Bought used in July 2020, the car has never started smoothly - it's always been rough. In September it was getting harder to start - I wasn't working due to covid. Lights were dimming as starting. I called around pricing for a new battery - nothing cheaper than $197.00.

Before I'd turn car off, I made sure everything was off - I even turned the rear view mirror to dimming. I finally was able to afford to buy a battery & pay someone to do the job because the battery is in the most stupid place - in wheel well. New battery in now. All my dash dummy lights are on that has anything to do with the brakes - the engine light's on, and tire pressure too! The car still starts the same way as the battery that auto zone tested and said was bad - the alternator was good.

I drive this car 6 days a week to & from work. I'm still making sure everything is turned off before turning it off. I do have the radio & heat on when driving. The new battery - I take a 40 min ride stop at a gas station, shut everything down and turned car off. I'm in the store maybe 10mins at the very most, come out, and car won't start! Lights all work but car won't start - the battery is 3wks in my car! Try to jump it with another car - it still won't start! I had to call a tow company - $45 & 5 mins later, my car started from the jump box the tow guy used!

Had an appointment by my job that I drive to 6 days a week. I parked and noticed I'm in the wrong place. I go start my car to move and it won't start - I just parked & shut it off within 2 mins. I was in my appointment about 45 minutes, came out, and the car started. So now I'm afraid to go anywhere and shut the car off. I noticed with the old battery if I drove it for 40mins or longer, not in-town driving, and shut it off, it would be really hard to start.

CLEARLY DODGE IS AWARE OF THE BATTERY PROBLEM THAT EVERY JOURNEY SINCE 2009 (mine) HAS! THEY 1ST LEARNED OF THIS - THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO IGNORE THE BATTERY DRAINING PROBLEM. THEY KEEP MAKING THE JOURNEY & OTHER DODGES HAVE THIS PROBLEM TOO! WHEN DO THEY STOP AND MAKE IT RIGHT? FIX THE PROBLEM - FIX PEOPLE CARS! NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY A DODGE. NEVER.

First it started with my horn. I could be driving and it just starts going off. It could be parked and the horn would just go off. Took the fuse out and it's been out for about 3 year's. The dealer doesn't know anything. Then it started with my window's. They work when they wont 2. For the last year my window's down go down and I can't use my side mirror. Last year I was having problems with my car starting up. So I replaced the battery triple A said it wasn't my starter or alternator. I just replaced the alternator last month. Now after doing that it still doesn't want to start. I have to jump it every 4 to 5 day's. My check engine light is on so I take it to auto zone for a check. They say it's my brake switch. I take it back to firestone who had it for almost 3 hrs. They replaced the switch last year. After3 hrs sitting there he says you have to take it to a dealer. You have 21 codes on your car that we can't fix. I have airbag codes brake codes wire codes. On top of that the back up camera works when it wants. Recall the whole car it's not safe.

We still are dealing with this problem. Dodge dealership, can't even tell me why this keep happening. They are the only ones we let service our vehicle for everything. It gets really embarrassing, when someone is riding with you. They ask do you need to call a tow truck. It takes me over 10 times sometimes to start it. we have to put it in neutral sometimes to get it to start. I have to always "pray" that it will start.

We have over 106,000 miles on it now, we paid it out last year. I kept complaining before we paid it out. I asked, Chrysler /Dodge to recall these SUV years ago. They only took my complaint and kept it on file. I even called, NHTSA, and ask them also. Same results, nothing was done, now we just deal with the problems. We have a lifetime warranty on our vehicle. You would think they would do something about it. They don't care about us as consumers. until someone gets badly injured or killed. That will be the "ONLY" way Chrysler/Dodge will take this SERIOUSLY.

If we would have known about this back then, it would had stayed at the dealership. We owned it about six years, but we had no clue about the issues concerning this SUV. I am so sorry other consumers are suffering with these headaches like us.

