Dodge Journey - History, Major Flaws, & Why It Got Cancelled! (2009-2020) 

In 2015, I was involved in an accident with a red light runner and they flipped the 2013 Dodge Journey r/t I was driving. Even though the car flipped, I was perfectly fine afterwards. I always use this story to advocate for paying attention while driving. It was a pretty nice suv when I had it and I bought another one afterwards and I still enjoy driving it.

In a world of crossovers this was missed potential

I can see what Dodge was trying to accomplish with the Journey. They wanted to provide a vehicle for budget conscious SUV buyers. I think its a great looking SUV. Having not changed the vehicle much in almost 10 years, parts should be cheap and plentiful.

This car was surprising living till the pandemic

Dodge Journey: literally a Caravan, just without sliding doors.

My mom has a 2011 model with almost 150000 miles and it has never given her any problems and it makes me sad they are dropping the Dodge journey such a great automobile and it has a lot of room inside of it

My father went into the dodge dealership in 2015 and asked for the cheapest 3row SUV they had on the lot. He walked out with a 2015 Journey SXT AWD.

I honestly feel like the Dodge Nitro would excel in today’s crossover market. Along with a modern Dodge Magnum.

Another interesting fact is that the final model year, 2020, Dodge Journey was not sold in the following states: California, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Delaware, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland due to its outdated engine no longer meeting emissions requirements in those states. The same goes for the Grand Caravan.

Well I guess I'm going against the narrative here. Had 2 Journeys, first was a new 2016 CVP with the 2.4 and I liked it. It was inexpensive, got reasonable highway mileage (I mostly drive highway) and most importantly, gave me no problems in over 96,000 km. (Around 58000 miles). Only time it went in the shop was for regular service and a couple minor recalls. Next was a Journey R/T with the 3.6 AWD. Lots of power and handled really well in the winter (I live in the Rockies) and again, no problems, and that was even an ex rental I bought used. Was it dated? Sure, but on the same hand I can always identify a Journey over all the look alike SUVs out there today.

My neighbor took me too school in one of these one time as a kid who grew up with old cars only, seeing this new car with a infotainment system I thought this car must have been super expensive and amazing. Lol

Owned 2013 dodge journey awd crew. 135k miles, no issues, just basic oil changes plus air filter, one transmission fluid/filter change at 100k, and one time brake pad changes all corners. I do drive conservatively probably why the Journey served me well and gotten me and family all around the states. If you treat your car well it will treat you well. My take. 😎👍

As much as I appreciate the 2011 interior revamp, the Journey's only truly notable trait was that it was once upon a time the cheapest 7-seater in the US. Nice video as always! 😊

Journey Crossroad V6 ks a great car. Very dependable, strong engine, leg room and more. Pretty quiet and nice to drive. Only issue is the battefy location.

Still driving my 2009 SXT still runs like a top! No major issues!

I bought a 2018 Sxt Blacktop edition, not my dream car but an affordable, decent ride. Almost 4 years later, no issues. For the money, it's a great car. 3.6 is not slow, either.

Love this channel. Godspeed for Marspeed!

I had three dodge Journey. Still driving one of them. I love them. Love the room. Hate they ended them.

the v6 dodge journey is a great car not the 4 cylinders models

I have a 2014 Journey Blacktop, and love it. The Blacktop had blacked out headlamps, but not tail lights. If the tail lights were blacked out, I'd be swapping them, as I find they throw far too little light and that's not what I want people to see when I'm stopping. The higher end models like mine came with the "big brake" kit with dual piston calipers, thick rotors all around, and better pads. The problem is the location of the rear calipers, which are located far too low, and water and rock salt get into them and cease the caliper pins. This will happen every couple years unless you service them every year and regrease the pins. The other problem I have is electrical gremlins. Though, luckily, they haven't been too severe yet. Once every couple months, I'll try to start it, and it won't. Push-button on it again and it works. The other one that happens sometimes is after it starts and I put it in drive, a red light on the dash flashes (which I believe is the light for the factory alarm system) and a bell chimes. The flash and chime seem to have no impact on anything, it throws no codes, and will only do this once every couple months, completely at random. There's no chance I'll ever be able to figure out why, so I just live with it. If it becomes an actual problem, some day it will either throw a code or do something significant enough to be able to actually start troubleshooting it.

We have an 18 crossroads with the 19in black rims and we really like it. It IS super underpowered because we specifically requested the 4 cylinder, I'm a mechanic and that engine is as easy to work on as 90's Hondas were, but we definitely lack get up and go, lol. But for the price, we got a fully loaded black leather nice entertainment system an 7 seat capabilities. Literally just got back from a 2600 mile road trip and it worked great. Having worked for multiple dealerships, there isn't a better cost to feature vehicle out there in the price range.

