13DODGE

Someone did the same thing to my Jeep Commander. The passenger side front door was replaced, the rear door needed a new skin and it spent 2 days on the frame straightener machine (B pillar took the brunt force). I could still drive it! So, it may not be totaled. Think positive, unless your looking to get something newer!

Just received confirmation that it is not a total loss. Shop estimate is around $6400 ~17 days.

Insurance gave us a fully loaded Grand Caravan in the meantime.

Winterchill Journey??? WTH is a Winterchill Journey?

Winter Chill Pearlcoat is the colour name of our Journey. It was available only in the 2013 model year on select vehicles such as the Journey, Dart, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Compass and Patriot. Similar to my first Dodge which was an 88 Aries in Skyblue.

I can't believe thats a total. New door, fender, straighten, should be good as neww, unless there is a lot of damage we cant see. Best of luck!

Thanks! Keep everyone posted.

Our poor Journey has had some very serious tough luck as of late...

Parked the car, ran into the bank and walked out to this mess:

The individual who hit the Journey was present. They stated that they hit the Journey while backing into the parking spot and accidentally went full throttle in reverse. The Journey then spun and hit the adjacent car. We are going through insurance, car was towed to the police collision centre where a report was filed.

Uncertain at this point whether it will be a write-off or not. The tow truck driver and police officer said it seems unlikely that it could be repaired (if there is frame damage). Appears most of the impact was absorbed by the door, it remains to be seen if the frame/pillar was also damaged. Guess it will be up to the insurance company to decide. Any thoughts?

Very fortunate nobody was in or around the Journey at the time!

Do they have any Chrysler Airflows on that Showroom floor?

Just a few K-cars and Omni's

Got the old (trusty) Journey back - she lives to die another day.

After Toronto Chrysler bullied us for two days (and made us pay $218.54 in the end for their incorrect diagnosis), they overhauled the transmission...yikes.

First, I must thank the dealership for treating us like human beings after announcing they would cover the remainder of the work under warranty, after the fluid + filter change and two days of unnecessary hassle, they also obliged to provide a rental after asking twice, a Hyundai Elantra. Thank you.

What was the problem? They stated a blown clutch piston/retainer seal. I spoke to the young technician who did the work, I asked him to verify the oil level in front of me before I left, and he said that he "threw in many new parts" and that it was his "biggest job".

Here's a list of parts in the invoice:

1 RL078723-AD Valve BOD 21-138-01
5 68218057-CA Fluid 01-081-090

5 Envoil1 ENV/FEE

1 68272623-AA Trans Kit 21-004-00

1 RL070538-AB Conv Kit 21-046-005

1 68064369-AB Cover 21-003-028

1 68020279-AA Retnr pkg 21-133-00

1 04412248 Spring 21-137-022

On their very own invoice it states that: Overfill issue would not cause Gear Ratio Error as per Engineering 09/22/15. Continue Diagnosis.

A few more of their Comments:

Complaint: Road Test after level reset - continue diagnosis
Cause: Gear ratio in 3rd P0733
Correction: Vehicle is slipping in gear...
Removed pan to check for metal debris, none found, fluid condition ok.
Checked clutch volume index. Good...
Recommend overhaul.

Overhauled transmission. Found 2/4 Clutch piston/retainer seal torn. Replaced 2/4 piston/retainer.

Reassembled transmission. Filled fluid. Performed quick learn, road tested vehicle, good at this time.

I asked if this internal leak/blown clutch piston/retainer seal would cause the level to vary and they said "no - the overfilled transmission remains a mystery". Going to call FCA Canada tomorrow to ask for a refund due to an incorrect diagnosis. Definitely glad that everything seems to be ok now, a little worried about the overhaul, but definitely appreciate that the rest was covered. Apologies to the avid members in the forum that my posts have been solely negative recently, there are many positives but the negatives seem to ring the loudest - especially with customer service!

The dealership adjusted the transmission fluid level, no change. They do not want to proceed until tomorrow when they speak to previous dealers about the service records of the vehicle since somebody "tampered with the the vehicle's transmission".

Update:

Toronto Chrysler dealership checked the Transmission Oil level, it appears that the transmission is overfilled at the 90mm mark where it should be within the 50-60mm mark when warm. The computer shows a code according to the technician which states "Error with Gear Ratios?". I had the technician show me on the spot the level to verify.

