humansoul

To add on to this topic, I will ask them to the spark plugs and lower intake seals. Is there anything else I should request that could potentially fail and would rather not them repeat all the labour done this time?

Chiming in on this - I was just told that I too have a leaking oil cooler. The parts + labour at the dealership was $900(Canadian) - OUCH! I called around and I spoke to my local mechanic who just did the same service job on a Caravan and noted this is a really bad design for Chrysler given it's plastic parts and strain. What makes this worse at this point is the part is back ordered due to many failures and with the overall COVID situation, so I may be parked for at least 3-4 weeks. The cost at my local was a few bucks less, so I'm probably going to go with the dealership to avoid any inspection charges. But this is a PITA and wondering if FCA has a recall notice for this part given the amount Pentastar engines are driving around with this terrible engineering.

I was close to trading in the DJ for a 2020 Pacifica AWD Launch Edition. I couldn't justify the cost given the DJ is still going strong, but it may be the next vehicle. I may also look at the new Toyota Sienna hybrids. But if we decide to downsize, likely a Subaru Outback XT.

I have a 2014 still on the original battery. Due to the pandemic, I've also driven it less and noticed when we've had a cold snap and have not driven the vehicle for a few days, my battery has suffered and I've needed a boost/jump. I have a battery booster/jumper that outputs the voltage and I've noted that it's below the cranking level, so I'll purposely go for a drive with the family and it's good as new. I see you're in Saskatoon, so your cold weather is much worse than here in Toronto, but it could also be possible the dealership installed a lower cranking battery? When looking to see to replace my battery, I noticed two batteries being sold at PartSource - where one had a higher cranking volume. I think if you go for drives(more than 15 minutes), you should be able to keep the battery at an acceptable cranking voltage.

Could they have changed the struts to an aftermarket one or a lower end mopar model? I had replaced my front strut assemblies to Moog suspensions and I have found that the struts have now become quote noisy. I've learned to live with it given the difference in costs vs the Mopar ones. As long as music is on, it's not that bad. The sound may also be located somewhere else, but may seem like it's coming from the front end.

At first, I actually did not want this colour. I traded in my 2011 DJ Crew and was expecting a lighter grey colour. Upon delivery, the granite grey was a new colour and therefore it was mistaken for the 'grey' I wanted. Now that I look back, I actually like this colour variant more than the other grey that I was expecting. I'm going to say the journey is not refined. I understand that there are better vehicles out there, but I also don't agree with many reviews saying this is the worse car in the segment. For the price, it has a reputable engine(Pentastar), ride is fairly decent, can haul family and cargo and the price is valued well. I always knew that this would be a stepping stone car for me before I splurge and invest in a long term vehicle like a Honda/Toyota.

Been a long time member, but never posted a pic of my Dodge Journey RT. I've had it new since 2014 and we've taken this on may road trips, including all the way to Florida. On the highway with the roof carrier, and fully loaded, it's pretty fuel efficient and averaged 8/100km.

Thanks @John/Horace and @deejizzle! I don't frequent the site as much, but came upon a thread where they mentioned their PTU failed, costing them an $1800 replacement. So I think it's fair to say that maintenance would outweigh the ignorance. I've also shopped around, outside from my dealership, for the Rear Diff and PTU service and was quoted 2x cheaper than the dealership. I also found some peace of mind that they were quite knowledgable about the entire service and even doubted the axle seal leak diagnostic and did not want to charge me for a replacement until they really saw what was going on. I'm outside of warranty period at this point and with the lackluster results from my dealership and will likely take my services elsewhere. @deejizzle I'm in Durham region to be exact.

Totally forgot about this thread - to close it off, the culprit was a loose heat shield

Just reviving this thread. I have 125000km on my 2014 Dodge Journey RT. Last year, I inquired about the PTU service at my local dealership, they were actually not aware that this was a required service for around this amount of kms and I was confused if I was in the wrong for inquiring about it(as stated in my manual). When they asked one of the mechanics to comment, they stated that it's work extensive and usually is not replaced unless necessary - is this true? It's not talked about here often aside from the DIY threads. On a side note, I also have to have the differential and axle seal replaced. My question is - is the PTU a necessary service item that I should get done? I plan to try and drive the DJ until 200km and I'm wondering if I should just forego the service. Would the PTU service make sense to coincide with the differential and axle replacement? Thank you in advance!