All cars have some sort of issue. People love to bash cars that are inexpensive. Trying to find all the defects in a vehicle to ward off buyers because they are get paid by other car makers to do so. My wife has a dodge journey 2012 it has over 150000k miles. No problem yet. Thank God.

I live my 2012 dodge journey sxt awd. I have put all but 32k miles on it, and she is still kicking it.

In 2017 I bought a 6 month old Journey sport (the cheap model) with 3,100 miles for 15,300 out the door. I have put on 45,000 miles, with no problems so far. I would recommend changing air filter every 15k miles, synthetic oil changes and filter every 6k, and install good quality spark plugs every 30k. I do my own maintenance so I save quite a bit of money. I plan to replace the starter battery at the end of summer. Generally, it has performed ok, longest trip taken was 1,000 mile trip to the Grand Canyon. I got almost 30 MPG hwy at 70 miles MPH. I looked at the Toyota and Honda and they were almost 30k new out the door, they are better vehicles but for the 14k difference in price I did well to buy the Journey.

The Dodge Journey has been a relative success for Chrysler. It has been a consistent seller for a long time. It is on a dated platform, and hopefully a replacement will be considered.

The updated interior looks better than the previous one.

I have a 2018 Gt Awd, I’ve been enjoying since I first got it last year.

I have a 2013 SE 4Cyl.with 98,000 miles and have only done regular maitenance. It's been a good suv.

We have a ‘15 Crossroad AWD with over 100k miles now. We’ve had no problems with it. Just regular service and upkeep. It feels faster and is smooth at high speed, or at least ours does. Upgraded headlights would have been nice.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="830">13:50</a> 4 speed!!! damnn!!!! Even Toyota got rid of that thing in like 2018, and Toyota held onto that 4spd in the Corolla for dear life lol

Wow....4 speed automatic 2020. Have those words ever been put together besides by Dodge!!!

I bought a 2019 Journey SE with the blacktop package. The 4 cyl is loud, but it reaches cruising speed quickly. I've ran all over California in it this past 18 months and am getting an average of 26mpg. I installed a tow bar and can comfortably tow a 3000 LB camper getting 20mpg. I love it. I've always wanted one, and this was the last year in California to get a new one. It stickered for 28,000 and they took 9000 off for various rebates and military discount. I added the 2000 extended warranty, because.. well.. it's a Dodge. So far at 33000 miles, no issues. I'm kinda a glutton for punishment when it comes to cars. I had a 2011 Chrysler 200 that I put nearly 200k miles on with zero problems. And a 1998 Dodge Intrepid that I ran the absolute hell out of. 1 issue I forgot about. The backup camera keeps going out or is upside down. Having it looked at when we get back from this trip.

Good depth of information and distinctions made to emphasis the pre-2011 models.

I have a 2013 journey and love it.I have not had any problems. It still drives smooth no leaks and quite. Love my car.

We own a 2009 Journey R/T 2.7 V6 and we are very happy with it :-) Great Family Car

When my wife and I were looking into an upgrade from our '97 t&c (with 217k miles) for 3rd row suvs for our family (2 boys, mother-in-law, and a couple of dogs), the journey was an option. I feel we honestly made the better choice getting an '04 durango (5.7l v8, 5-speed auto) instead as its proved more valuable despite getting maybe 10 mpg in town. We used it to tow my '98 grandam from redmond, or to kingman, az averaging about 14ish mpg over the trip. As much as I myself ain't much of an suv person, the durango is a beast and a worthwhile vehicle. :)

Thank you! I am looking at a V6 2014. All your infos help me a lot!

My 2015 was th4 best model. For $27k, it had nice extras that many suvs at similar prices didn't have. The Infinity 7 speaker sound system with th3 subwoofer wad nice and I think th3 Amp was 200watts. 9i had moonroof, camera parking assist, 16" alloys and 4v3n though it was a 4 cylinder. I had a tow bar that allows up to 6000lbs of towing and I towed a trail full of stuff many times. It simply didn't have good take off. With my 2017, I made sure to get the V6. It is pretty peppy, but I try to use mid-grade fuel for better excelleration. I'm not in a hurry so I don't need to power or size of th3 Durango. When I had the base model, I only had to change the front rotors one. When I trade my 2015, I had less than 2 years of miles on it and my deal bought it back and sold it the same day when I bought my 2017. I had no brake changes at all on it. My 2017 just now had 24k miles and it 4 years old. No brake work needed yet. Though I do hear some rattling noise on one of th3 struts. So I know I need to check it. I didn't have any issues with any of the 3 models. I got rid of the 1st 2 simply because I got such a good deal on trade. My 1stbwas financed at 14%. 2nd at 11% and I got 3.9 on my 3rd. Gonna keep this one. I still see plenty 2009-2015 models and lots of 2017/18 crossroads and GT. They tried to sell me a GT but I felt it looked too identical to my SXT. Drove the SXT to Florida and back on 2.5 tanks of gas. I managed to get the milage up to 29mpg and hot 545 miles from a tank and instill had 1/8 left. I've pulled at least 1000lbs with no issue with 2 models with zero issue. I've pulled uhauls largest trail packed with zero issues. Yes this is amiss opportunity because the truck is great and it handles well in winter. And I don't have AWD. I hate they dropped the Infinity sound system. But it still sounds pretty good for a car stereo and th3 bass still kicks.