The vehicle has only been serviced at FCA dealerships since we purchased new, and never any reason to top-up the Transmission Oil level. Toronto Chrysler tried to investigate with prior two dealerships that the Journey was serviced at and none claimed they did anything to the transmission (as suspected). Toronto Chrysler is not giving us any options other than to pay the service to drop the transmission oil level and move forward from there ($125 labour + cost of Mopar Transmission Fluid). They do not know if this will necessarily fix the problem, stating "Weird things occur when the transmission level is over the specification". Unsure if this is fair?

I do not see any reason to overfill the transmission, nor does it make sense for the vehicle to have been at that level from the manufacturer. All very strange.

Correct. Pickering Chrysler only sold the incorrect filter, they did not install it. The housing replacement was covered at another dealership, however would have cost ($500) in parts and labour had it not been. Also a quick correction: they sold the filter on August 29th 2015 and it was returned back to them on September 1st 2015.

Similar situation as per Mr. Burn's post on 18 July 2015.

Our 2013 WinterChill Dodge journey has been very reliable with the exception of an alignment and 1 front bearing. We are at 89xxxKM with majority highway driving. Today driving into downtown Toronto, the transmission disengaged and there was a sudden loss in all power. The 3.6L Pentastar was still purring but would rev as if it were in neutral. We pulled off the DVP onto Lakeshore BLVD. in very dangerous traffic.

My diagnosis was that the transmission would disengage about after roughly 1 minute of engaging into 'Drive'. One would then have to turn off the engine, open and close the door, and THEN restart and engage into 'Drive'. One minute thereafter, repeat. It is interesting to point out that one must open and close the front door to reset and engage into 'Drive' again. I believe the function of opening and closing the door is to shut down the electronics of the vehicle. The electronics of the Journey (music, dash etc.) shut down only after opening the driver or passenger doors.

'Reverse' always works. Selecting gear 1 through +/- does not make a difference. It is also interesting to note that the engine is allowed to rev to 7000 RPM's while the transmission is disengaged (It is not in neutral otherwise the rev limiter would cut at 4000 RPM's). There is an extremely hard clunk when shifting between 'Reverse' and 'Drive'.

FCA Roadside Assistance towed us to the nearest dealership, they open tomorrow morning and we have yet to see what will happen. I am suspecting that it is an electrical problem, maybe a solenoid? Hopefully this has not done any physical damage to the transmission? Definitely expecting this to be covered under the 100,000KM Powertrain Warranty. And quite frankly, I am at this point uncomfortable with keeping the vehicle past 100,000KM as this could have caused a serious accident.

Could anyone advise if they have seen this particular issue before?

Thanks!

Hi All,

After months of battling with Chrysler Canada - I am (semi)-pleased to announce that the case manager has agreed to refund the cost of the bearing ($350 of the $500 repair). The check came in this week.

First phone call to Chrysler Canada was rough, the representative would not escalate the issue. It was only when escalating through twitter that I was able to reach a case manager, and even then there was much back and forth through voicemail, twitter again, an investigation with the dealership's Service Manager, until finally an agreement was reached to refund the cost of the part even though the repair was NOT under Powertrain Warranty. Thanks to Chrysler Canada for making this work.

I later reached out to Pickering Chrysler in Pickering Ontario where we initially made the purchase of the 2013 Dodge Journey on December 6th 2012 and had serviced there until this most recent bearing repair. I spoke with both the dealership manager, service manager and they offered (discounted future maintenance?) but they absolutely refused to refund the labour cost of the repair ($150) even though Chrysler Canada good-willed the part. Very disappointing.

I would also like to point out that this dealership sold me the incorrect 3.6L Pentastar engine oil filter on September 1st 2015 (there was a change mid-way through 2013 on all pentastar engines), which resulted in an oil filter housing repair ($500). This is additional proof that this dealership's service/parts department is incompetent and unknowledgeable about their product.

Just to summarize, Chrysler Canada and dealerships CAN good-will repairs past specified warranties. It is really about who you know, and/or social media which in this case was twitter. Also be persistent!

Hi All,

I have been absent for quite a while from this forum - for good reason! All had been well and still is for the most part (we still love our Journey!).

I would like to get to the meat of this topic. Long story short, one of our front wheel bearings just went at 74,xxx KM's. One would first think, "holy moly, my bearing just went on a 2 year old car!". And so a visit to the dealer was made on Thursday inquiring about Powertrain Warranty.

