RedRT

I'm sorry to hear of your issues, however I don't understand some things about your story. You say you already had a poor impression of the company due to your experience with several Wranglers. You also appear to have disdain for the bailout money used to save the company (and thousands of American jobs). Now, if your impression was that poor, why then would you purchase a vehicle from a company that was in the middle of a pending bankruptcy and had been known for declining quality due to cost cutting by their foreign owners? Either you're very naive or you got a bargain on a clearout and bought one against your better judgement.

I have seen the 2009/10 models and I would not have bought one of those. The 2011 improvements are substantial and I for one am very pleased with my Journey so far. Given that Dodge is selling around 4000 of these a month and only a handful of people have reported serious problems here tells me that the lemons are the exception and not the rule. There definitely were some serious issues with the first generation - and that doesn't surprise me given what the company was going through at the time and who owned them.

I have a 2009 Journey RT and have really enjoyed it yes the brakes are a problem. I had the roters replaced in warrenty by Chrysler and am going to replace the pads at 20,000 with a good ceramic pad that's not original equipment. For what I paid for this car $22,000, I couldn't have even gotten close in any other similar vehicle so I am willing to spend a couple of $100 on pads prematurely.

Hi Dave:

I also live in Michigan and purchased a Red RT in February 2009 I got a great deal and so far I am really happy with the car. I towed my 17.5 foot boat around the State with the Journey last summer and was pleased with it's towing ability when compared with the 2005 Grand Caravan SXT I replaced. Keep in touch about your experience with your new car.

I just wanted to say hello. I decided to buy a new crossover and the Journey was very appealing. I wasn't sure after reading many reviews and seeing all the problems with the new model introduction that I had read on this forum and other reviews. I hope the 2010 moldels have these problems resolved. So far so good. I picked my Journey up 11/25/09 and with 300 miles no problems and I am very pleased. I have purchased many new vehiciles in my 60 year life and none so far has made me any happier. I will keep my 2007 Durango in my garage for bad snow days here in MI and use the Journey for good weather every day driving. I am thinking about adopting a 14 or 15 year old "geek" to help me with the Media Center and all the electronics that this vehicile is equipped with. I think in todays new world everyone should have at least 1 "geek" in the family and I now think "geeks" are cool. I just wanted to say thank you to all the people who have contributed to this forum. It has been very helpful and I will continue to read it for all the good information and ideas. I think I will go back out to the garage now and try to learn how to use the Media Center.

Dave (Junkfood)

2010 Jouney R/T AWD

Inferno Red, Dark Slate Leather

3.5 V6, 6 Speed Auto

Navigatin and Sound Group 1

Convenience Group 11

Flexible Seating Group

Power Sun Roof

19" Aluminum Chrome Clad Wheels

For the sway control, I don't think there is a light. And here's how it works:

And look at the video here: http://www.dodge.com/en/2010/journey/performance/towing/

My RT didn't have the tow package when I asked the place where I had my hitch installed they said they didn't have engine oil cooler only a transmission oil cooler so they installed that. Do I need a engine oil cooler too?

I have had my Journey RT with sun roof since February and have not had problems. I took it to the dealer at 10,000 miles to have the brakes checked and they replaced the rotors but not the pads. Purchased the Journey with a hitch and transmission cooler installed for $22,900 probably the best auto deal I have ever made. I have owned nothing but Chrysler products for over 25 years and have had normal problems nothing horrible.

As a result of the information posted here I took my Journey RT with 10,500 miles into the dealer to have the brakes checked. They replaced the front and rear rotors under warrenty but said the pads were fine. I don't understand brakes well so could someone tell me why the rotors and pads would be bad in some cases and just the rotors in others? How long can I expect the replacement rotors to last?

I noticed the same thing after I bought my Journey, asked the dealer about it and he said it was normal condensation being release from the exhaust system.

