Don't buy a 2016 Dodge Journey!
Bought my 2016 Dodge Journey back in April 2022 with 84,000 miles on it. Thought it was a great vehicle, comfortable, roomy, good performance with the V-6. within 3 months the electrical outlets under the dash as well as by the back tailgate quit working. Then the passenger side back door lock quit working. then 2 weeks ago while out on an animal rescue call, I parked it, shut it off & 30 minutes later it would not start. Managed to jump start it after having jumper cables on it for 30 minutes. Got it home, which wasn't too far away, shut it off & that was the end of driving my Journey. It had 87,000 miles on it at that point. Had it towed to my mechanics shop where they went thru every thing, the battery was fine, less than a year old. Was told the starter was bad as well as it had a cracked motor mount. Had all of that work done as well as an oil change while it was there. After being in the shop for almost a week I picked it up at a cost of $1000. Did some driving around the following day than it sat in my driveway for 2 days. The next day it started up fine, went out to vote, it started up fine again, then ran to Walmart to stock up on animal supplies before the Tropical Storm Nicole. Loaded up the Journey with supplies, went to start it & nothing. Every warning light was flashing on & off as well as a message saying the vehicle was not in park. AAA came out, could not start it so off it went on a tow truck back to the shop where it's now been for over a week. Diagnostics are showing every error code known to Dodge vehicles. The entire fuse box has been replaced, the battery & starter gone thru again, the wiring gone thru & no matter what they try the Journey will not start, no turnover, nothing. If they can't figure it out by this Monday I will have it towed to my local Dodge dealer & see if they can figure it out. By the way this shop specializes in custom trucks & SUVs, have an amazing reputation & are well known for the work they do yet they can't figure out why it will not start, turnover or even click. This is the first Dodge I've ever owned & will be the last one. Should've bought a Ford Explorer like I was going to do. Luckily I didn't sell my 1997 4 cylinder Ford Escort with over 250,000 miles on it when I bought the Journey. I'm back driving that now.
Extra reliable & roomy.
I've owned the 2016 Dodge Journey SXT 3.6L V6 AWD SUV, since April 2017. Purchased with approximately 10k miles, this vehicle has been nothing but a pleasure to drive & own. I've had zero mechanical issues beyond regular maintenance (new tires, oil changes/scheduled manufacturer service, basic upkeep). I worked between Charlotte & NYC for more than 4 years, driving each way every 6-8 weeks and the car has had no problems at all. Super reliable with extra seating & massive cargo space. I now have 74k miles & still no major issues.
AMAZINGLY STUPID Battery Location
The person that designed the battery compartment and those that approved it should be fired! Having to jack up your car, remove the tire, unattach the wheel well, peel back cover, reach in and remove battery cable with a small ratchet set, a big one will not work, remove the battery from a tiny space and I have small hands, turn the battery over so that I can slide it out, then slide the replacement battery in, try to reattach the battery cables, there is also a battery lock down bar, I left it off because of aggravation, close the cover, remount the tire, let down the jack and that's it, 2 hours plus. Amazingly Stupid!!!
