Jim8208 Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 Hello All, My 2010 journey has recently in the last few months has been having a starting problem. At first I thought is was a dead battery due to the battery being the original one that came with the vehicle when I bought it new. It started okay for a couple of weeks after I replaced the battery then the not starting problem came back. I had to have it towed to the dealer. They replaced the key fob due to recall and I thought that fixed the problem. Couple of weeks later it wouldn't start again. Once again I had it towed to the dealer. This time they called me and said I had a bad battery?? I said it was brand new but they insisted the battery was bad. So I had another new battery installed and everything was fine for a couple of months. This week I'm leaving work and it doesn't start again? Turn key on, everything lights up as it should, power windows work, door locks work, radio works just won't start. Had a tow truck take it back to dealer and they tell me yesterday battery was dead??? I said NO WAY! Everything lights up perfectly, if battery was dead nothing would work perfectly. Three times it's been back to the dealer in three months, honestly I don't think they have a clue as to what's wrong with it. I've done a lot of googling and I'm starting to think it's very possibly the "range sensor". Key doesn't recognize transmission is in park. I've tried starting it in neutral to no avail either. Has anyone had this problem and if so what did it take to fix it? I certainly would appreciate any help with this as this vehicle can't be trusted to not strand me at any given moment....NOT GOOD! I apologize for the long post but I'm feeling very frustrated with this car. I've loved it up to this point but if everytime I leave my driveway I don't know if I'll make it back. This time if I don't feel like the dealer really repaired it I'm going to trade it as soon as I can. I really can't afford to trade right now but if it is going to leave me stranded at any given moment I can't afford not to. Thanks for letting me vent.. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 Find another dealer and provide him with your history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim8208 Posted August 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 The next closet dodge dealership is about an hour away. That would be one heck of a tow charge I'd have to spring for. Not sure another dealer wouldn't tell me the same thing. I don't think they know what the problem is from what I've been able to find out. I've read on various forums where this is a fairly common problem for Journey's. Maybe someone will chime in that's had this problem with a solution. Thanks for your reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim8208 Posted August 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2015 Got a call from the dealer, said they finally found the problem. Faulty starter, would randomly lock up and not turn over when key turned on. They said that could cause the draining of the battery. They're installing a new starter and battery to the tune of 600 bucks. If this solves the problem I'm happy, somehow I have a gut feeling it won't though. We shall see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted August 22, 2015 Report Share Posted August 22, 2015 Keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted August 23, 2015 Report Share Posted August 23, 2015 (edited) I hate when dealers get into a 'parts swap' mode, the way old time television repair guys used to - they'd start in one corner and replace tubes until the TV started working again . . the problem was that more often than not they'd not take back their good tubes and eventually they had a caddy full of defective tubes and people got huge bills for repairs.Sounds like your dealer may be doing something similar . . . . will he refund your money if it doesn't solve the problem? Edited August 23, 2015 by bramfrank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim8208 Posted August 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2015 I hate when dealers get into a 'parts swap' mode, the way old time television repair guys used to - they'd start in one corner and replace tubes until the TV started working again . . the problem was that more often than not they'd not take back their good tubes and eventually they had a caddy full of defective tubes and people got huge bills for repairs. Sounds like your dealer may be doing something similar . . . . will he refund your money if it doesn't solve the problem? I certainly hope so. I'll definitely ask when I pick it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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