Clunking when put into reverse

[Sam]

Well there goes my memory. Mayby i am confusing myself with the CRD with teh six speed manual in europe

OK, this is strange! In the UK, they have the 2.4, but ONLY with a 5 speed manual, no automatic. The CRD comes with a 6 speed manual or a 6 speed automatic.

[bboulton]

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

[rozwell911]

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.

[rozwell911]

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.

[KCoastie]

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.

[rozwell911]

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.

[KCoastie]

I took my Journey to the dealership today and the tech that rode with me immediately noticed the clunking in reverse, the slamming into Drive that only happens sometimes, and the hard shifting. I left it with them and they called me a few hours later and told me they found an internal problem, something to do with the gears overlapping. Basically they can't fix it and a new transmission is currently on its way. it should be here on wednesday so hopefully by the end of this week my Journey will be up and running with a new tranny in place. I'll keep you guys posted.

[tg-journey]

I just had my journey in for service a couple weeks ago and they said to me it was normal and the tranny was tight. GUess I'll have to go back again after other issues.

[KCoastie]

Well here's the update. About 2 weeks ago my Journey was in the shop and they found an "internal problem" something wrong with the gears overlapping and not changing smoothly and quickly enough between shifts. So they ordered and replaced the transmission. Afterwards they said it still wasn't as smooth as they would've liked so they replaced the computer as well. After we picked it back up it the shifting through 4th was much better and the clunk in Drive was gone. After more and more time has went on though, the clunk in Reverse has come back and it seems we are having issues again. Also now we are having the problem other people on the forum here are describing, where when you unlock the car, it sometimes sets the alarm off. I called the service manager and told him we wanted to do a buyback.

He called his "rep" and the rep told him that they would have to get the car back in the shop to verify the problem. after that they could hopefully work something out with me. So I dropped the Journey back off today and we'll see what happens. Anybody have any experience with dealer buy backs or lemon law? Any tips or learning experiences would be Greatly appreciated! thanks guys

[Canada_Jay]

That is very disappointing to hear. I was holding on hope that you would come back with a great fix.

[brwengel]

With regards to the Lemon Law, it varies by state and I'm not sure where you are located, but I can tell you my experience here in the state of Georgia. We had a Mercedes that had a problem and we kept being put off for months waiting for a "software fix". Finally I called the Govenors' office and they quickly educated me on how the law works. It seems that the car had to be in the dealer on three seperate dates for the same repair (they could be three consecutive days) and then you have to give them written notice and they have one final attempt for a repair. Up to this point my local Mercedes rep told me he would never take the car back and they have teams of lawyers, blah, blah, blah, but once I called him about the Lemon Law, they didn't want to take the car back under those condtions. We had a new replaement car in about two weeks, they only thing we had to pay was the mileage we put on the car, I don't remember the cost, but it was determined by the state and was fair.

Hope this helps...

Be careful when you are taking a car in for service these days, if they have a warranty issue and can't resolve it during your current visit, they will leave the ticket "open". What this does is not have repeated visits for the same issue. If they can't resolve the problem, make them close out the ticket and open a new one on your next visit.

[lovely09]

I never had any experienced with this kind of issue but i guess the best thing to do is go to the dealer.They may check your car,have an assessment for the real problem and possibly make solution to it.Hopefully everything will be fine on your dodge cars.

[KCoastie]

I'm really beginning to wonder if it may be the U joint or something? I have had my car in multiple times for the transmission to be looked at with no success. It makes me think it's got to be something else that they're just not checking. Also i wrote another letter to Dodge asking for a buy back. No response yet.

[dave_erald]

Hi everyone. First time writer. Has anyone got this clunk thing figured out? My 09 Se doesn't exhibit this at all but its still low on k's. I live in Ontario by the way. Anywho, I didn't notice if anyone was saying what powertrain they had, all wheel drive or not. The Journey, as far as I know uses the same or slightly upgraded version of the all wheel drive power transfer unit as the Pacifica did, and those things, when I worked as a Chrysler tech for the year and a bit, were terrible for clunking drive to reverse and vice versa. Just a thought. ( Pacifica's weren't good for anything if you ask me.)

If I can help I would be more than happy.

David.

[TheHing]

I have a 2011 SXT and you will not be surprised to hear that mine clunks into R and D and also the 3-2 downshift and 2-1 downshift. 3 years later and still no fix!

[nabeez]

I noticed that only 2009 and 2010 owners are reporting this issue. Anyone with 2011 and 2012 is experiencing same issues?

[ddbutton1]

There is another "Post thread" started by a 2012 owner. Similar issues. I posted there that I have a 2009 SXT with the same issues that you all have been discussing. My Journey now has 93,000 miles and I did a full flush of the tranny at 85,000 and added a bottle of Lucas Transmission Stabilizer - no change. I can't believe the transmission has held together this long, making as much noise and clunking gear changes as it does.

[Journey416]

I have a 2012 Crew and I hear the clunking noise when I put the car in drive and slowly drive off, usually the first time of the day or when the car has been sitting for a while. I also park in the underground garage of our condo so it's easier to hear the noise then. I took it to the dealer and they couldn't recreate the noise. The dealer suggested I take the mechanic for a test drive to see If I could duplicate the noise while the mechanic was in the car with me. I haven't had time yet to do so.

On a side note, I do often notice what seems to be some kind of "shaking" in the gear down when slowing down quickly. kind of like ABS but from the transmission.

