2018 Dodge Journey problems & reliability
233 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Dodge Journey, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
7 complaints report injuries (7 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Dodge Journey vehicles were involved in 110 fatal crashes with 43 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 72 | 31% |
| Unknown / Other | 45 | 19% |
| Engine → | 30 | 13% |
| Exterior Lighting → | 26 | 11% |
| Back Over Prevention → | 23 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 21 | 9% |
| Service Brakes → | 20 | 9% |
| Power Train → | 18 | 8% |
| Seats → | 14 | 6% |
| Air Bags → | 12 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 26 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 86 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 28,700 miles (middle 50% between 11,504 and 61,200 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Air Bag in the steering wheel. we took it back to the dealership for them to fix or do something about it and they refused to. No warning at all.”
Air Bags · filed Sep 16, 2026
“Sitting at red light and with out warning car turns off I place it in park and try to start car again as soon as I push the ignition to crank the car a huge explosion from under the hood blew the hood backwards striking the a-piler to the driver's door trapping me inside the car as flames were observed coming through…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 1, 2026
“First Complain is that I was driving my 2018 Dodge Journey SE 2.4L across the interstate in [XXX]. My friend was sitting in the Passenger's seat when all of a sudden a loud popping noise happened and the airbag in the headrest popped out and almost hit my friend in the head. The second issue is that the headlight…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 25, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Vehicle entrapment
Engineering Analysis EA24003 · opened Aug 1, 2024 · open
- Back up camera failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE24006 · opened Feb 27, 2024 · closed Sep 26, 2025 · led to recall 25V552
- Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
Preliminary Evaluation PE19014 · opened Sep 9, 2019 · closed Feb 25, 2026
Technical service bulletins
139 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Dodge Journey. The 10 most recent:
CAMERA – REAR VIEW
108465 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 3, 2025
Engine Oil Leak
S2509000009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 21, 2025
Verify Reman part number availability. Order the "R" part number for all orders: Warranty, Mopar, customer pay and service contract. Order "68" part number for New unsold units only.
9100653 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 15, 2025
LAMP - DOME
106241 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 28, 2025
LAMP - DOME
104974 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 12, 2025
"Washer Light On And Will Not Turn Off After Adding Washer Solvent."
S2323000002 REV.A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2025
LAMP - DOME
103774 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2025
ACTUATOR - A/C AND HEATER
103954 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2025
ACTUATOR - A/C AND HEATER
104087 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2025
STARTER - ENGINE
103617 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 20, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2018 Dodge Journey has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2018 Dodge Journey?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 28,700 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.