This problem started the first week I had the stupid car. It wouldn't start!! I've had issues with this before with other vehicles with factory security systems so that's what I figured it was. "New to me" car, ok, I can deal with it... this time. Unhooked the battery for a couple of hours to reset the system... Not the easiest thing to do in these cars. I think the engineers sat down and said 'how can we make this engine compartment so complicated the average person struggles to even get the battery out!' We have now had issues with it not starting more than 2 dozen times. Had it looked at least 3 different times and the shop could never figure it out. Neutral start seems to work, but I question how long that will last... DON'T EVER BUY A 2009 DODGE JOURNEY!! THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY ISSUES I'VE HAD! AND I'VE ONLY HAD THE THING SINCE SEPTEMBER 2016! The dealership isn't kidding when they say you're buying "as is".

Took the vehicle in due to not starting after a handful of attempts. Eventually it would turn over. The dealership did the diagnostic and no issues popped up when they plugged in their machine. Sounds to me like it is an issue if nothing shows up. So the person at the dealership said bring it in next time this happens. It happened the next morning and happened at random but way too often. The dealership didn't seem to have a fix and I have already put too much money into the vehicle for it not to be fixed.

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY CAR RANDOMLY NOT STARTING I HAVE TO PUT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL TO GET IT TO START NO ONE CAN SEEM TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM...IT IS A VERY IRRITATING PROBLEM

Update from Nov 29, 2017: after a period of time of having to put my Journey in neutral to start it. Eventually it came to a point where I could only start it by jumping the car I was able to get the vehicle to the dealership just in time for my Journey to completely die on me and come to find out the alternator went bad and killed my 7 month old battery in the process. After that my Journey has been fine, but if your vehicle gets to the point where you have to jump start it bring it to a mechanic right away to avoid the cost of having it towed. My Journey wouldn't even work with the key fob it was so dead. I was told sometimes an issue like like will mess with other things in your vehicle. Like the lights or the radio...... My radio would reset itself constantly and my window would stall on me making it look like an electrical issue. Also I had my starter replaced too I think it is the alternator that was the culprit though.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS CAR WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING! Countless times we have been left stranded with no fair warning or reason at the most inopportune times. The windows come down and the lights and radio work fine, the engine just won't turn over. You can hear a clicking sound under the gear shift, but nothing else.

It all started the very next morning after we brought the car home from the dealership, I woke up to go to work and it wouldn't start. We called the salesman and he told us that it was due to the car sitting on the lot without being driven for months and that once we started driving it, it would be fine. Hours later we checked on it, and it started right up. This happened daily for three days. This time the salesman suggested that it was probably a bad battery. We took it back to the dealership, they replaced the battery. We didn't have any issues with it again until a couple of months later. Once it happened again, we knew that if we left it alone for a while, it might start as it did before. So we left it alone overnight and the next morning it started. This became a pattern over the next two years, but it only happened sparingly (Not daily as it had when we first got it) so we dealt with it because every mechanic that we took it to couldn't figure out the problem and said that they would need the vehicle to be brought to them while the issue was happening or they would need to try to duplicate the problem. But miraculously, by the time the car was towed to them, it would start right up with no issues. Which makes it hard for them to duplicate the issue when there appears to be none. We've dealt with this issue for two years. The most significant time was when we were stranded with our one month old in the freezing cold temperatures of January! The car would not start in the coldest part of the winter and we had to sit inside of it and wait for a ride. Our baby got sick and was hospitalized for THREE WEEKS with pneumonia! It was a TERRIFYING experience! I will NEVER buy another CHRYSLER or DODGE again!

All you Dodge Journey owners that turn the key to find a dead car. It is not your battery, it is not your starter, it is not your alternator, it is not your ignition. I can go on and on because I have changed nearly every part you can imagine and the wiring to the battery/starter.alternator, fuse box etc.

