rozwell911

A little off topic, but has anyone figured out how to not make the headlights go on when you lock or unlock the car from the key fob?

I read somewhere that you need to take it to the dealer to get it done. I believe its there is a way to not have to do that, but i am not sure.

Mine came that way from factory.

IMHO, the journey has more front leg room, and if you have a bad back, it's easier to swing your legs in and out with less back effort.

The driver's seat is also wider. The Escape is a bit higher so it may require you to lift yourself a bit more to get in. The Escape is more truck like while the Journey is a true cross-over...higher than a sedan, lower than a truck.

i'm a ford guy too.....I was stuck in a similar situation. I had my choice of a Susuki SL7, CRV, Equanox or the Journey....i went with the journey only because of the kill deal i got. It was a buy back from a bankrupt dealer.....so i got it with only 8 miles on the ODO for 18k$.

That was my selling point....

But i like the interior of the journey, with the exception of the raido controls, i thought it wa a better layout for the stering wheel controls, the climate conrols and the dash display. alos love the 3rd row seats, come in handy more than once.

Also, since i have a daughter, the compartments that the journey come in handy for storeing both her and my stuff.

The second row seat floor coolers also come in handy when going on long trips and picnicing...its a brezz to drain them to ans the inner liner comes out.

For all the cheap interier, the versitility offset it for me.

my only quipe, the tires....its a werid one off size for the 19's, so theres not a lot of brands out there. Also, wish they were a slightly better quality compound.

I have a scanguage 2 and I was noticing my coolant temp reaching 211 degrees F while stuck in traffic. When moving it is 185-190F. Isn't this a little high? I have the 4 cyl gasoline engine.

Depends on what Chrysler is usning for a T-stat.

Some cars now of days use a 185 or a 190 T stat. Which opens once the car hits that temp. so 211 is not too uncomon in traffic.

anyone have the stats for this?

Saw one here in central london cruising along, funny thing is it was my friend's whom actually

was the person who gave me this idea in getting a good deal on a journey . :D

I have only seen 2 that i can remember....one green one red, both on Higway 280 heading south on the end of the day....and i have owned for 9 months now.

I have had my Journey 2.4 SX for 2 weeks now. Bought from Motorpoint as a 58 plate, 1 year old, bargain.

Very pleased so far....

I am in Newport, South Wales.

Cheers, Jon

:rolleyes:

Welcome. Seems as if there are a lot of european owners, even more so than US on this site.

take a look around for some very useful info.

I have a Dodge Journey SXT AWD and I just discovered that you can roll the front two windows down from your keyless entry!!! From your keyless entry hit the lock button, then hit the unlock button TWICE, when hitting the unlock button the second time hold it in, then the windows will roll down.

Actaully, you don't even have to hit the lock button. Just hit the unlock button twice and hold it the second time.

If you have to hit the lock button first to get it to work, there may be a problem with your fob or the win module.

This will just be w brief review of my car, both +'s and -'s about it. These are my personal experiences and it may not reflect those of other owners.

2009 SXT 3.5 L V6 FWD

Options: 6 disk in dash changer, duel anolog climate controls, sirius sat, (no advanced on board computer), 7 Seater, Rear privacy glass. I apologize, i do not know what groups i have as i bought it off the lot, not pre ordered. Keyless entry (fob) panic button (no auto start).

Purchase: Jan 10th 2009

Miles @ purchase: 8

Selling Dealer: Hartzihem Dodge in San Jose, CA (No longer in business)

Servicing Dealer: Stevens Creek Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge

Service Advisor: Dan Ranalli

Previous Issues:

WIN Module Replacement (Car would not start on first jey turn, Alarm will go off when i push unlock on the FOB)

PS (power steering) Resivour TSB replacment (should have been done by selling dealer, was not)

PCM (Hard shifting problem), TSB replacement of PCM module and reprograming

Tightening/re torquing of CTL Arm and suspension bolts, TSB (should have been done by selling dealer, was not)

Pass. Side sunvisor door broke off, Warranty, replaced

Previous issues not resolved:

All of the above was taken care of in the month of June by my servicing dealer. The only thing that took a while to get was the PCM, but everything else they had in stock. The PCM was not installed till late june, early july, and has since corrected the problem with the hard shifts.