Thanks for the replies. My R/T is AWD. I did perform the reverse test in a parking lot, that's where I did the recording. From what I can tell, only when reversing straight or when my wheel is turned to the right is when I heard the grinding noise. From what you've said, that would mean it's my left CV joint? I did have the car jacked this past weekend to swap over to my summer tires and all I heard from the rear wheels was a little brake grinding. Sorry for my lack of knowledge, are the CV joints only on the rear? I can do the visual inspection and see if I can see any tears or what not. I'm hoping it's just that and nothing more serious. If it's just dirt and tears, is the car still safe to drive? I think I've ruled out my wheel bearings since I recall I should be hearing a humming sound and so forth. Tranny oil was replaced late last year and I'll have to check if I would be able to check the rear differential. Sounds like if I have to resort to that, then I should just bring it to a mechanic? I'm also wondering if the noise could be a result of the car just sitting idle for such a long time. With all the shut downs, I've only driven to the grocery store once a week, which is just about 3km from my place. Anyone know if the issues is with the CV if these are covered under Dodge warranty? I bought the Gold plan and it's saved me $$ on recent times where even the transmission hose had recently punctured and started to leak. Wondering if there's other items to watch out for now that the car is over 100k.

Hey all, I've not posted in a while and with all the shutdowns happening here, I am unable to book an appointment at my local dealer to investigate a grinding noise when I reverse. My car is a 2014 DJ R/T with about 115k. The noise is present when I reverse straight and when I turn the wheel right(while reversing). The sound is not present when driving forward from stop or at high speed. I've searched the internet and some say it could be my wheel bearings or CV joint. At this point, I don't want to drive it if the vehicle if it sounds like the sound would be hazardous enough to sound like something is going to break. I've attached a sound byte from inside. Sound

If anyone is interested...I am selling an aftermarket set of rotors and pads: http://www.dodgejourneyforum.com/topic/5978-fs-brake-rotors-and-pads/ Willing to work out a deal for DJ users...

I've been swapping my winters on my Journey the last several years, but I've always had to do them one wheel at a time due to the fact I'm not comfortable and/or unable to find a suitable spot to raise the front and rear of the Journey up. Because I'm using the jack point on the underside of the Journey, I'm unable to use the jack stands. Anyone on the forums jack their Journey at a specific spot aside from the underside? Thank you in advance.

Thanks again Frogbox. You wouldn't happen to know the part numbers needed to do the rear big brake upgrade?

Thanks for the fast reply! I also noticed you only did this for the fronts? Are you still on stock OEM rear pads and rotors? I'd probably would like to get all 4 done.

Hey FrogBox...thanks again for this thread and paving the way to an alternative to the Journey brake problems! My initial plan was to change my current OEM brakes/pads to aftermarket to see if it would make a difference and in hopes would solve all my brake problems. After reading your thread, I'm planning on doing the big brake upgrade on my 2011 DJ Crew and wanted to get some feedback from you. -Given you've had some time already with this set up, would you recommend sticking with the OEM pads and rotors? I did a quick quote on Mopar Overstock for all OEM parts with a total of $660. Now, if I went aftermarket to something like Centric Rotors and ceramic pads, it would cost about $60 more. Would you do aftermarkets if you had to do it again? -Would you happen to know if the Rotor for the fronts have changed? Other than Mopar Overstock, the other site you mentioned cannot find the part # 04779712AA Thanks in advance!

Thanks Lobitz...I was thinking about this vs replacing the OEM to aftermarket brakes and pads and possibly getting the same results. I read over FrogBox's thread and am pretty confident with doing this upgrade and already got a quote for the job. I found all parts at Mopar Overstock for $660, but should I skip on the pads and rotors and go aftermarket on this?

