RMV Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 Just got my dodge journey 2013 from dealership 2 days ago. It was a trade in, got an ok deal so thought I'd go for it and they put in a brand new battery and alternator that day....I should have asked more about that bc of all I have read since. I had tire sensor not showing up so broight it in next day and they replaced it. No more warnings everything seemed great....Last night came home as bought it in city 3.5 hours away... as almost got home I had warnings about parking assist, all wheel drive, and this symbol ) lightning bolt inside(, all needing servicing and once parked it won't turn over. I noticed the security red light blinking and then steady on. It wasn't doing that until last night. I tried to start it in neutral as suggested on YouTube, still won't turn over. Tried remote start, it's disabled. It said vehicle wasn't in park then that disappeared after shifting through gears several times. Pushed remote start in vehicle when it said it didn't recognize key... that was in vehicle... and the alarm went off 2 a.m. till i clicked door unlock. looking online it seems this is a huge problem and this journey doesn't journey at all, it leaves people stranded. First dodge I own as I'm a Chevy girl, and first push start as I like it simple usually, and this is what I get for the added bling.... added headache and a money pit. I'm beyond disappointed. I'm not sure how the lemon law works but feel it qualifies after owning it for all of 2 days. Loved it... now massive buyers remorse. I'm not good with electrical stuff... anyone know how I can get this thing to start so I can get it to a dealership and trade it in? This is not reliable at all and with 4 kids that had to walk on the minus temps late to school today I am done with it already. I'm not sure why dodge thinks this is okay to not fix on their bill as it's obvious they know of it as a problem and are okay leaving people stranded and interesting it their pockets bc dodge isn't smart enough to figure out where they went wrong and how to fix their lemons. I just need the dang thing to start and reset the security system as that's obviously part of the issue. Sad bc it has potential of it wasn't for terrible reliability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summer Solstice Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 (edited) Most states allow you to cancel a major purchase within a short period of time. If you are this unhappy, run, don't walk, and get your money back. You already have decided that the purchase was wrong for you. With a start like that, you will not be happy unless you cut now and move on. Edited February 7, 2019 by Summer Solstice jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryl Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 (edited) I might guess that whoever you bought it from screwed things up royally when they installed the battery and alternator.....or they were trying to hide something from you by doing so. Hope you enjoy your next vehicle I have a 2013 with 117000 miles on it and it has been a peach not a lemon Edited February 7, 2019 by larryl RMV and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted February 8, 2019 Report Share Posted February 8, 2019 I would return this DJ. I have 80K miles on my 2011. These are great cars. Sounds like the one you have has been abused or damaged in some way. Good luck. Peace. jkeaton and RMV 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted February 8, 2019 Report Share Posted February 8, 2019 had 70 k on my 2011 traded in on my 14 crossroad and have 84 k on it and love it RMV and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMV Posted February 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2019 It was bought from a dealership from someone who traded it in for a truck. I love the actual concept but the dealership put on a new battery and alternator before i was able to test drive it. I heard it may be the battery just can't handle cold starts and the extra pull from starter with everything else on the start up....I just don't understand how it was fine then not. Put it on code reader this morning and it said low voltage so going to try to boost it. If that works will redo the grounds as I heard an extra ground can make all the difference too. It would work very well for my family if I could trust this issue could be resolved. Can't even begin to count the stories I have read on hundreds of people having this issue, some straight off the lot with new ones. Talked to dodge and dodge Canada who just give me the FCA number which requires a read from a service dept to open a case file. I'll be searching bc I need to either figure this out for good or end it and try to find a vehicle that doesn't have these issues.... so far seems a Chrysler dodge issue mainly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted February 9, 2019 Report Share Posted February 9, 2019 the point you make sounds logical BUT you only hear from the ones that are having problems,you dont hear from the ones that dont have problems .All car manufactures have different problems with all the different models that they sell. sorry to hear about your problems. i assume you have no warranty on it ,did you buy it from a dodge dealership?have a load test done on the new battery most places will do this for free and have them check the alt to see if its putting out okay.good luck but as we all know if buy used you usually are buying some one else problems. jkeaton and OhareFred 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMV Posted February 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2019 I am going to try to replace the connector between battery and alternator and recheck all the grounds. I looked under car complaints and compared to the 2009, most journeys are without too many issues. I'd like to fix this for good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted February 10, 2019 Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 Is there nothing that the seller will do to help you make this right? If not, here's my advice... You sound like you know your way around a car, but if you're going to keep it, you should involve a mechanic to independently work on the car so the seller doesn't say you caused the problem. You should pay your mechanic and recoup the repair bill from the seller. Good luck. Peace. OhareFred and RMV 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMV Posted February 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 Thank you for your advice. It was an as is sale so I'm stuck fixing it solo. I'm going to get mechanical help fixing it. So many electronics and wires.... far from old school engines that i know my way around with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted February 10, 2019 Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 are you 100% sure they put in a brand new Battery? journeys act crazy with the electronics with a battery that is about dead, as i said i would definitely have a load test done on this battery just to make sure even new battery can have a bad cell in it.. and take the time to make sure the connections at the battery itself are clean and tight a loose connection could be a cause of the problems......it is a pain to have to recheck them but might save you some $$$$ good luck jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMV Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 (edited) The battery handled over 8 hours driving before going awry so I think it dealt well. Alternator is new too. Obviously the dealership didn't want to get too deep into it as they wouldn't replace the tire sensor until I bought it and just have thought they fixed the problem it had come in with by changing it battery and then alternator. Apparently the connector from alternator and battery terminal is a known internal corrosion point so replacing that if any signs at all. They should have noticed it but may have overlooked. Hopefully that's the problem. A simple extra ground on alternator and battery and checking the 4 grounds might be enough to give me peace of mind if it is. I'll be doing a load bearing test once I recharge the battery... which btw is in a crappy place to get to as I have to take the tire off to reach it. Anyways... hoping it's an easy solution and not pcim or anything. The only code it threw was low voltage so I know the sensors going amok was a battery thing and the servicing to those areas isn't needed. Edited February 11, 2019 by RMV Autocorrect hates me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 ok, so it did good till it didnt want to start,,, i am out of this one..