Then, out of the blue, during one of the episodes of the car not starting, I turned the key then quickly ran to the engine and gave the harness a few gently tugs and pushes and the car started. I have managed to repeat this on several occasions. The area of the harness in question is where the main positive wire from the alternator goes into harness and makes its way to the starter. So, when your stuck in the grocery store parking lot, reach under the hood while someone turns the key inside, mess around with the harness, just to the left of the air box near top of engine. It is a pretty fat group of wires that lead toward the starter. it can be somewhat hidden under intake tube.

This has worked for me several times, sometimes going months between episodes. I will be taking the harness apart to find the suspect wire. It is likely one of the wires that connect to the plug in the alternator. GOOD LUCK. This is the last Chrysler I ever buy, EVER!

I to go to work one morning out to leave & it wouldn't start, only click as I turned the key over. The more I tried the more frustrated I became, then I decided to get out & try to start it with the remote & it started as if nothing had occurred. So I thought maybe it was the battery so got a new one -- it continued. Okay, thought it was the was the starter -- got a new on & it's still happening. Stopped to get gas & it totally refused to start I had to have it towed back to the last place that fixed it, thinking maybe it was their negligence of course it started for them, went to the dealership wonder of wonders started for them as well. It is presently in front of my house! DISGUSTED!!

After reading all the complaints in this section I definitely was feeling your pain ....changed the starter, the solenoid, the battery...... finally they changed the Range Selector(according to my mechanic it is a sensor attached to the transmission which sends a wireless signal to the starter.... but being faulty the starter was not getting the message that the car was in park).......diagnosed it by saying when it happens(the NOT starting part)immediately try to start it in neutral and if it started then the Range Selector is the issue.....they changed that part and it HAS started everytime since

My complaints have been a real nightmare. This vehicle has not worked accordingly for three plus years. It has a tendency of not starting only clicking. This is totally unsafe and unreliable if we want to take a road trip. We have taken it back 18 times to the dealership in which we purchased it from which is Scott,Campbell Dodge in North Battleford, Sask and is 100km from where we have residency!!

The last time we took it in was August 2,2016 and we just got it back August 20,2016. Once again the invoice stated they cleaned battery posts and cable end was loose. Same "OLD" story, How can this be justified? There definitely needs to be some accountability here as this is suppose to be a professional business.

We are in our mid seventies and we feel this has been " elder" abuse. It has caused nothing but anxiety, stress and MAJOR frustration! We also have had numerous Dr. Appointments in Saskatoon which is 200 km from our residency and we could not use our vehicle we had the expense of hiring someone to take us there. We had plans on going to the west coast and southern Saskatchewan to visit our family and the week before we were going the car wouldn't start again. Off to North Battleford again and left it there until we returned from the coast which was May 13/2016. Same old story. We also incurred another expense of having to fly to the west coast!

I bought this journey i should have returned it the next day. Before i left the dealership it wouldnt start. They thought it was the battery it wasnt. It was the starter. Coming back from the dealership (rabeauxs auto sales in lafayette,louisiana) the very next day the breakes locked up on the passengers side. My wife called me to tell me.{ by the way i had bought a service warrenty at the dealership forthe premium policy which was suppose to cover everthing but didn't for the amount of $2700.00}. But they said the warranty was not in effect til after 30 days. But wasnt told to me at the dealership until i tryed to use it at a repair shop in my home town 110 miles from dealership.The dealier did pay for that . Then about 5or 6 days later a metal water line broke. Called the warrenty people again,they said it wasn't covered until the 30 day period.Called dealership again but theyDIDNTpay for that it cost me $.340.00 dollars out of my pocket.then the tie rod ends needed to be replaced because the steering was shaking real bad. Called dealership again they paid for that because it was wittin the 30 day period they knew again the warrenty wouldn't pay. Warning to those of you who buy these warranties they DO NOT GO IN EFFECT UNTIL 30 DAYS AFTER YOU BUY THE CAR OR TRUCK. that means the dealership is responsible for the repaires but somthings they still woun't pay for. Thats the sad part. the dealer should have paid me back that $340.00,but they refused too.