DAM THAT WAS ONE HELL OF A VIEW ON THIS VEHICLE. ALL CAR REVIEWS SHOULD BE LIKE THIS. KEEP GOING BUDDY. USED VEHICLE BUYERS NEED GUYS LIKE YOU REVIEW VEHICLES.

Great info, great video!!!!!! 👍😊

If they could of got that ZF 8 Speed in there with the Pentastar 3.6 and priced it for $25,000, that would of been Dodges best Bet.

Thank you so much for the video

Very informative thank you.

I was waiting for this

my wife drives a 2014 journey and indeed we bought it cause it was cheap. in 2016 it cost me 12k. it's given us literally 0 problems. 89000 miles and counting. I love it. but at my house it's mopar or no car. so I'm biased

Good evening brother from mid Tn. Another great video, thank you.

We love our dodge journey. No issues at all. It rides great. Better gas mileage than what's on the sticker. We will get another.

Personally have a 2018 journey and honestly I enjoy it. I've had it a little under a year

Could have kept the magnum just saying

I remember seeing a commercial for the Journey when it was first revealed having lots of features similar to our Grand Caravan. And with it looking very similar to a minivan like you mentioned in the video All I just asked was.... Why not just by a Dodge Caravan? Whatever. My grandma owned one and it was fine. But she eventually moved towards, get this, a Toyota Corolla. Maybe it's just my Canadian heritage but I will always love our Grand Caravan.

I absolutely love my Dodge Journey. We bought the 2012 rt 3.6 , leather seats etc, the only thing that disappointed us was the gps setup was useless, think it only worked on one satellite . But when I decided that I was going to buy a new one, I found out that they stopped importing them here in Australia, very pissed off, I tell you. Never had an ounce of trouble in the years that we’ve owned it. About the only seven seater that actually had full back seats, not really hard last minute throwaways like Hyundai have in their “seven seaters”. I shall have to keep driving around in my favourite car until it dies a natural death from exhaustion .

Thanks for the informative video. My daughter has a 2015 FIAT Freemont Lounge version, with the 2.4ltr engine. She loves it, and is yet to have any major issues besides having to replace the battery. I've driven it, and besides the lack off get up and go, it's nice and comfy do drive. We (Wife & I) have a 2018 Jeep Cherokee 3.2 v6, and the difference in up & go is huge. One day while out picking up some furniture in a trailer with the Cherokee, out on the highway, my daughter in her FIAT was beside me at around 80kmh. We did a 3,2,1 countdown & went for it. The Cherokee just walked away, and that's with a trailer full off furniture I'm guessing weighing in at around 1 ton combined. Her boyfriend was laughing in the passenger seat off her car, while she looked crestfallen. Even though, she loves her car, and that's all that matters. BTW. That's here in Australia.

I bought a 2012 Journey Crew w/ 3.6 v6 in 2014. It was plenty powerful enough and I kept until late 2017 when I traded it in on a new 2017 Ram Laramie CC 6.7 Cummins.

We still have our 2017 Journey GT and it has been great. We tow our 18 ft runabout boat with it. It gets 27mpg on the highway and 17mpg pulling the boat on the highway. It's got 96K miles on it now and still runs great.

I have a 2013 SXT FW V6 (Brazil) for 5 years now and it's a great car for the family, highly recommend. Very comfortable, good enough engine, easy to find parts and great for roadtrips. It lacks sensors and some modern features but for the price I can live with that. We really don't have good enough cars for this price around here a lot so it's a great option.

I own a 13 journey v6. I strongly recommend Raysbestos brake combos off RockAuto. Nice touchy brakes. The rotors are coated for rust prevention. You also don't need to use brake clean to prep rotors. It's important to sand rust away under caliper hardware to restore the tolerance required to allow pads to slide back off rotors upon release. This the most common cause of premature brake failure.... pads don't have clearance to freely slide in the caliper bracket. Techs don't have great attention to this detail and are paid more for quantity than quality.