I've had brake issues with my '11 DJ and it seems that my last repair/replacement has come back to the same predicament again and I'm not sure if my dealership will do something for me this time given I'm over my warranty period. I'm about to travel to the US and would like to pick up a set of brakes and rotors; what's been the best place to buy them? Online or in store? I've done some research and would like to maybe try the Centric rotors and ceramic pads. Have anyone had any experience on them? I was also thinking about doing the big brake upgrade, but I'm at a lost as to what parts I need to buy? Any input on this would be greatly appreciated!

Actually, I thought the same way, but decided to gamble on them due to the costs versus Weathertechs. The fabric itself is 'velcro' like and not plush at all that would cause an issue with staining. I actually like it better versus the Weathertechs in my car given the salt makes my mats turn all white. Somehow, my wife's mats don't do the same, which is a little nicer to look at especially during winter. I'm waiting for spring to use a pressure washer to remove all the dirt, so I'll update this post and see how it holds up.

When I got my Journey, at that time I was only aware of Weather Techs and Husky Liners. Both of these options are pretty superior and would recommend it, however, for the price, there are cheaper alternatives for anyone north of the border(Canadians): -If near or in Toronto, there's a company, findway.com, that I found while researching for weatherproof mats for my wife's CRV. At first I was skeptical due to the pricing, under $100, but they have been tested and I can confirm they work as well as the weathertechs. I took a look for Dodge Journeys, and they do carry them for $80!!! The nice thing about this place, I was able to pick it up from the warehouse and test fit them, the guy guaranteed a refund if I didn't want to keep them. Here's the image of how they look: -For those not so near or would rather try a different company, Costco has a vendor called 3D MAXpiderMat - http://www.costco.ca/.product.10367254.html Currently 20% off -If you are still keen on weathertechs or husky liners, suggest calling/going to a tuner shop or even a tint place, they are usually vendors of either brand and run specials now and then. For my weathertechs, I personally purchased them in the states and just picked them up and installed them when we went cross-border shopping. I believe I saved over $100 than buying from a Canadian vendor. Hope this helps!

thanks for the update and write up. I also own a 2011 DJ Crew and was thinking of doing the same and replacing the OEM rotors and brakes to the larger OEM ones, but the dealer did just replace all 4 corners, so currently I am happy with the set up for the time being. Can i inquire what junk yard you managed to scoop the brakes from? Was interested to see if there were any other parts that are available...was thinking of the driver seat as I found ours are squeaky and lost some of it's cushion already.

My opinion is that Dodge has not stepped up and accept that there's been major issues with the newer Journeys. Unfortunately, maybe due to lack of owners complaining and are accepting the issues may be the cause of no TSBs for our Dodge Journeys. I agree with your statement, it seems it's the poor quality of the brakes themselves that is causing all this grief amongst DJ owners. I'm keeping all my service documents and continue to report all my brake services to Dodge Customer Care to ensure appropriate reporting is done and also maybe my efforts will turn someone's light bulb at HQ and confirm they have a problem!

If you have the OEM racks, the arrows are a guide point where you would lock them in place. I believe if you feel around the arrow areas of the railes, you'll feel a slight groove where they wedge into place. If using aftermarket, no need to place it on the arrows, but it does help align the racks evenly.

Sorry for the long delay in updating my post. After bringing my car into service earlier this month, it was found that the fronts experienced the same issues as what happened to my rear brakes. The dealership again replaced it as a 'willfull gesture'. I don't want to call out DodgeCACares, but after taking a look at this subforum, there are more and more articles/threads about the same issue with the brakes. On a perspective of the business, it may be the right thing to do and raise it to headquarters and get some type of recall or more light into the situation before someone gets seriously hurt by these brake problems. I don't know much about legal proceedings, but any company that mindfully knows they have an issue, but don't address it in time may find themselves in a lot of trouble and have to painstakingly get their credibility back. I for one find the DJ's awesome ever since they revamped it from 2011 and onwards, but Dodge really needs to look at some of the quality of parts, especially the brakes as I for one may not be a repeat customer given all the brake issues I've had (36km only on my DJ and 4 major brake work done). Just my opinion and 2 cents....