I purchased a 2009 Dodge Journey in March 2015. It gave me no issues until after I completed the key FOB recall in August 2015. Since then, it would randomly not start. It was in and out of the dealership several times and the following parts were replaced, all of which were covered under the extended warranty I purchased with the vehicle: fuel injector on Oct. 9, a new battery on Oct. 29, 2015, a new starter on Nov. 16, 2015, a leaking overflow container on Nov. 24, 2015, the TIPM was replaced on April 11, 2016, and most recently electrical wires and cables on June 7, 2016, which hook up to the starter. I called Chrysler Headquarters on or about May 2 to report these issues and I received VERY poor customer service. I was told that my vehicle is too old and has too much mileage for them to do anything for me. The Journey has had episodes almost every day, sometimes more than once a day, of not starting since I got it back last week. The dealership told me when it does act up, to put it in neutral, which has been successful in getting the vehicle to start. They are taking it back on Monday to replace yet another part that they hope will finally be the answer to this ongoing nightmare, but I’m not getting my hopes up. If we weren’t in an upside-down loan, we would have traded in the Journey a long time ago. It is not a reliable vehicle—luckily I haven’t been stranded in a remote location at night, but it doesn’t seem right that I should have to resort to taking that chance. I’ve never had so many issues with any other vehicle I’ve owned!

I have found an answer!!! Actually my wife figured it out  After a couple of months of back and forth to the dealership with no answers to why my Dodge Journey sometimes will not start, my wife noticed a small fan noise coming from the stereo. Turns out that for some reason, the CD changer fan decided (on occasion) to keep running, even after the car is turned off and we have exited the vehicle. This in turn would run the battery down, and we would not be able to start the car the next day. Solution: Replace the stereo If you are unsure, disconnect the stereo, and see if the problem goes away. We did experience some stereo issues before we figured it out. Sometimes the stereo would not work before we replaced it, but we thought it was a symptom, but it was the cause. The dealership wanted about $900 to replace the factory stereo. Ummm no. We replaced it with an after-market unit from crutchfield.com for about $280 with the wiring harness. I sure hope this helps, because before this I thought I was stuck with a lemon.

-Ulyssei

I bought this car 6 mo ago. Had this problem from day one, they replaced the battery, gave me the run around. Finally had it towed to a Dodge dealership, they replaced the 2 recalls, seem to work for a few months. Had to have it towed again, when they got it, guess what??? It started right up. They finally called and said they found the problem, the TIPM, only bad thing it cost over $1,000 to fix. I paid the $200, for the test, now I have to play Russian roulette again until I can find a way to get the money. I'm 70 yes old and I have to take my little granddaughter to and from school, and grandson to and from work, my daughter just had 2 neck surgeries in the last 8 weeks, so I'm at my wits end, thanks for letting me rant and rave !!!!! Don't feel better though !!

My 2009 Dodge Journey wouldn't turn over as I was stuck at the store with 3 kids. Turn the key and nothing happens. I had to have it towed to my mechanic who replaced the battery. The tow cost and battery replacement was $250. However it didn't fix the problem so I had a new battery installed that didn't need to be replaced because It happened again 2 days later. So, I took it to the dealer because I discovered an ignition recall. They fixed the ignition however it didn't fix the no start issue. It happened again today!! so, it sits in my driveway and I'm stuck again. what is the deal Dodge????? How much is this going to cost me??

Update from Jan 23, 2016: took it to the dealer for the ignition recall. the non-start issue is still happening. no solution yet.

Update from Jan 25, 2016: So, the car miraculously started this morning so I took it straight to my mechanic and told him the issue I discovered from others here on this site. He looked at the starter wire and found that it was way to weak and small of a harness wire leading to the starter. In addition it was corroding. He had to revamp the wiring to the starter with heaver wire and connectors. Cost $205.