Current Issues:

Front Brake squeel, Slightly warped front rotors, @ 12,077 miles (19,436 KM)

Current Issues not resolved:

I did the brakes myself. I replaced with Wagner Ceramic pads from my local Kragen Autoparts (O Rilley's to mid-western folks). I did not repalce the rotors, but the new pads corrected the warped rotors. No more vibration at any speed. Upon futher communication with my service advisor, Dan told me these stock brakes are horrible and do not last like they should. The Brake compound they use is that off the Caliber, so becasue of the vehicle weight, the pads ware down and rotors warp failly fast. Side note, brake warranty is 12 mo/12,000 miles or for people who live in a metric world, 12mo/20,000 KM. Apparently Chrysler, since coming out of bankrupcy has no leanentcy regarding this warranty. If your even 1 mile over or 1 day over, do not expect them to help you. Some dealers may internal the new brakes, but expect no help from corporate.

Also i messured the pads on the front, it seems that the ware squeel starts just under a 1/4 inch of pad left, when for all intents and porpouses, is still a decent amount of pad left.

Driveability:

No driveability issues in all 13000 miles driven. other than the brakes mentioned above. I will say this, i like the way the stock Kuhmo tires (19 inch alloy wheels) feel on long drives...feel very secure. Decent in wet weather, but could be better. My main concern is their tread life. I realised (by mistake) that if your not consistantly rotating your tires every 5000(8000km) miles, tread life can seriously degrade on the front tires. I did not rotate till 9000(14500 km) miles and you could physically see the difference in tread from the front too the rear. there was still plenty of life in the tires, but if i ignored it, i'd be replacing the fronts very soon. Recomendation: rotate consistantly. Car is most likley a 65/35 weight distrobution. that + being FWD causes faster than normal front tire wear.

Recomendation: Repalce tires with a longer lasting model or brand/compound. These tires are not the best for this type of vehicle. 19's are hard to find tires for. Tire Rack seems to have the best choices. Also if you go one or 2 sizes wider on the tires, more options open up as to what you can put on.

Over all: I love the car, i maintain her inside and out myself by hand. The paint on my car (Metallic Black) seems to be of top quality. No chips yet (except for door edges, which is to be expected due to the thiness of the paint in that area), no fading of paint or clear, no rust. No suspension creaks that seem abnormal. Long distance drives feel solid and comfortable. Seats could be a bit more supportive/comfortable, especially the captains chairs. Only other quirk i ahve is with the SHocks/Struts. I wish they were slightly stiffer, and the spring rate on the spings was stiffer also. On dips in roadways and speed bumps, i get the boat wave going through the Journey. It will bounce for about 4 or 5 times before leveling out. I understand( and have felt) that on long road trips at higway speeds it makes for a slightly more comfortable ride, but sometimes the bumps, especially when untoiced, make me feel like the car may lose control.

Servicing Dealer:

Top notch. I have had no problems with this dealer. Service advisor is exceptional. Very honest and stright forward about everything including the quality of the brakes. No complaints.

I will be updating this thread with future reviews from here on out. Next one will be at 20000 mile marker (32,000 KM) and then every 5000 miles after that (8000km).

Please if you have any questions and comments about my reviews, please ask in this thread, i'd be more than happy to answer them. Also, if you have any reviews you wish to post about your personal Journey, please feel free to do it here. it helps to keep the information all in one location.

Also, i ask that we keep on topic in this thread, as i do not want the reviews to get lost in off topic conversation.

I hope this added thread will help everyone here.

Also, to help with reading the reviews, please try and use the same format i used here, it will help with keeping all the perniate information consistant in each post!

Thanks all,

Lupe

Well to let you guys know, I got a call from the dealership's service manager where he stated he got a call from the Chrysler office concering my letter I sent them. Basically I told them in the certified letter that I was very unsatisfied with my problem not getting fixed after 4 trips and my wife is asking about the lemon law. So they want to have me come in again to try and fix the tranny once and for all, I'll keep yall updated.

See, i fail to understand why so many people are not having this problem resolved......My dealer corrected it the first time....it's been 6 months since the PCM was installed and reprogramed and not once has the thud come back.

Actually, last night i was listening to me putting my car in all the gears, and it was super quiet...i had to have my windows down to hear it shift...the only time i noticed a slightly louder clunk, was when i parked on a steep incline, but thats because the trans has added stress from being at an angle.

