2018 Dodge Journey problems & reliability
225 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Dodge Journey, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 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 vehicles.
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 | 71 | 32% |
| Unknown OR Other | 43 | 19% |
| Engine | 29 | 13% |
| Exterior Lighting | 25 | 11% |
| Back Over Prevention | 21 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 21 | 9% |
| Service Brakes | 19 | 8% |
| Power Train | 18 | 8% |
| Seats | 14 | 6% |
| Steering | 11 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 27,382 miles (middle 50% between 11,004 and 61,200 miles), based on 84 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Loss of Visibility in Backup Camera When in reverses the camera will come on then go fuzzy then go out and displays a camera in orange with an orange line going though it”
Back Over Prevention · filed Aug 5, 2026
“The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and failed to stop immediately. The traction control, ABS, and brake warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Jul 22, 2026
“Back up camera works sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t. The screen is either black with a orange camera with a orange line going through it or it works and the picture of blinking then goes black”
Back Over Prevention · filed Jul 15, 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
- 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 27,382 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.