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JOURNEY FROM HELL


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So I was driving the family last weekend from Indianapolis to Gulf Shores, Alabama in my wife's 2013 Journey SXT.   We were about 3 hours away from our destination when the transmission went suddenly into limp-in mode which meant we were stuck in 3rd gear for the rest of the trip.    Being in rural Alabama on late Saturday, we had little choice but to take back roads to our destination.    The following day, Autozone read a check engine code of P0740 + several others.    We got the car to Gulf Shores Chrysler who claimed the transmission needed to be replaced at 70,703 miles.   With few options (we were to leave the following Saturday) we asked about the dealership buying the Journey.   Yes, we knew it would not be a great offer but, good God - $700??   Really??!!    (Thanks, Gulf Shores Chrysler!)    Seriously, is that not a testimony as to how bad these Dodge Journeys really are??

 

Anyway, we paid the $4,464.37 for a new transmission this week and made it home thankfully!     We'll be selling this POS as soon as it stops leaking transmission fluid (oh, did I not mention I went out to the garage and noticed transmission fluid on the floor?)

 

No questions to ask you folks.   Just wanted to vent to people who might understand what a POS this Journey has been. 

 

 

 

 

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Ok, actually, I do have a question.   It appears the transmission oil is coming from the pan - which I assume now that it was not sealed properly.   

 

Does anyone know if my local Chrysler dealership will correct the work done by the Dodge dealership done in Foley, Alabama this past Wednesday (without charging me)?   That's fantasy, right?

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Why would you expect that to be fantasy? You have a warranty, right? Sounds like you should talk to the dealer rather than making an assumption. Give them a chance to make it right first.

 

I would also seek out corporate on this. While it may have been out of warranty in the beginning, some times they do stand behind it. Give them a chance to earn the reputation that they will have tomorrow.

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of course they will you have a 12 month warranty from any dodge dealership not sure if there is a mileage limit think they did away with that. and actually you got a great deal most places charger close to 5-6 k for the 6 speed and is usually a rebuilt one, yep only journeys have transmission problems ,other car manufacturer NEVER have transmission problems at all...good luck

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I'm a bit harsh on Dodge right now but it only comes from researching 62TE transmission issues all week.  The $700 offer was the real insult.   

 

I "married into" this Dodge ownership as my wife had leased the car new before we met (her uncle works for Chrysler).  I'm a die hard Honda fan - I think you'd be very hard pressed to find a Honda owner who had to replace a transmission at 70K miles.    Google "62TE failure" and you can be reading articles all afternoon.  The unit has long-standing issues.

 

But I'll call the dealership tomorrow and report back with their solution to my issue.

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119000 miles on my fantasy 6spd..... the dealer should at least look at your POS tranny before you buy whatever else you are going to get to get rid of all your car problems...good luck and hope you dont have to rant on another vehicle forum.

Also I hope you dont have the fuel dilution issues Hondas are having......you should google that also...good luck 

Edited by larryl
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Join any automotive forum. There are people who say the exact same things about chevys, fords, Honda’s, Toyota’s, etc. You’re not surprising anyone here with your newfound dodge hatred. We get posts like this often. Good luck with whatever you decide. 

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Called the local Chrysler dealer today.  $135 to diagnose the transmission leak and they said I'll be responsible for the repair cost if they determine the leak is due to workmanship (of the Alabama service work).   Hmm, any bets?   

 

They suggested I might try to get the Foley, Alabama dealership to cover their labor charges.    Hopefully the Foley, Alabama service manager will be returning my call.

 

Appointment is on Thursday the 11th.   I'll provide an update.  

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Best of luck to you.  I agree 2late4u.  Any reputable dealer should be willing to correct your transmission leak.  You shouldn't be required to drive back to Alabama for a dealership's shotty work.  It's clearly not your fault.  Does your paperwork state the conditions of a warranty?  I would expect that the local dealer would be reimbursed for the warranty work by Chrysler and Chrysler would recoup the $ from the Alabama dealership. 

 

Peace. 

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  • Official Dodge Support
On 4/7/2019 at 11:31 AM, Steve from Indy said:

Ok, actually, I do have a question.   It appears the transmission oil is coming from the pan - which I assume now that it was not sealed properly.   

 

Does anyone know if my local Chrysler dealership will correct the work done by the Dodge dealership done in Foley, Alabama this past Wednesday (without charging me)?   That's fantasy, right?

 

If you end up going into the dealer, let us know. We're available via direct message and would be happy to help with that process.

 

Jasmine

Dodge Social Care Specialist 

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  • Official Dodge Support
On 4/8/2019 at 12:31 PM, Steve from Indy said:

Called the local Chrysler dealer today.  $135 to diagnose the transmission leak and they said I'll be responsible for the repair cost if they determine the leak is due to workmanship (of the Alabama service work).   Hmm, any bets?   

 

They suggested I might try to get the Foley, Alabama dealership to cover their labor charges.    Hopefully the Foley, Alabama service manager will be returning my call.

 

Appointment is on Thursday the 11th.   I'll provide an update.  

 

Hello Steve,

 

Keep us updated on your visit. If an additional layer of assistance is needed while in service, let us know. We're available via direct message and would be happy to escalate to a case specialist for handling.

 

Jasmine

Dodge Social Care Specialist 

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Some positive news - although we still plan to write to Chrysler about having to replace a transmission at 70K miles, Champion Chrysler in Indianapolis just called to say that the Chrysler warranty department agreed to cover the repair to fix the fluid leak (due to bad pan seal).    So that's good.

Edited by Steve from Indy
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Yeah, so I’ll give some credit to Dodge - we heard from their customer care group and they will cover the cost of the transmission and other non-labor items.    Although I’m still disappointed that we only got 70K miles out of the transmission and had to cover the big labor bill, I do recognize Dodge wasn’t obligated to refund a dime.   we’re getting a refund of $2,900 which was welcomed news.     Sorry to those that were upset at my venting - I do understand that stuff breaks.    I’m glad to see that Dodge seemed to agree, in this case, it was a bit premature.

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Congratulations!   That is good news indeed.

And good for Dodge for coming to your aid.  I am impressed.

 

Big expenses like transmissions and rear ends can be very frustrating and stressful for an owner to replace.  I have been there and understand your need to vent.

 

I wonder if they will cover my rear end viscous unit and steering angle sensor and differential seals and blend door actuator and hands free bluetooth module and front strut and rear toe links and upper control arms and 3 batteries and rear lift gate wiring harness and calipers and .......... probably not.  It was good to vent, though.

 

mechanical-idiot

 

 

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