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMV Posted February 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Full battery and still showing all codes and won't start, though nothing showing up on actual code reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 Wow. It turns over but won't start? Or starter doesn't do anything? Not sure if there's a voltage sensor that prevents startup attempts with insufficient voltage. Check the alternator and battery again, if you haven't done so already. DJs are sensitive to voltage from what I've seen here on the forum. Modern cars have tons of electrical gizmos. It may be a very simple problem that is difficult to diagnose. This may be one for the dealer. I would still be talking to the seller. This situation is unfortunate. They should bear some responsibility here, imo. I hope you get this resolved. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted February 12, 2019 Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 19 hours ago, RMV said: Full battery and still showing all codes and won't start, though nothing showing up on actual code reader. If nothing is showing up on a code reader, what “ codes” are showing? What are the “code” numbers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMV Posted February 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2019 Says service park assist, then service awd, then vehicle not in park, battery, check engine, and something about the key not in vehicle. towed it to a dealership in my town. Hopefully with what I told them they can solve it. OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 That makes more sense. When you were saying codes, which is a series of letters and numbers you get with a code reader, but nothing on your code reader it didn’t add up. Obviously a major electrical issue, perhaps the BCM or PCM. Both are expensive. Let us know what it turns out to be..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMV Posted February 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 (edited) Ironically, bc I was told new battery and alternator, I got it towed into a dealership in town and had a mechanic spend 2 hours on the wiring system and grounds before he checked the alternator bc nothing made sense and lo and behold.... it was the alternator. The dealership i bought it from is covering all the shop costs bc someone screwed up on their end and the alternator was never replaced. Instead they noted they thought it was a problem and left it in saying i was supposedly quoted about it... didn't happen that way at all. I was told i had to wait till end of day to test drive bc they were waiting for part and then tui wait till next morning bc head mechanic was going over everything once alternator was put in. Bad experience with shady sales person but at least the dealership sales manager and service manager rectified it and it will be fixed by tomorrow on their dime. Craziness! Edited February 13, 2019 by RMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryl Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 So do you still blame the POS vehicle? or is all good in the world now ? jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 1 hour ago, RMV said: Ironically, bc I was told new battery and alternator, I got it towed into a dealership in town and had a mechanic spend 2 hours on the wiring system and grounds before he checked the alternator bc nothing made sense and lo and behold.... it was the alternator. The dealership i bought it from is covering all the shop costs bc someone screwed up on their end and the alternator was never replaced. Instead they noted they thought it was a problem and left it in saying i was supposedly quoted about it... didn't happen that way at all. I was told i had to wait till end of day to test drive bc they were waiting for part and then tui wait till next morning bc head mechanic was going over everything once alternator was put in. Bad experience with shady sales person but at least the dealership sales manager and service manager rectified it and it will be fixed by tomorrow on their dime. Craziness! seems like someone told you to have the alt checked after having a load check done on the battery ,and you could have had that done for free at any parts store, but at least you found the problem, good luck after all. i am out of here jkeaton and larryl 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 I'm glad this worked out for you. I'm also glad to see the seller bear responsibility. If your experience is similar to mine, you'll enjoy the DJ. Smooth, powerful, and lots of utility. Best of luck to you... Peace. RMV, OhareFred and jkeaton 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted February 14, 2019 Report Share Posted February 14, 2019 12 hours ago, 2late4u said: seems like someone told you to have the alt checked after having a load check done on the battery ,and you could have had that done for free at any parts store, but at least you found the problem, good luck after all. i am out of here Funny how that works......people complain about a problem, solutions are given but not taken,...lol larryl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMV Posted February 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) I checked all solutions, had the dealership here go over all the wiring and grounds. It was 2 hours in they checked the so called by dealerships new alternator. I was told it was a new part and waited for it to be put in. The dealership took ownership of the issue thankfully and its been replaced. I had to replace battery in key fob as soon as I turned it on but that's the only message to pop up so far. My opinion was based on a lie from the dealership, as if I'd known it wasn't new alt I'd have replaced it asap. Bc out was dead in my yard I had to make sure it wasn't something simple before I had to pay for a tow and shop to fix it. I was also going to take all costs of fixing it before knowing the dealership had been dishonest in the sale. I get where you're coming from.... but if you feel this post was a waste of your time you didn't have to read or reply. I read each post and brought all of it as possibilities to the mechanic... not that I should feel defensive about asking about the reliability based on what my experience has been this far. Hopefully my opinion can improve now that I can actually drive it around. Edited February 16, 2019 by RMV redtomatoman, jkeaton and OhareFred 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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