2018 DODGE JOURNEY Recalls, Complaints & Safety

I am reporting a safety concern involving a 2018 Dodge Journey SE (VIN: [XXX] ) related to a failure in the vehicle’s emissions control system, specifically the catalytic converter and oxygen sensors. On January 13, 2026, the vehicle began producing a strong sulfur or “rotten egg” odor while driving, and shortly afterward the check engine light illuminated. Diagnostic testing revealed trouble code P0420 (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold – Bank 1). This code indicates that the catalytic converter is not properly converting exhaust gases, which can result in increased emissions and potential exposure to exhaust fumes. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram dealership in Maurice, Louisiana, which confirmed that the catalytic converter and oxygen sensors are failing and must be replaced. The vehicle remains available for inspection upon request. This vehicle was purchased for our growing family and is regularly used to transport our children, including a [XXX] infant and a [XXX] child. Since the emissions system issue began, occupants have noticed persistent exhaust-like fumes and strong sulfur odors while the vehicle is operating. Our infant has experienced recurring respiratory issues, and our [XXX] began experiencing respiratory symptoms after we purchased this vehicle. While we cannot definitively determine the cause, we are concerned that exposure to exhaust fumes from the malfunctioning emissions system may be contributing to these health issues. In addition, adult occupants have reported feeling unusually tired or fatigued after longer car rides in the vehicle, which raises additional concerns about potential exposure to exhaust gases inside the cabin. Because catalytic converter failures can allow harmful exhaust gases such as carbon monoxide and other pollutants to pass through the exhaust system improperly, we believe this issue presents a potential safety risk to vehicle occupants, p INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U

I replaced the alternator and battery, 3 months later I was told I have an issue with the pcm which was similar with the recall for the same vehicle I drove. My vehicle was not part of the recall. Tbs Recall tv-u87-18

CarMax sold me a vehicle with a Cracked & Leaking Exhaust Manifold & Catylic Converter & its causing Exhaust Fumes to come up inside vehicle & is getting worse as I drive it.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that occasionally the rearview camera image appeared upside down or distorted. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25E052 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the rearview camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed that the contact that the parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.

The backup camera displays upside down. Talking to other Dodge owners this seems to be a common problem. I Seema to me this is a defect that has the potential to be a safety hazard because it gives a distorted review

Backup camera displays upside down and blurry. There is a current recall for this issue, but it doesn't include the 2018 models.

The backup camera displays upside down. Talking to other Dodge owners this seems to be a common problem. I Seema to me this is a defect that has the potential to be a safety hazard because it gives a distorted review

The drivers side active headrest deployed while the vehicle was unoccupied. It is not electronically controlled, so no warning lamps were illuminated. This appears to be a known issue with FCA but they offer no assistance with correcting the known safety defect.

Back up camera failure cutting off and on. Could cause wreck. Dull headlights. Could cause a wreck.Leak in firewall driver floor wet. Could short out electrical system, cause shock, cause a wreck. No accident to report. This is ongoing since purchase in 2023.

There were no incidents, My backup camera was working. And now it’s not . When I go to backup the rear view mirror is somewhat dark making is difficult to see, especially at night.If possible I try no to backup. I did notice when I googled in recalls on the 2018 journey backup camera, there was a recall. Thanking you in advance. [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I received a card from NHTSA about two years ago on this issue possibly due to NHTSA Action Number: EA24003. I am still having this issue and now it is worse. 2 years ago, it started with the driver side window not opening intermittently. Then the door locks would not operate from the driver side controls. Now every window will not open and the driver door is not recognized by the car. When opening or closing the driver door, nothing happens. In the past, if I turned off the car left my key fob in the car and closed the door when it would lock, the horn would sound, and the doors would unlock. When getting out of the car, I would open the door, and the radio display panel would turn off. Now, it stays on with the engine off. Thankfully there is a delay and eventually turns off. It may be the driver's door harness as it can be easily searched on the internet as a faulty product. Again, NHSTA originally approached me two years ago and the issue has not gotten worse. $800 minimum to replace the door harness. Hopefully that fixes it temporarily. Start date given is an estimate on when I received a card from NHSTA on this issue.

I was driving home in the dark and I heard a loud bang pop! It scared me at first I didn't see anything wrong but when I got home to looked I notice the passenger head rest popped out! I am happy that no one was sitting next to me. That could have been so scary. I have uploaded a picture of it not extended out. I was driving 70 mph going home on the interstate. No accident nothing. Just came out of no where. This was scary.