Anyway,

I still love my Journey

[SueBOhio]

Mine has done this and it is embarassing! I have found mine does not clunk it if I pause after shifting from park to reverse, then pausing again from reverse to neutral, etc, etc. It's a pain, and maybe I am just lucky, but it never clunks if I shift slowly. Worth a try . . .

[nwaring]

I had ours in for the clunk on Monday and the service department did the TSB that reprograms the transmission So far after 2 days I haven't had any clunks.

[mortalalliance]

I had ours in for the clunk on Monday and the service department did the TSB that reprograms the transmission So far after 2 days I haven't had any clunks.

nwaring, are you talking about the update below? I am having the same "clunking/slamming" into drive/reverse as everyone else and would love to just get this TSB done to fix the problem

NUMBER: 18-024-12 REV. A

GROUP: Vehicle Performance

DATE: November 03, 2012

SUBJECT:

Flash: MIL Illumination P0108 - Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor Circuit High And

Transmission Shift Improvements

OVERVIEW:

This bulletin involves selectively erasing and reprogramming the Powertrain Control

Module (PCM) with new software.

MODELS:

2012 - **2013** (JC) Journey

NOTE: This bulletin applies to vehicle equipped with a 3.6L or 2.4L engine (sales

code ERB or ED3) and a 6 speed automatic transmission (sales code DG2)

built before **October 23, 2012 (MDH 1023XX)**.

SYMPTOM/CONDITION:

The customer may experience any of the following:

· Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination. Upon further investigation the

Technician may find that P0108 - Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor Circuit High

has been set active or stored 3.6L engine.

NOTE: **MIL Illumination for P0108 - Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor

Circuit High affects 2012 model year vehicles only.**

· 1 - 2 upshift clunk or bump 2.4L & 3.6L engines

· 3 - 4 harsh upshift at closed throttle after a WOT stab in 1st or 2nd gear. 2.4L & 3.6L

engines

NUMBER: 18-024-12 REV. A

GROUP: Vehicle Performance

DATE: November 03, 2012

· 4 - 5 upshift clunk or bump 2.4L & 3.6L engines

· 5 - 6 upshift clunk or bump 3.6L engine

· 6 - 5 downshift clunk or bump 3.6L engine

· 6 - 4 downshift clunk or bump 3.6L engine

· RPM Fluctuating or Jerking feeling while operating in cruise control. Condition is

more noticeable when the vehicle is going up and down grades.2.4L & 3.6L

engines

· 1 - 2 harsh upshift going down a grade 2.4L engine

· 3 - 2 downshift clunk or bump 2.4L engine

· 4 - 3 downshift clunk or bump 2.4L engine

· **Improves the consistency of how shifts are controlled during upshifts “torque

management”**

Updating the software will correct the condition listed above.

[hbalagtas]

Bought a used 2011 Dodge Journey with only 18500 km on it, after driving it up to 19500 km we're beginning to see all this problems and the dealer won't help. Clunking when shifting to drive on cold start, loud whining noise on cold start, whole car shaking at 80-100kph. Should have trusted my instincts and not have bought this car, the car dealer was very pushy with me and my wife, we had our kids with us at the time and my wife just wanted to conclude the deal on what seems to be a great car. But now we know that we were taken advantage of, and that we could have purchased a better car from the amount we paid. And after paying the dealership is avoiding us like the plague, last time I ever purchase anything from Dodge/Chrysler.

[DodgeCACares]

Bought a used 2011 Dodge Journey with only 18500 km on it, after driving it up to 19500 km we're beginning to see all this problems and the dealer won't help. Clunking when shifting to drive on cold start, loud whining noise on cold start, whole car shaking at 80-100kph. Should have trusted my instincts and not have bought this car, the car dealer was very pushy with me and my wife, we had our kids with us at the time and my wife just wanted to conclude the deal on what seems to be a great car. But now we know that we were taken advantage of, and that we could have purchased a better car from the amount we paid. And after paying the dealership is avoiding us like the plague, last time I ever purchase anything from Dodge/Chrysler.

h,

I'm sorry to hear you are having issues with your dealer.

If you would like, please send me a PM with your name, VIN and Dealer name and i can investigate your concerns or possibly refer you to another dealer that will be willing to review your concerns for you.

[hbalagtas]

Just an update on my situation, the dealer took the car to the garage and they said they installed a software update and that seems to have taken care of the clunking when shifting, I'm hoping that will also get rid of the shaking when driving. Another issue I'm seeing now is the oil change warning that keeps coming up, they said they have reset this already but I guess that didn't work, I'll have to check with them again about resetting it.

My family and I decided to give the Journey up till next year to see how things go, if things get worse then we'll definitely replace it.

[Journey_SeXT]

Just an update on my situation, the dealer took the car to the garage and they said they installed a software update and that seems to have taken care of the clunking when shifting, I'm hoping that will also get rid of the shaking when driving. Another issue I'm seeing now is the oil change warning that keeps coming up, they said they have reset this already but I guess that didn't work, I'll have to check with them again about resetting it.

My family and I decided to give the Journey up till next year to see how things go, if things get worse then we'll definitely replace it.

There is no need to go to the dealer to reset the oil message indicator, just follow the directions i posted in this thread--> http://www.dodgejourneyforum.com/topic/4324-oil-message-always-on/?hl=%2Bchange+%2Breset#entry25069 where it is highlighted in red.