I just switched to Mobil 1 5w20 at 2,000 miles. I haven't noticed extra power, but I think it is quieter...but then again it could be my wishful thinking. I have a scanguage 2 and I do believe I am seeing better mileage, but I've only driven it about a quarter of a tank on the synthetic. Although I like this car a lot, I don't drive it very much so it will take me a while to report back. During the first 2k miles with the factory fill, I was noticing gradually improving mileage and lessening engine noise on hard acceleration.

Sythentic oils have been theroized to help produce 1-3 more HP in most applications. The reason i say theorized is because it fall's into a dyno's area of error witch is 5hp.

My it is possible that you are trully feeling a slight power boost, but it is also possible that you are feeling what you want or wish to feel...its happen to me a few times in different cars.

Also, the CPU's in our cars learn and adapt to your own personal driving style...that could have something to do with it too.

If they dissipate the heat more wouldn't it decrease the chances of warping the rotors. That in it's self would be enough for me.

They make cross drilled rotors for the journey?!?!

Are you sure you don't mean Vented rotors?

I know the stock rotors are a single piece, they are not vented.

Most aftermarket companies create vented rotors, where the inside of the rotor has hollow vents along the circumfence to disapate heat.

most premium and above average car compaines use them now......

I jsut want to make sure i understand correctly, they make cross drilled rotors for our cars, where the face of the rotor has machined holes all over it to disapate heat?

If thats true, and they are the same price as OEM, then that is by far a better deal than the stock solid piece rotors.

But like stated above, they won't get their tru potential used unless on the track with proper ceramic pads...but these arn't track cars...lol

i had the same problem last week, im at wal-mart parking lot, i tried to stop the alarm i have my FOB and my wife have the other copy we both tried. luckily i manage to stop the alarm without calling for help.

What i did, i use the valet key to open the door and use the FOB to start the engine, the engine started and the alarm just stoped.

so far its been a week now didnt happen again.... it was embarrasing there was an old car beside me in the parking lot with the whole family and a lot of ppl they all look at you like your a wierdo or just trying to show off your new vehicle

I was having a similar problem too.

There are a few reasons it could happen and fixes.

One fix is replacing the alarms interior sensors with new ones.

the other fix is repalcing either the alarm control module and/or your keys or the WIN module (iginition module you put your key fob in to start the car). the WIN mod. is under a tsb.

Where or how did you find out the brakes are covered within the first 20,000 miles or km?

I am really ticked off with this break issue, I am just over 24,000 miles on my Journey and my breaks are squeeking again. I decided to look up complaints on brakes for journeys and found you guys. I surely do not feel any better seeing that you guys are going through the same but what has my blood boiling is that I asked about warranty for the brakes and everyone I spoke to said "no way how could anyone cover a normal wear and tear item" so I had my breaks replaced shrugging it off to "I just happen to get a bad set of front brakes", but this is bologne. Now, I see that Dodge just designed the braking system wrong/ mismatched product with performance. I live in Miami the flatest place on earth and when I drive I count miles per gallon, meaning I will calculate my speed and distance to a red light and coast just to avoid the take-off and at the same time save brakes so you can imagine my surprise to squeeling brakes after 10,000 miles since the replacement.

I am printing this up and going to the last dealer left open for 50 miles and I am going off... I hope they replace under warranty. Actually I am calling corporate before I go. Should I try Obama (lol) since he should be at the corporate office handling business.

I'll keep you informed = (

You will be sorely dissapointed. Here in the states the brake warranty is 12000 miles or 12 months, whihc ever comes first.

Since chrysler went bacnkrupt they are really strict on their warranty. I was 77 miles over, and my service manager tried to get chrysler to honor the warranty...no dice. so i did my own brakes with ceramic pads...could not be happier.

The dealership called today and picked up my car. It finally registered a #5 fuel injector is misfiring. They said they will replace it tomorrow (have to order part) and the problem should be solved. I will update incase someone else has this issue.

When you buy a car it comes with the 2 sets of keys. My remote start has not been working. I used one set and after a year I switched to the 2nd set. My 1st set still work but my 2nd set do not start my car...all other buttons work. They are going to check that while they have my car tomorrow.

I hope this will solve the problem. Thanks for the advice from the 2 replies....I gave them my suggestions. Also my car is only a year old 2009 Journey, so it is definitely under warrenty.

