dp360

I like the "exclusive" nature of my Journey. It's kinda cool to NOT be driving the same car as everyone else. Currently, there are about 4500 Journey's sold per month in the U.S. IIRC, there's another 3000 or so being sold worldwide. This number varies seasonally - I think this past December was closer to 8000/mo in the U.S. I have a feeling that the refreshed 2011 model is going to sell much better. It is supposed to have a re-styled front-end, upgraded interior and new engine options. The Pentastar V6 should do real well in this vehicle. Imagine 290 HP/260 ft.lbs. of torque, 90% of which is available at 1900 RPM and better gas mileage! I just hope they don't de-tune the engine like they did with the current V6.

I've also heard unsubstantiated claims of bad wiring harnesses in some Journeys. A problem like that would throw technicians for a loop since it would appear to be a bad sensor or something but in reality it is a circuit that intermittently cuts out. Might want to ask them about that possibility, too.

I don't think anyone here would be able to quantify what you are experiencing without actually sitting in your car. Making a noise or vibrating or requiring you to strain when turning the wheel would definitely not be normal, but "heavy" or "tight"? I think there's a good chance you just may be paranoid. I know what you are going through having read your other comment. You've read about a lot of bad experiences and are now wondering if it will happen to you. You may be questioning the wisdom of your purchase. I know, because I went through a little of that after purchasing mine. Relax. Enjoy your vehicle for what it is. Don't allow yourself to get obsessed looking for problems. If something breaks or starts to go bad, chances are very likely it will be obvious. Hopefully it will never happen but the least you can do is stop worrying about a problem that may or may not ever occur. That said, make sure you take the vehicle in for regular, scheduled maintenance. Ask if there are any TSBs or other issues that may be outstanding. Sometimes they may fix a problem that you don't even know you have.

Ask yourself this - if you buy a product, any product, that performs as advertised and does what you need, are you going to go out of your way to tell the world about it? The answer is probably "no". Sure, you may praise it when asked, but you're probably not going to take the time out of your busy day to become an advocate for said product. However, if you purchase a product that has a problem, be it real or maybe just "user error", you're very likely to seek advice and help from an online community. If you have a REALLY bad experience with said product, you will likely become outspoken about your bad experiences and you very well may take time out of your busy day to denounce the product, just to get back at the company that has done you wrong. My point is, these forums, by their very nature, will attract people with problems more so than people without any problems. This is true of virtually all products on the planet and is certainly true for all makes and models of cars. No vehicle being produced today is 100% defect free. All car makes have problems. Some more so than others but they are ALL "generally good" from a quality perspective. Keep this in mind when you read about problems and bad experiences on this or any other forum. In my case, my '10 SXT purchased in November of 2009 has been 100% problem free through 8700 miles. Sure, it has some quirks that annoy me in a minor way and there are some details that I think could have been implemented better but, by and large, I am very happy with my purchase. My reasons for being involved in this forum are 1) to keep informed of problems that others may be experiencing so I can either prevent them from occurring to me or be better prepared to deal with them if they do happen, and 2) to see what kind of modifications and enhancements people are making to their Journey's because I eventually want to make some modifications/enhancements of my own.

As I mentioned in my first post, it is not a Journey specific problem. I have driven at least a half-dozen non-Dodge vehicles that exhibit the same behavior. Experiment with the window position to alleviate. I played around with it briefly the other day and found a significant improvement with a smaller window opening.

Nothing's wrong with your Journey. It's an aerodynamic effect caused by pressure changes inside your cabin. It happens on many vehicles when the rear windows are open and you obtain relatively high road speeds. Must have something to do with the wind-tunnel design of modern vehicles because I know I never experienced this on much older cars. Best I can suggest is to experiment with different amounts of open settings to see if you can make it any better. Or you can get wind screens for your windows!

Somehow I messed that post! The issue may be completely resolved by now but I'd say they should definitely reimburse you for towing & rental. The time to discuss the matter is always up front, however. Don't wait for the three week repair period to pass, go to pick up your car and then tell the dealer "Oh by the way...". If you have any problem with reimbursement, call Chrysler Customer Service. Remember to start out nice with them. Despite the claims of some people, an adversarial tone never works - at least not in the beginning.

Congratulations!

I don't think wantanewcar's comment relates to brake wear. It sounds like shaking/vibration when applying the brakes at high speed, as if something is broken, warped or out of balance. Definitely not normal. My point was that it might not be a safety risk and that the dealer's suggestion just might be a temporary one until they can figure it out. That said, I've heard from both ends of the spectrum on brake wear - some who had to change just over 12,000 miles, others that have reached 30,000 and are still going strong. I don't think premature brake wear with this vehicle is a universal phenomenon, but it definitely affects some owners. In my case, I still have plenty of meat on the pads at 8,300 miles. I love the fact that I can inspect them through the open spoke rims without having to remove a wheel. My guess is I'll easily make it to 20K but just how far past that will remain to be seen,

I don't think they're offering that as a permanent solution but merely an interim technique to reduce the amount of pedal pressure you need to apply when braking at high speed. At least I sure HOPE that's the case because there's no way that problem should be considered normal! They must not view it as a safety concern or else they never would have suggested it. Have they given an indication of what the problem really is or have they just said it's a known issue?

I don't have any direct experience with this but I have head about it in general (i.e. not specifically with the Journey). I believe it indicates that the computer is getting confusing signals from your electronic throttle a.k.a. gas pedal. Probably just a defective pedal sensor or maybe a bad wiring connection. Dealer should be able to take care of it. Oh, and just FYI, your Journey does have a throttle override tied to the brake, so if you step on the brake pedal, it will reduce power to your engine. Thus you shouldn't have to worry about runaway, Toyota-like acceleration as long as you remember to step firmly on your brakes! This has been standard on all Chrysler vehicles with electronic throttles for the past six or seven years. Why it's not standard from ALL car makers is beyond me!

I can't offer any insight - some of the other posts (here and in other threads) might be helpful, but I can't say that I notice any kind of consensus in them. What I CAN do is suggest you express your warranty concerns to your dealership and maybe even Chrysler corporate. Document all your attempts at getting the problem resolved to show that you made a good faith effort at solving it well within the warranty period. This way, if the problem doesn't get resolved in warranty and your vehicle finally does throw a code just outside the warranty period, you'll have a decent chance at getting it repaired at no expense. It stinks that you have the problem but sometimes* you have to look at this from the perspective of the dealer. If there is no code and the car isn't acting up in their presence, it will be extremely hard for them to diagnose unless it is a known, widespread problem. Just be persistent and try to take it in as close to the event as possible. Information gathering is good, too, so relaying what others have experienced on this forum may be helpful. It might be just enough info to help them trigger a diagnosis. *- note I say "sometimes". That's because the dealer can occasionally be a real prick about it and your best recourse is to take it to a different dealership, if possible.

Of course that assumes you wouldn't have had any problems with any of those other vehicles. I notice a lot of people always think the "grass is greener" with another brand but last I checked, all dealerships had service facilities. Given that the service department is largely responsible for keeping any dealership in business, what does that tell you? Actually, it's pretty common knowledge that when Daimler-Benz took over in '98, quality has been on a slow downward spiral. So much for German engineering! Two owners later, it's getting better...

I think the model to look at would be the 3.5L Avenger. It's built on the same platform as the Journey (or should I say that the other way around?) I believe Mopar has an exhaust kit for that car but I could be wrong. Some slight modifications would probably be necessary. I'm patiently waiting for someone to be the guinea pig here...

Cool! What engine/transmission is in the R/T over there?