from the dealer; no accessories yet. Journey SXT, 5 passenger, Convenience Group 1, Towing Package.

hey Jay, great you got your Journey. I'll bet you were like a kid in a candy store when the dealership called hey? I know I will be

Rob

Thanks for posting the picture

I found this web page but when I put in my Vin I get Mexico only

Can other members give it a try and tell me what they get please.

http://www.autocalculator.org/Free-VIN-Lookup.aspx

Ps. I called my dealer car still in D status I said its been three weeks and I told him about this board he said he would look into making sure that nothing is holding it up and get back to me soon.

Valid

Mexico

Unknown

is what I get

Rob

the Check digit calculator

Control (check) digit calculation

Symbol................3 D 4 G H 5 7 V 0 9 T 2 0 8 4 6 7

Numeric value:.... 3 4 4 7 8 5 7 5 * 9 3 2 0 8 4 6 7

Weight factor: .....8 7 6 5 4 3 2 10 * 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Products: ...........24 28 24 35 32 15 14 50 * 81 24 14 0 40 16 18 14

The sum of all 16 products : 429

429 divided by 11 gives a remainder 0

Another words, 429 =( 39 x 11) + 0

Thus, on 9-th position of a VIN-code there should be a symbol 0

see, EASY

Rob

Rob I dont remember the web address I kept trying to find one for the Journey but nothing.

I think the 7 number is the number of passangers.

I found this web page but when I put in my Vin I get Mexico only

Can other members give it a try and tell me what they get please.

http://www.autocalculator.org/Free-VIN-Lookup.aspx

Ps. I called my dealer car still in D status I said its been three weeks and I told him about this board he said he would look into making sure that nothing is holding it up and get back to me soon.

but the SE also has a 7 and the SE's are not available in a 7 passenger, are they?

SE VIN 3D4GG47B79T138050 2009 Dodge Journey SE Hatchback

the 5th digit is the seating G= 5 seater and H= 7 seater

Rob

http://www.wkjeeps.com/wk_vin.htm

each vehicle is different, slightly but what ever info we can get sure helps.

dencord123 can you e-mail me the check digit info please or send me the link to the info. I am trying to figure out the Journey 17 digit info

3d4gg57v69t138640

3= Mexico

D=Dodge

4= Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle

G= 5001-6000 lbs Gross vehicle weight rating

G= FWD H= AWD

5= SXT

(4=SE,5=SXT,6=R/T)

7=body style, Hatchback

V= 3.5 litre (B= 2.4 litre)

6= check digit ????? still need to know how to figure this one out

9= Model Year

T= Toluca

XXXXXX sequence number

this is what I have figured so far if anyone has further info please post it here to help us all out.

Rob