I am glad they have figured out the possibility. One thing you need to look out for, is just how long that cylinder had a misfie...if there is enough carbon build up, replacing the faulty injector will not solve the problem as the crbon build up is already there...they would ahve to do use some type of intake clearner like Sea Foam, and pour it through the brake booster lines that connect on the intake to clean out the deposits (we do it here, its common place on High millage Mini Coopers).

When the engine light is on, the remote starter will not work. For the shaking problem, I don't know... I didn't have it.

A blinking Check engine light 99% of the time is refering to a misfire in a cylinder. Count how may times it blinks per cycle. that count per cycle is what cylinder is misfiring.

example: blink.blink. blink..........blink.blink.blink..........

So each set of words count as one cycle, 3 blinks = cylinder # 3 is misfiring. If it is a consistant blink, usually means cylinder 1 is misfireing.

Misfires also can cause intense shaking of the vehicle because the firing order is off and it is thowing the engine off balanace, and the harmonic balancer does not have enough to compensate.

Remember to have the CEL checked out and read by the dealer (if still under warranty) to confirm these suggestions.

UPDATE: Casues of misfires are as follows,

1) fowled plugs/bad plugs

2) bad wires/coil/coil pack

3) carbon build up in cylinder

3a) poor fuel (can also cause abnormal carbon build up)

3b) wrong grade fuel or lower than recommends...this holds especially true if you live in California with the stricter standards (same as 3 and 3a)

the most logical choices because you said it is random, it # 1 and 2.

Carbon build up would make a more consitant misfire, where an actuall electrical problem with the car would usually be more random.

I saw the 2010 Journey today. It seems like there is no more two tones interior (or maybe it is now an option)!? It looks more upscale with all black leather on the R/T. The seats and the interior door panel are all black, the rear headrests are now adjustable and they changed the front headrests with some kind of protective headrests. The armrest in front is now with leather on the SXT (maybe with some options) and the V6 is now an option on the SXT. And they should have changed a little bit more the options because when we bought our 2009 Journey, there was no 4 cylindre SXT and the fog lights were only available with 19 inch wheels. Now, fog lights is a single option. It should have more differences, but this the ones I saw when I looked at the 2010 Journey in the dealership parking.

I am going to see if it is a posiblity to swap the rear adjustable headrests fromt he 10's to the 09's....it might help solve problems with people with children like me.

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has the same problem I'm having with their journey not starting? It started for me about two weeks ago. I drive somewhere and get stuck because the car won't turn over. Went to get gas and ended up towed to the dealership. It's been towed now 3 times and they can't tell me what's wrong with it?

Would love to hear from other Journey owners whether they've had the same problem and how it was resolved?

Thanks!

ValP

I was having a similar problem...I would turn the Key Fob quickly in the CAS unit and it would not start. ALso my panic alarm would go off randomly when i hit lock on my fob.

I found out from my dealer there is a TSB for the CAS (or win module) from Crysler LLC. they are suppose to replace and reprogram to repair the problem. It has fixed my problems.

Are there any other signs other then what you described? when you turn the ignition to on (not start/run) do the dummy lights turn on?

Check engine light flashing has to do with a misfire in the motor. (PLugs, wires, or coils are fowled). Most misfires will happen while under load (EX. going up hill, towing ) while your engine is under the most stress.

If it happens again, count how many times it flashes from the first time it starts till it stops. It referes to what cylinder is misfireing....so example:

FLASH...2...3...4 That is 4 total flashes....so cylinder 4 is misfireing, if your not under warranty, i recomend checking the plugs first...if it does not solve it, replace the coil/wires.

Also, a misfire will cause shaking most of the time. It happens because a cylinders is not burning all the fuel and is causing the pattern to be thown off.

In all actuallty, in a situation like this, i would normally repalce all plugs, wires/coils on the vehicle becuase if one goes out, then there is a possibility the others will too.

Sorry, i relaized i did not answer the first part of your question, if you read my previous statement, i posted there is a TSB for our cars with the 6 speed auto. They change out the PCM for the new one and reprogram it to correct the shifiting issue. It has fixed mine it it has been 4 months or so.

I have been satisfied when compared to my previous car. I average about 18-19 mpg around town, with city driving and stop and go traffic.

ON highway i average between 21.9 and 25mpg depending on hills, speed limit and traffic.

I just got back from Lemoore NAS last night. Because the speed limit on highway 5 in California is 70mph, i was doing 75 mph.

I was getting 21.8 mpg average on that trip.

If i did between 60mph and 65mpg i'd get near or at 25 mpg.

