I purchased this 2012 Dodge Journey in June of 2018, in November when starting to get cold, no heat coming out of passenger vents. Took it to 2 different mechanics. Both stated Heater Core plugged up, cannot flush it must have a new heater core put in. I am a widow, on a fixed income. It is going to cost $1035.00 to fix it. this is the only vehicle I own, and it is getting cold outside and I need my heater and defroster.

I have a stupid Powertrain Extended Warranty that will not cover this issue, huh go figure.

I was told that there are many complaints about this and is a Manufacturer problem. Where can I get some help to get my money back for this repair. And Chandler Chevrolet where I bought this in June is no help. They should have checked this vehicle out completely before putting it on their lot at Chandler Select and offering it for sale.

Anitra Chatham

Update from Nov 21, 2018: Anitra Chatham

Madison, Indiana 47250

Bought the 2012 Journey in the spring of 2018. Drove one as a rental (not the same year) the previous fall and fell in love with it. Because we bought it in the spring and headed into summer, we aren't sure if there were issues with the heater when we bought it as we were using the a/c for the first 4 months. Weather got colder and was time to turn on the heat...nothing. Blowing cold air on the passenger side.

Took it to our mechanic and had it flushed. Still no heat on the passenger side. Took it to the local Dodge dealer who told us we needed a new heater core. Of course it wasn't covered under the warranty we purchased with the car (another horse to beat) so we coughed up the $1,200 to have it replaced. Heater worked great for about a month and went out again.

Returned to Dodge dealer who flushed the system and said it was full of sludge. Heat worked for about 2 weeks and went out on the passenger side again. Returned to Dodge dealer who flushed it yet again and came back reporting the same issue...full of sludge. Thankfully we haven't been charged to have it repeatedly flushed but we yet again, we don't have heat and it seems there is no real fix for it. We live in Northern Michigan and require heat to drive in the winter months. It has spent more time in the garage being "fixed" than on the road being driven.

Overall, this car has been an absolute nightmare and will be getting rid of it asap. Never again will I buy a Dodge!

Same issue, clogged heater coil. 3.6L V6 typical of Dodge Journey's in 2012 are that era. Not sure if these are "Penstar" engines but take a look at these links. Relates to what some of you were talking about. Going to be digging further.

https://www.autonews.com/article/20140616/RETAIL05/306169945/chrysler-extends-warranty-on-some-2011-13-v-6s

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/707189-jeep-wrangler-class-action-says-vehicles-manufacturing-defect/

(The radiator defect allegedly occurs because Chrysler fails to sufficiently purge casting sand from the cylinder head during the manufacturing process. This excess sand gradually “seeps out” and causes the Jeep Wranglers’ radiators and oil coolers to “fill with a sludge-like residue that damages and ultimately destroys these and other components,” according to the Jeep Wrangler class action lawsuit.)

My heater was not working. I could get a little heat out of the drivers side, but nothing out of the passenger side. It progressively got worse. So I took it to a garage and they said I needed to have the heater core replaced. They replaced the heater core which cost about $1000. The heat worked again for about a week, before it stopped working again.

I went back to the shop I took it to and they were stumped. I took it to another shop, and they flushed it for a long time, but they said they just kept getting sludge out of it. They said they could try to put another heater core in it, but could not guarantee it would fix it. They could not understand where all of this sludge was coming from. So I had to pay them another $300 for their time in flushing and diagnosing the problem. So I have invested ~$1300 in the car, and still have a car with no heat and no way to fix it. This has also caused several safety incidences as the defrost is unable to keep my windshield clear when I was driving to work.