The dealership was quite busy on the Thursday, I was only able to speak to the Service Manager briefly asking generally whether a bearing for the Dodge Journey would be covered under Powertrain Warranty. His exact response was as stated: "Pretty sure it should be, I do not see any reason why it would not be covered. I have not seen any that have not been covered". An appointment was then scheduled for Monday at 8am (today).

I could not personally be there for the appointment and so when it was checked (Indeed it was the dreaded bearing!) they stated that front wheel bearings are NOT included in the Powertrain warranty and that this is a Chrysler Canada issue.

The work was done since the vehicle was urgently needed, we paid $450 to get the bearing replaced. Now for the million dollar question: What exactly is covered under Powertrain Warranty? Furthermore, why are the front wheel bearings not covered for the Dodge Journey specifically (the manager stated that they are typically covered on other Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep models). Is there anything we should/could do to rectify this?

We have been very happy with our purchase, nothing has been done other than regular wear and tear (Oil changes, tires, wheel alignment at 60,xxx KM's). Two things I could point out that are probably common among other owners are, blower motor whining noise which appeared at 55,xxx KM's and the dealer refused to rectify and the front passenger seat side cover which keeps slipping off. We still love it and are proud of the colour, WinterChill Pearl!

If anyone has any comments, recommendations or suggestions they are greatly appreciated!

Here's a shot of the Journey, still looking brand new

Same noise as well for our 2013 DJ, at -22° Celsius (-7.6°F). Startling screeching sound for 1-2 seconds upon start-up. At first thought it was ice on the serpentine belt or pulleys - but now as mentioned the PS pump looks to be the culprit (similar whining sound on previous Dodges when the PS fluid is low).

Amazing! Welcome back! That must have been one heck of a road trip... unbelievable mileage. Did you have a lot of downhill driving to get 7.3L/100KM?
Hopefully warranty won't be a concern in the future!

Below is a link to an article about the future direction of Dodge. It's a Mopar geek's opinion article. Not sayin' he's wrong, just sayin' that it reads very much like an opinion piece. Also not sure why some Mopar folks are so down on the DJ. Here's a particularly blatant foul, IMO.

"I’d seriously think about moving Journey over to Chrysler, perhaps keeping the same name; it’s not really a Dodge, and in the US it doesn’t sell all that well as a Dodge."

Not sure what constitutes a Dodge, really. . . How about the Caravan, is that a Dodge? Well, a Ram is no longer a Dodge. SRT is not officially a Dodge. Challengers, Chargers, Durangos, Journeys, Avengers, and Caravans are all we have left. Wait a minute, I think the Avenger is going away soon, so the jury is still out on that one.

Here's another gem:

"Dodge’s biggest barriers to a real performance focus, other than discipline, are Journey, Durango, and Caravan."

This guy thinks Dodge is going to be the next Porsche or something. Even Porsche makes a crossover-like thing. If Mopar Joe has his way we're down to Challengers and Chargers. Good thinkin'. Variety is the spice of everything except Dodge, evidently.

Whatever, I really like my DODGE Journey. I think its great, and cool, and full of utility at the same time. Even if Mopar Joe doesn't agree. . .

http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2013/06/dodge-death-or-new-strategy

Peace.

Read that article on Allpar yesterday and absolutely shook my head. Move the Dart to Chrysler? Remove the SRT brand? No idea what they're talking about, Sergio Marchionne explicitly stated he's happy with the number of brands for the distant future.

I'm certain the Journey will be around for another generation under the DODGE brand.

I believe the fuel economy battle relies on whether or not you want to have a little fun behind the wheel.
I've managed to get as low as 9.5L/100KM highway, but I had to really limit my foot. Almost no passing, cruise control at 110km/h and tach under 2000 RPM.

Problem is I didn't buy a Dodge with 293 horses under the hood to drive it like a Prius. Drive it like a real Dodge, and you are guaranteed 14-15L/100KM+

When we purchased our 2013 Journey early December 2012 our dealer, Pickering Chrysler ON, offered us Free Oil Changes for 3 years (2/yr). Hence our first visit!
Drove the vehicle into their service reception building and talked to the lady about the following work at around 10:30 am:

- Oil Change + Filter
- Transmission Reflash (Feb 2013 TSB)
- Fix rattle on front center armrest
- Fix rattle on driver's side door panel
- Exterior detailing (Train brake residue spots from Freight)
- Coupon for free interior and exterior cleaning

She called up the service manager to speak to me about the requests. Although he's a nice guy, this is where the dealer bulls***ing started usually slated for those who know absolutely nothing about cars.