There is no RPM i can give you because i pass my assesments at speed.

Now for a more accurate MPG, next time you fill up your tank, do not top it off. Once the pump stops, print your receipt with price and how many gallons filled up. then base it off of that.

Ex: if you were at a quarter tank and filled up 15 gallons, and then you drive 250 miles till you fill up again at a quarter tank, then you MPG shoudl be about 16 mpg, if i did my math correct.

I have an 09 Journey with 60000kms on it and had mine in for the same issues multiple times. I also have yhe clunking when putting in reverse and hard shifting between 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. The dealership keeps telling there is nothing wrong. Now I have the problem of right around 100km/h it starts to shake. I was coming up a hill on the highway doing 100km/h and the shaking kicked in but this time it was violently shaking and the check engine light was flashing on and off. This is the second time this has happened and I took it to the dealer and they told me that there was a "misfire" code and they changed it. I am dopping it off in the morning to get them to look at it again. Has anyone else had any issue like this? I will folllow up with that the dealership says.

Brad

Check engine light flashing has to do with a misfire in the motor. (PLugs, wires, or coils are fowled). Most misfires will happen while under load (EX. going up hill, towing ) while your engine is under the most stress.

If it happens again, count how many times it flashes from the first time it starts till it stops. It referes to what cylinder is misfireing....so example:

FLASH...2...3...4 That is 4 total flashes....so cylinder 4 is misfireing, if your not under warranty, i recomend checking the plugs first...if it does not solve it, replace the coil/wires.

Also, a misfire will cause shaking most of the time. It happens because a cylinders is not burning all the fuel and is causing the pattern to be thown off.

In all actuallty, in a situation like this, i would normally repalce all plugs, wires/coils on the vehicle becuase if one goes out, then there is a possibility the others will too.

I do all the telecommunications work for all the Enterprise Rent a Car sites, including the sales locations, and service centers down in Houston. I was talking with the service guys about some issues with the Journey's. The warned me to keep a close eye on the brake wear every 10k. they are running through brakes bewteen 10-12k average, and its just not pad replacement. In almost every case, they have had to turn the discs, or even replace them. The new Carivan also has the issue.

Just a heads up, I am at 11k, and sure enough pads are almost gone, thank god I looked before disc damage.

Yea, most all of us know about this. Check out the Brake section below and you will see a few threads dedicated to the brakes on these cars.

I did a little diging with my service advisors help. Turns out the brake compound they are using on the brakes is the same compound they are using on the dodge caliber.....my service advisors thoughts is that the compound is to fragil for the larger wight it has to stop on the Journey, thus causing the pads and rotors to fail at an alarming rate.

I have jsut over 12000 miles and have replaced my pads with wagner ceramics....the only way to go is after market.

Hi all - I pick up my first Dodge on Monday, a Silver Steel SXT which is a bit of a step up from the VW Golf i'm driving today.

Thought i'd check in and introduce myself - i'm sure i'll be back regularly.

Rob (Sheffield UK)

Hey Rob, welcome to the site. Glad you found this place. Take a look around and have fun, its not as active as some places, but it has a lot more useful knowledge than others too.

Welcome again!!

Lupe (USA, California)

You're right ROZ but even though, when you do read some of the members posts you do get some vital info and tips for this cars

Absolutly. I am hoping this forum becomes more active. Welcome again, and let me know if you have any questions i can help you with.

Remember, todays cars computer systems tend to "learn" with your driving habits. Thus they can make minor tweaks to fuel economy and acceleration . Also the PCM can get use to your driving patterns and shift appropriately.

There is always a break ing period for all cars.

There was a very reputable company that did a test with a SS Chevy Camaro . First they gave the car to a older woman (a grand mother) who babied the car and drove very slowly.

It dyno'ed at something like 300 HP to the wheels. After that they reset the PCM (un hooked the battery) and gave the car to a 20 year old who drove it hard. It dyno'ed with 20 extra HP 320.

It was proof that the PCM learns from driving habits.

Hi to all , i'm the new proud owner of a DJ Black here in the UK

Welcome Jokker8...this forum is not as active as some others i have seen, but it has some of the most useful information for our cars.

my, passanger side sunvisor mirro cover broke a few weeks back. Dealer had it in stock and replaced it under warranty....so far, its the only piece that has broke on the interior of my car. 12000 miles into ownership (8 months)