I started a small experiment to see if 89 was better than 87. I drove to Kentucky from my home in Northwest Ohio. I got 21.1 going down and 22 coming back. I have under 5,000 miles on it now. I had 5 passengers and luggage. It is not that bad in my opinion. Kentucky is very hilly anyways. I do not guess anyone gets the sticker MPG down there,lol.

Did you use mid grade one way and regular another? If so, which provided the best mpg?

I installed a Curt Hitch and pull my 14.5' fishing boat (loaded) with no issues. I also pulled a heavy tent trailer 3000 + lbs...with no issues.

I have the 3.4L engine.

I have towed my 17.5 foot Larson runabout several times now with my Journey RT. It tows just fine but it is difficult to see any traffic that is directly behind the boat. The car's side view mirrors don't extend far enough from the car body to get a view of what is behind the boat. Any ideas on how to remedy this?

I'm glad there are a good number of Journey fans building up. I know there have been some guys who have had some problems with this vehicle but when I read their stories, I am not sure the dealers are giving them the service that Dodge expects. Well, maybe I shouldn't say that as I haven't had any real problems yet after driving for a year.

I was reading that the Journey's sales are up 80% over last year. (Sold around 10.000 vehicles in 2008 and so far have sold around 18000 in 2009.)

I've read several reviews that don't seem to reflect what I have experienced with my Journey SXT. I know they knock the non-leather seats but I have never had a back ache from driving so that must mean something. I see these RAV 4's and Ford Escapes and I really can't see why they are rated so much ahead of the Journey, especially when you consider the prices paid for them. Anyway, I'm starting in my second year of driving a Journey now and I expect to have some problems come up.

(This web site is a great place to discuss problems and keep up with Journey news.)

I have a red RT with chrome wheels that I have had for 3 months so far it has been a great car that I paid $1,000 of dollars less than I would of had to pay for a comperable car from another manufacturer.

The owners manual for my RT says that mid-grade gas is recommended. I have been putting regular rather than mid-grade in the car and it seems to run fine. Why is mid-grade recommended?

I have had my red RT for 3 months now and really like the car. The deal I got on it was unbeliveable. So far I have found nothing wrong with it.

The first thing that I noticed or was brought to my attention through this site was when you are driving around 50-55 mph the rpm jump around a lot. From what I understand it is the torque converter locking and unlocking. You will be driving along and when you give it the slightest gas input the rpms jump up and when you let off the gas it will go back down. Almost seemes like it is hunting for which gear to be in.

While driving normal the shifts feel like they are slipping and delayed. During the shift the rpms come up slightly and you can feel the forward progress slow down. Then it will shift. Feels like when you accidently bump the shift lever into nuetral while it is drive, but not as bad. Driving with a lead foot it does shift good. Quick firm shifts. How it should be all the time.

These issues seem to considered normal to Dodge. According to members that have brought their vehicles into have these issues resolved. And no one has a fix for it yet. Not all the Journey's seem to be doing this.

These issues above will cause the unessesary heat build up(torque converter locking and unlocking, slipping between shifts). Excessive heat is the number 1 enemy of automatic transmissions failures.

The first thing that I noticed or was brought to my attention through this site was when you are driving around 50-55 mph the rpm jump around a lot. From what I understand it is the torque converter locking and unlocking. You will be driving along and when you give it the slightest gas input the rpms jump up and when you let off the gas it will go back down. Almost seemes like it is hunting for which gear to be in.

While driving normal the shifts feel like they are slipping and delayed. During the shift the rpms come up slightly and you can feel the forward progress slow down. Then it will shift. Feels like when you accidently bump the shift lever into nuetral while it is drive, but not as bad. Driving with a lead foot it does shift good. Quick firm shifts. How it should be all the time.

These issues seem to considered normal to Dodge. According to members that have brought their vehicles into have these issues resolved. And no one has a fix for it yet. Not all the Journey's seem to be doing this.

These issues above will cause the unessesary heat build up(torque converter locking and unlocking, slipping between shifts). Excessive heat is the number 1 enemy of automatic transmissions failures.