I have a 2018 Dodge Journey SE with currently 70,000 miles. I'm the second owner & purchased it with only 11,000 miles on it. The front brakes | anti-lock braking system (ABS) experienced failure when I needed to stop the vehicle. I was approaching a 4-way intersection and had the green light ahead of me not knowing that a semi truck was entering the intersection due to other vehicles in left turn lane blocking my view momentarily, when I realized/saw it, immediately I hit brake pedal, the front brakes produced a grinding noise, and grinding was also felt in/on brake pedal. VEHICLE DIDN'T STOP IN TIME, I SKID/SLID DIRECTLY IN THE SEMI'S PATH & INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION ALMOST CRASHING INTO THE FRONT/SIDE OF IT, BEFORE VEHICLE FINALLY STOPPED! GOD SAVED ME FROM WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE LIFE THREATENING CRASH DUE TO CATASTROPHIC FAILURE! Vehicle has been inspected by local service/repair shop prior to this event/failure for the same exact failure. They said nothing could be determined, located or seen that would indicate why such a failure occurs on and off. ABSOLUTELY ZERO warning indicators of any kind occurred before, during or after failure. Prior to this event and on multiple occasions the same exact failure type has happened, but during a rain storm or after one when the road is still wet thus the reason I took it to shop previously. I only have this one vehicle and rely on it heavily to get myself and kids to and from work and school etc daily. With a catastrophic failure such as this I would hope the manufacturer would step up to ensure these are looked at seriously and correct the issue so it doesn't continue to happen. My VIN is not part of a recall or anything service related to this failure type.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while in reverse, the digital screen failed to display a rearview image as intended, and the image was distorted, flickered a black screen, or a signal error was displayed. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? ANSWER: The middle seat belt in the 2nd row back seat does NOT lock. (It buckles into the buckle fine) 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? ANSWER: I cannot have my children or anyone else ride in the back middle seat due to it not locking. If we were in a wreck, the seat belt would not lock. I also cannot put a car seat in the middle. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? ANSWER: I can go get it checked out by a dodge dealer. However, I have read that other people have the same issue. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? ANSWER: The vehicle was repaired after I was hit back in June 2024. I do not believe the seat belt itself was inspected. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? ANSWER: No, there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms. I noticed it when I was switching my carseat around. I feel this is a major safety issue and it needs to be reported and resolved.

The back up camera intermittently comes on when vehicle in reverse. Sometimes it shows a camera with a line, sometimes an image then it disappears and sometimes the image is hazy or distorted. It is never consistent nor reliable. The rear view mirror cannot be used to its full size because of the image of the failed camera.

10.17.25 Vehicle started making tapping noise under the hood. I wasn’t able to identify the problem. I took it to the dealership and they found noise coming from the transmission and stated possible front pump, but wasn’t for sure. They wanted to do an additional diagnostic after I had already paid $197.27, for 3 more hours at $200 per hour. I took vehicle to another company who found noise was coming from the transmission and stated that the transmission will need to be replaced as they found metal shavings in the pan. They flushed the fluid, replaced the filter, test drove noise went away. They advised that I would make it back to Georgia but definitely suggested to get transmission checked. I made it 107 miles from home when it stalled out in 5 o’clock traffic. I tried to accelerate and but it lost motive power. I tapped the breaks tried again after 2 attempts I was able to get to the right shoulder out of the heavy traffic without incident. I was on the side of the road for 4hrs before an older man pulled up to assist. I had to be pushed 2 exits to a gas station. We added more transmission fluid still no motive power it stalled again. Got it towed to a shop to be checked for 3rd time was told it’s the transmission and as of this morning it has been towed to a 4th shop who handles transmission. In my online search for recalls I noticed the same thing happened with the 2016 Dodge Journey as well. I’ve had this vehicle just over a year. I received it with 42k miles on it, awesome condition, apparently one owner who appears to have taken care of it from the looks of vehicle. No major/minor issues noted. By God’s grace I made it out of heavy traffic safely to the off shoulder which was still frightening as well. I may be the first one to report this issue but it needs to be addressed not only for me but everyone who owns one. Metal shavings inside the transmission is crazy. No warning lights on the dash to show something is wrong.

Stated having coolant issues in 2023. September 2025 Engine light Started blinking and Started running rough at 65 mph. Stopped the vehicle and you could see the whole car shaking from the motor running so rough. Fueled up kept going and it kept doing it. Eventually dying at a stop light and I couldn't get it to fire back up. Ended up needing a tow since it wouldn't stay running. White smoke coming from tailpipe. Cracked cylinder head. $3000 repair with a USED PART.

The contact's husband owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera image was either blank or upside-down. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the camera was repaired. Despite the repair, the contact stated that the failure had recently recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the recent failure, but informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V398000 (Back Over Prevention) which was linked to the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 83,258

***Radio system not working properly no longer connecting properly to phone, sounds muffled to the receiver on the other end of call, audio connect is not allowing me to be heard and I got a brand new updated phone! Thinking that was the issue. It wasn’t the phone, there was a precious recall regarding system updates issues, that I saw on here, but I was never notified about it!! *Audio hands free won’t map my iphone, to the car Bluetooth system will not connect at times, ****instrument panel lights are not showing, Radio goes off while driving often, not working properly, *****BACK UP CAMERA NOT WORKING PROPERLY: *Back up camera not working properly, noticed blurry, not able to see properly at night. ****Back up parking assist lines are not as bright and clear when backing up, image is no longer vivid! *Difficulty seeing behind you at night when Backing up, looks like snow on a tv screen ! ***off road system comes on by its self and stays on at times, car is serviced regularly!