I bought a used 2016 Journey Classic SXT and the transmission died after 2 weeks. It was still under warranty with less than 50k miles so they replaced the entire system including the cooler. I really like the Journey, we have camped in it and made many long trips with no trouble. Great car.

Even with all the so called flaws, the Dodge Journey and Grand Caravan were still doing well in sales. And both vehicles were only 12% away from being responsible for almost 50% of Dodge sales regardless. Newsflash: If a vehicle is on the market for 9 seasons, it's a success. Let's face it, Dodge probably didn't think that they could draw enough attention to their new vehicles as long as the Journey and Grand Caravan ( cash cows) were still on the market.

Great video Marspeed. How about an update on your Daytona?

Personally, I had two of these in the R/T versions and have had very little issues and both reached over 100 000 miles with very little maintenance. Very good $/value ratio in my mind. Hope Dodge will go ahead with the mentioned Hornet.

Having 1 2012 Dodge Journey, the refresh in 2011 was night and day. The interior made me want it where 1 year earlier, not.

I have a 2015 journey R/T AWD and Its been amazing I bought it used 3 years ago with 106,000 miles I have since added 26,000 miles to it and other than a battery going bad I've had no issues just routine maintenance like fluid changes and I thinks it might be time to do the coilpacks all in all fun to own and drive

I really enjoy your videos, they kill my hour of downtime from 7to8 at my government job 😂😂😂

We had a nitro and migrated to a journey mainly due to better gas mileage and the 3rd row. Got it brand new in 2018 for just under 17k w/ a 3rd row hard to beat. 60k miles and 3 years later it's been surprisingly a nice, comfortable, and efficient suv. The 4 speed trans blows but we get 28 mpg's on trips and 22-24 around town in AZ where the ac is always on. No issues thus far, a little facelift and 8sp could have went far in the journey.

I just wonder why FCA/Stellantis didn’t make the 3.6 the standard engine instead of the 2.4 towards the end

Another great informative video. I love my 2018 Grand Caravan GT that I bought from Hertz with 10k miles on it for $20k. A real bargain of a vehicle that is much more useful than anything else with seven seats. It replaced my 2006 T&C which got totaled in an accident. FCA really wasted Chrysler and Dodge by not giving them any new products while trying to promote Fiat and Alfa. As a lifelong Chrysler fan what has happened to this once-great company is very disappointing. Just bought a 2009 Ram 1500 to add to the fleet.

I have had a 2012 Journey 4cyl for 12 years and is a great unit. It gets 40 to 43 mpg canadian. And the true hp is around 200. It is one of the best vehicle I have had. It is a little weak on large hills, but I still like it.

This is why I said that Dodge and Ram need to be merged back together! Dodge can't just be about performance anymore! They need variety!!!

Great video! I love that you make these. I've probably watched more than half of the uploads. Any interest in doing a Chrysler Atlantic video?

Absolutely great content as usual I have a 2017 V6 SXT it's the GT that much better?

Bought an SXT new 2010 in UK - Car was fantastic value for the cost - As soon as Dodge pulled out of the UK we noticed the service costs increase and interest from the previous dealers had wained. Main problem was brakes and disk(rotor) wear was dramatic for normal use and also seized calipers. Resale price in 2014 was nearly 1/3 of the purchase price as I guess people just didnt want them in the Uk. Shame really as it was a superb car.

I have a 2014 Jouney SXT AWD. I have to say I have had no problems with the powertrain which is the 3.6L mated to the 6 speed auto. I do have an issue with the cheap interior plastics. Also, for an SUV, it has a very low approach height causing frequent curbing in parking situations. The, so called, skid plate under the engine is also plastic offering little protection. The transmission cooler is just under the front bumper and is subject to damage due to the aforementioned curb height and lack of real protection. Maybe FCA can revive a mid sized SUV under the Ram badge.

I love my Dodge Journey! It had so much potential they should have kept it! The only thing I don’t like is the unconnect system is wonky doesn’t always auto connect my phone freezes up sometimes and the hesitation transmission because of the software. The electronics in it are kinda wonky mainly. If they would have INVESTED in it it would have done even better. They could’ve kept it as the value SUV with a lot of bang for the buck features. I still think they made a huge mistake

I am in Australia and have a 2012 Journey. Despite a gearbox issue I have really enjoyed the vehicle. It’s a bit more masculine for a seven seater. Sad to see it go.