1) He claimed that the transmission in the Journey is already very good, that all Chrysler/Dodge transmissions hard shift the way the 6-Spd Journey tranny does, that I would know if I owned a prev Dodge AND that the reprogram actually makes the transmission worse than it is now.

My answer, owned Dodges all my life and never had a brand new vehicle show signs of hard shifting, in fact my prev. Caravan did not until over 160K. He had to do the reflash as stated in TSB bulletin.

2) He checked the armrest, a rubber piece was in fact missing. The door panel however he would need to test drive to hear the noise.
3) Could not find any of the little "rust" spots as I had done a very well job of scrubbing them off last month when washing the car. He would not do an exterior detailing for free unless there were visible signs and if there were, he would only do the portion where they were visible (usually front and back bumper). Although they were all over when I did the wash.

Went home and got a call back pretty late around 5:30pm that my vehicle was ready for pick-up. Everything was supposedly done, and free of charge under warranty.
Oil change was certainly done, service manager gratefully pulled a rubber stopper from his Journey and put into mine for the armrest. He said he adjusted the door panel but I am not quite sure what he did as he did not hear the noise. I believe the transmission flash was in fact done, needs more driving to verify but so far no hard shifts. I think they may have just took the Journey through a car wash and did a quick vacuum, but nevertheless it was cleaner.

Got home, and what do ya know, found those spots.. this might call for another visit soon! Either way they are much better than my previous dealer, and I love our Journey!

nice ride...i like the new style of the rims for the SXT versions, and the colour is pretty nice too!

Looks like your ride was purchase at Pickering Chrysler, you in the Durham region?

Thank you! Yes it was indeed purchased at Pickering Chrysler, and I am! Impressed you picked up the dealer badge on the plate

Rail dust is very, very common on all makes and model...seen it on everything from Chevy Silverados to Dodge K-Car (yeah, I'm that old) to Ford Pinto's (even older than you think!). The dealer's body shop will buff them out, apply a new coat of wax and you'll be good as new with no future problems.

Haha (K-Car not that bad, Pinto - maybe), I am now at ease. Planning my first service trip this coming week. I sure will be giving them plenty to keep them busy.

Very clever, I like!

Options are Flexible Seating, Navigation and Sound Group, TrailerTow Prep, hitch, molded splash guards, Chrome Clad wheels and Sunroof. The only things we left off are AWD and Rear Seat DVD.

I'm amazed at the clarity of the pictures - I took them with my iPhone 4S. Only had the phone since Christmas and can't believe how good the camera is!

Pretty much Fully loaded! Awesome!

Very nice! Great pictures.
Did you add any options? I see the chrome clad wheels

Interesting, I will be taking it to the dealer in a few weeks for an oil change and nag them about it along with the transmission re-flash and a few squeaks . If that doesn't work I'll try the clay bar kit, polish and then wax.
It's very weird indeed, our 99 Caravan never had this kind of surface rust dots during the entire duration of ownership.
Thanks doubleO7, it's called WinterChill Pearl - a new colour for 2013

Before you take it back to the dealership try re-setting it by using the procedure below.

Reset

It may be necessary at some point in time to reactivate the

Auto Up feature. To do so, perform the following procedure:

1. Pull the window switch up to close the window

completely and continue to hold the switch up for an

additional two seconds after the window is closed.

2. Push the window switch down firmly to the second

detent to open the window completely and continue

to hold the switch down for an additional two seconds

after the window is fully open.

That seems to have done the trick! Thank you!

Appreciate the help everyone.

WInterChill Pearl!

Hello there,

I have noticed on our 2013 Journey that the One-Touch Front Passenger Window does not operate properly.
When the window is all the way down and is operated to close using the One-Touch feature, it seems to stop 3/4 of the way up and then goes back down to 1/8.
Not sure if it is sensing an obstruction but it has been repetitive and the only solution is to hold the button for it to fully close.
Any feedback on this issue is much appreciated.
Thanks

Twas a lovely day here in Toronto, Ontario. Spent the day cleaning the good Journey.
Just regular car soap, but used the Armor All Extreme Tire Shine spray and Triple Action Wheel Cleaner.
Was thinking of waxing too but was not sure which to use. Any preferences?
I also noticed tiny tiny surface rust spots all over, isn't that very rare for a 5 month old car?

Thank you! Ah you're still breaking in at 1800 haha. Nice options, hard to believe all of this is available for such good value... just awesome. Lots around here in the GTA too