lemdog Posted July 29, 2014 Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 Hey all just picked up a new-to-me 2011 journey R/T a few weeks ago. 44,500km's (27651 miles) two things i have noticed in the past 4 days. 1. it seems the transmission doesnt like 4th gear that much. twice in the same location through a parking lot i have exited and it seems to be in 3-4 gear and gets stuck and doesnt know what gear it really wants to be in, if i give it some gas it seems to bog down and the engine light comes on and flashes a few times and then goes away. i then pull into my drive way put it in Park and things act normal after. this is all within a distance of about 1/4 of a mile. i dont see any messages and the engine light does not stay on. anyone else know what this could be? 2. cruise control seems to not want to work about 90% of the time. i am cruising along and want to use it, but push the button and the cruise indicator light will not come on and you cannot 'set' it for cruise. i think i have read somewhere this is a known issue? i still have about 2yrs left on the drive train warranty when i bought it. (so the dealer says) it just seems to be that 6 gears are a little too much and it cannot decide which to be in at certain times 4-5-6. im coming from a 2002 4-speed chrysler 300m special, and 4 gears seemed about right for it, but 6 just seem a little to much for the brain of this vehicle and at times it doesnt know what gear to be in. any info and feed back is appreciated!! (and no i am not setting the cruise control in the parking lot when issue 1 occurs) thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted July 29, 2014 Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 I would get the codes read and see what they are... Could be something as simple as cleaning the throttle body or replacing a sensor. Dodges are very finicky with the battery supply as well, wouldn't surprise me if your battery were on the way out and it was acting up. Really though, it could be a ton of things. See if there are any stored codes and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 From posts covering cruise control one of the faults that causes intermittent operation is a bad wheel speed sensor so you might want to check those out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 My 2011 had a cruise control issue. Worked intermittently. Turned out to be the steering column control module (sccm). Have your dealer check that out. There is some transmission "learning" for our DJs. Maybe have the dealer reset your transmission and it can "learn" your driving style. Dunno. Don't really know what the "learning" is all about but I have seen it discussed here. Best of luck to you. The DJ is a cool rig. Enjoy. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemdog Posted July 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 thanks for the replies, i have heard about 'learning driving styles' with transmissions from way back, but i dont know how true it is. yeah cruise control seems intermittent. well, ive tried a couple of times and it came on, but each time i drive i test it and no dice. i can take it in for the 'sccm' check, just hope it isnt big $$ as i am sure there isnt a warrenty on that stuff anymore. i can post back at some point when i get a chance to have it looked at. other than those two things, i really enjoy the vehicle. im still "grandma" driving it to get used to it and trying to see what kind of fuel economy i can get with it. saving up some $ for some decent winter tyres and good interior floor mats/cargo mat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted July 30, 2014 Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 my 2011 mainstreet had a little problem with the cruise control buttons sometimes seam like they didnt work but if i pushed a little harder i would feel it make contact and then they would work, dont think it was me as my 2014 crossroad cruise works alot easier so i think it was the buttons . might want to check that out as well good luck.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 There have been transmission software updates along the way. Yours may need an update. I also have a 300M (two of them, actually) and they shift more smoothly and predictably than my 2013 Journey. I like the extra ratios but the action is a bit abrupt or busy. I have learned to live with the shift quality but it is the only performance characteristic of the vehicle that I don't care for. Intermittently inoperative cruise control is also a common issue. Most times the root cause is traced to the steering wheel switches. We keep them in stock at my shop for this reason. Not just DJ, but Grand Cherokees and Durangos as well. 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted July 31, 2014 Report Share Posted July 31, 2014 My cruise control always works. But I have noticed all buttons on the steering wheel have to be pushed pretty hard to make them activate. Sometimes I'll push lightly and it doesn't take...then push harder and it always takes. Are you pushing the buttons hard enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemdog Posted August 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 yes i am pushing hard enough. its been intermittent the last couple of days. i will get into the dealer soon to have them look at it, i will mention that i have read about the sccm and ask to see if they can take a look, but first i will see how much $ it would be. (out of curiosity first) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemdog Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 hey all, just an update, i havent had chance to get to a dealer with my RT, but just wanted to share that last night while cruising around 85-90km/hr (so i must have been in 6th gear) the car just seemed to bog down when i went to give it gas. like it was choking out then the engine light started to come on-off-on-off. and before i had a chance to pull over to put it in park, things seemed back to normal. it was almost like it was choking out very similar to my description in my first post about the parking lot incident. there are no codes thrown. its like the engine/transmission doesnt even know what to do when you give it more throttle. transmission flash/update perhaps? ive been reading about similar issues where people had to take their cars in for some "transmission software updates". i dont know the history of this vehicle that much so i wouldnt know if it had been in for recalls or anything. any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemdog Posted August 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 ***update*** just had the journey in the dealership and they found no codes stored. (well anything related to engine light flashing on and off). they did find something about an oxygen sensor but they arent sure how old it is. and i know about o2 sensors from my '92 dodge daytona days. they took it for a rip with a computer hooked up and found it running flawlessly. so they said if it happens again with anything, drive it right into dealership so they can scan and catch the code. (if any). hopefully i dont have to drive it in for anything. thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.