I work in auto finance and I honestly and literally have not had a customer who's had one of these that actually liked it. These were nothing more then Chrysler's way to fill a market space and most of these with straight to rental car fleets. I think other much more interesting Chrysler cars would be the Dodge spirit/Plymouth acclaim and Big Dodge shadow/Plymouth Sundance twins.

I had a 2014. I'm so glad I sold it. It was so bad on gas mileage. I was getting around 12 gallons per Miles around the city. Thanks for the video.

We currently own at 2010 R/T awd bought by in ‘13. This has been a family workhorse that has raised 3 kids and taught two how to drive with many character marks to show for it. This vehicle reminds me of ‘70 Dodge wagons that were inexpensive to buy second hand and operate and then disposed of. One day they will disappear and if you happen to see one you’ll wonder where they all went.

Best stereo system ever

My mom had a journey and the breaks were way too small for how heavy that thing was. It spent so much time in the dealer. My mom also complained about the world engine being too slow for how big that vehicle was. Hated the car ever since

Have the 2014 rt awd v6. Great power also has the alpine stereo system it actually pounds. Best stock radio I've ever had and my kids love it

Car was a great family vehicle for basic needs but my biggest issue with this car was the battery placement....directly above the driver side front tire 🤦🏾‍♂️

Have one and it is one of my favorite dodges of all time and I started with a 1969 charger in 1970.

He thoroughly explained many features and options, but did not say much about flaws. Mostly mentioned that Dodge simply dropped the vehicle from the line; which I feel can be expected for any vehicle that's been made for 20 years.

Our 2.4 is going on 10 years and 200,000km. Everything still works on it and the interior has held up very well to all the abuse a family can dish out. It's been a good family car. Very comfortable on road trips. Repairs have been infrequent, and pretty cheap. Parts are plentiful. Also quite easy to wrench on.

I’m sad! My dad has this car and it gives me memories! I remember I would always wait out my window and see that Red Tomato With Wheels come in and say “MY DAD IS HERE!”

I knew someone who used to own a journey, it had a hilarious gremlin where for whatever reason the stereo would be at full volume when ever the car was turned on. It would be BLASTING!!😆😆

Mine just got totalled by a big 18 wheeler... so sad. The only issue I had was the driver window hesitating when closing. I like the interior! Everything is exactly where I want it, cupholders front of gear shit and on all doors, console and I especially love that little storage space under the dash. Looking to get another one🥲

Yes I have a 2009 3.5 I use to to keep miles off my truck, good car for what it is. Great video, thx.

This was very helpful. I'm shopping for a cheap SUV and this vehicle is one of the options. Now I know to avoid the earlier models. Thank you

I just bought a new 2020 Dodge Journey back in May. Granite color (gray). Blacktop package. I find that it has adequate head and legroom for me. I am 6'4" . My only real complaint, which was addressed in the video is the lack of space in the back. Furthermore, the tailgate entry is too small. I find myself struggling to squeeze my bicycle in. But the ride is good. For me, the power from the 4 cyl is adequate, as I gave up my Speed Racer habits years ago. I traded a Lincoln MKS for it. I get more compliments on the Journey than I ever did with the Lincoln. Most importantly: My wife is finally happy with the vehicle I have chosen. Brand new with a factory warranty, after all rebates, was just shy of $19,500.

I always like the Journey. I thought it was a good looking crossover over the years. However, not being able to tow really hurt it.

Hi I purchased in Australia a Dodge Journey Oct’2013 build it’s covered 135,000 Km with no engine problems to date my only issues with the car was warped discs after 100km and a sticking aircon solenoid door otherwise a great car.

I really dont understand why they just didnt try to update this thing. It still sold well. You could have kept the platform and changed the powertrain and just updated the interior. Like was that so hard? Same with the Caravan. It makes so sense.

Rented a journey GT a couple months ago and it wasn’t a bad car my only drawback was the 4 speed trans besides that I liked it a lot it was pretty comfortable

Imagine importing a Freemont and driving it here... Sounds like something i'd do XD

Love my 2016 6 cylinder Journey. Practical, and reliable. Room for kids, and has never given me a problem.

I always like the Dodge Journey 😀

My dad had a 2010 that lasted over 250k miles. But it had a ton of issues throughout its life. Especially breaks and suspension.

I was told by a Dodge Salesman part of the reason the Journey was discontinued was because it wasn't passing California's Emissions standards. (Well maybe they should lower theirs to everybody else's. There is no reason for any State to be so particular to the extent of having to have laws to avoid this and that smh. If no other States are going to these great lengths, then there is no reason for CA to either).

Hey what happened to the Chill Day song in your backgrounds that you used to use? I haven't heard it much in recent videos