2019 Dodge Journey: What to check before buying

Backup camera faults dominate this category. The image flickers, flips, goes black, or shows a line through it, and one report is tied to a crash. Liftgate wiring trouble makes the rear wiper run on its own and knocks out the reverse lights. Some owners also lose the horn and steering wheel controls. Bluetooth fails to connect about half the time for one owner. Several reports describe the engine shutting down while driving, including on the highway. A P0335 repair did not stop the engine cutting off, and repeated coil pack and spark plug work never fixed another engine.

Most of these reports describe an open recall notice for the rearview camera that dealers cannot complete because the part is not yet available. Owners say the wait has gone on too long. Others say their camera fails the same way but their VIN is not on the list. Symptoms include a blank or blue screen, an upside-down image, lines across the picture, or a crossed-out camera icon. Reported failure mileages mostly fall between 100,000 and 137,000. One crash happened at about 4,000 miles when the camera did not show a car behind.

In rear-end impacts, including hits at 55 mph, the bags stay folded. There are three crash-related reports with three injuries, and one owner says the seat belt did not tighten either. Another owner reports the bags going off while driving, days after a crash in which they did not deploy. The warning light also cycles on and off. Several reports describe the front passenger seat belt and occupant sensor quitting and the seat cover coming loose from the frame. Owners say warranty did not cover this repair.

The transmission clunks when shifting from reverse to drive, slips, or bangs when pulling away from a stop. Replacing the motor mounts at the dealer did not stop the clunk. One transmission failed outright at 43,226 miles and needed a replacement costing $7,471.96. At 25,739 miles, another owner reports high revs, a jumping tachometer, unstable speed, and vibration on the expressway. A separate report describes a cylinder misfire that the owner calls an expensive repair.

Headlight seals fail, letting condensation build up inside the lens. That dims the light and can burn out the bulb. Dealers say the fix is a whole new headlight assembly, charged once the warranty runs out. One report describes the rear brake lights coming on by themselves along with the brake warning light at about 53,047 miles. The brake module needed for that repair has been discontinued. Another complaint filed here describes pulsing, noisy braking at highway speed at 43,000 miles.

The brake pedal sinks to the floor with no braking, and the car rolls down a sloped driveway into bushes. That is the one crash-related report here. A door check spring snaps loose when wind catches the open door, and its welds break and throw the spring into the cabin. Rain also gets in through a gap the dealer found, leaving the cabin moldy. That leak was not repaired.

Plastic seat hardware breaks with no clear cause. The second-row seat stops latching, and the plastic holders around the front and second-row seat controls snap on all four seats. One owner reports the front passenger headrest springing open with enough force to nearly hit them while getting in. That owner worries the driver's headrest could do the same while driving.

Warning lights stay on and the car loses power. One owner's ABS and check engine lights stay lit at 47,000 miles, and the dealer finds a faulty ABS module that the manufacturer no longer supplies, so the car goes unrepaired. Another sees brake and check engine lights, a dead speedometer, and power loss that the dealer cannot reproduce, even after replacing a brake sensor. A third report, filed here, describes a transmission that will not move in reverse at about 73,000 miles and needs a rebuild or replacement.