My back up camera goes black or it has lines all over it, sometimes it works out times i can't see nothing, have to stick my head out to back up.

WHILE DRIVING, WITHOUT ANY WARNING,THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT HEADREST EXPLODED, HIT MY WIFE IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD AND SNAPPED HER NECK FORWARD, ALMOST KNOCKED HER OUT. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THIS EXPLODED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT (I'LL BET THIS HAS HAPPENED BUT WAS OVERLOOKED). I CONTACTED THE LOCAL DODGE DEALER AND THEY CLAIMED THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS ISSUE BEFORE...I ADVISED THEM TO DO SOME ONLINE RESEARCH...IT HAS HAPPENED THOUSANDS OF TIMES! THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT COST ABOUT $1000 TO REPLACE (TIMES TWO FOR THE DRIVERS SIDE AS WELL). NOW WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AS WE HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHEN THE DRIVERS SEAT HEADREST WILL EXPLODE! AS FOR THIS BEING A SAFETY FEATURE TO PROTECT AGAINST A REAR END COLLISION, IT IS NOT, AND THERE IS NO INDICATION OF SOMEONE HITTING THE REAR END OF THIS VEHICLE. I SPOKE TO A MECHANIC I KNOW AND HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING.

The passengers side head rest came apart. It came apart so fast it was like it exploded. It was almost like it had an air bag on the inside of it. I just started the unit in our drive way, went to back out, and it came apart. I tried to reset the head rest but the plastic locking tabs on the inside no longer work. This needs to be a recall!

I was driving in the vehicle to put gas in, all of the sudden, i heard something snap and felt something hit the back of my head really hard. I felt disoriented as I didn't know what had happened. When I stopped and look at the seat, I noticed that head rest had deployed suddenly without warning and hit the back of my head. There was no accident that should have caused the head rest deployment. I sat there disoriented and started getting a headache and my neck started getting stiff. It's been a week since it happened, if it doesn't go away , I will be seeing a doctor as the pain comes and goes.

1 injured

Power steering leak, started in cold weather. Found other 2018 models have had a recall for the same issue - but my vin is not listed. Yes the vehicle can be inspected. No I’ve not had it looked at, I’ve been refilling the power steering fluid regularly and it leaks out. If the leak persists and the power steering goes completely out while operating it could put myself, passengers and others at risk. No warning lamps. I just noticed the steering was difficult.

I was driving in the vehicle to put gas in, all of the sudden, i heard something snap and felt something hit the back of my head really hard. I felt disoriented as I didn't know what had happened. When I stopped and look at the seat, I noticed that head rest had deployed suddenly without warning and hit the back of my head. There was no accident that should have caused the head rest deployment. I sat there disoriented and started getting a headache and my neck started getting stiff. It's been a week since it happened, if it doesn't go away , I will be seeing a doctor as the pain comes and goes.

1 injured

There are known recalls on 2018 Dodge Journeys. For some reason my VIN [XXX] doesn't show on the list. 1) back up camera shows a black screen or a blurry dark picture (on going issue for over a year) 2) electrical system sometimes refuses to acknowledge the key fob and or won't start due to it thinking it has a dead battery. (on going issue for almost two years) 3) when braking in an emergency situation, heavy vibration from the rear of vehicle (on going issue for a few years when hard braking rarely occurs) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Car trys to start, it turns over but doesn't start. When it does start the red lightening bold is illuminated. Motor runs rough and shaky has ZERO POWER to accelerate. On going since 2024

It started with third brake light out, then,tail wipers intermittenly work, then camera not working- had to have someone watch the back of car to see also right inside light out AND Tailgate wont lock with rest of doors After looking on YOUTUBE this has been going on since 2012

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact can a grinding sound coming from the rear brakes. No warning light illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, however the diagnosis was unknown. The vehicle was repaired as the front brakes were repaired. The contact mention while attempting to reverse the vehicle the rearview camera takes a few mins to display an image. The contact was relating the failure to related to the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 ( SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was also relating his second failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V398000( BACK OVER PREVENTION )however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they sent a message stating her vin was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 61,200.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear brakes. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The front brakes were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera image was slow to be displayed. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 ( SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and 18V398000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 61,200.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear brakes. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed; however, the result was not provided. The front brakes were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated while attempting to reverse the rearview camera image was not immediately displayed. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and 18V398000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recalls. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 61,200.