2012 Dodge Journey Problems, Recalls & Reliability
623 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Dodge Journey, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 29/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 85,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2012 sits among all Journey years
What owners report
“Abs light and show it and I have proof cost back up cam don't work and going cost me more 1500.00 on the repair check and recall”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Journey
“Abs and traction control lights illuminated. Diagnosed by the dealership that the abs module needed to be replaced. Brakes continued to work and at first the abs and traction control went on and off intermittently.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Journey
“Vehicle turns off while driving without warning, even at full speed. This happens while i am drving anywhere including the highway”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Journey
“While normal driving on highway , my [ abs ) light and the squiggly car light comes on . Then after awhile or shutting car off and restarting the engine , the lights go off . Then it happens again frequently on a daily basis .”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Journey
“Car stalled on highway as we were driving and cut out. Very dangerous..wouldn't restart..then started up 20 mins later and drove fine.engine light came on..dealer says it a crankshaft sensor..super dangerous.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Journey
“My car was in an accident on the highway going 60mph rear ended another vehicle and the air bags did not deploy.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Journey
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 424 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 86,269 miles. Half of those reports fall between 43,000 and 114,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2015 Dodge Journey vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may unexpectedly deploy if the air bag wiring harness gets chafed within the steering wheel and short circuits.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bag wiring within the steering wheel, replacing it if necessary. A protective cover will also be installed. These repairs will be made…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2009-2016 Dodge Journey vehicles manufactured July 31, 2007, to November 12, 2016. After exposure to cold temperatures, the power steering return hose may rupture at engine start-up causing a loss of…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering return hoses, steel tubes, and power steering oil cooler, free of charge. The recall began on May 24, 2016. Owners may…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Dodge Journey vehicles manufactured April 21, 2012, to April 14, 2015. In the affected vehicles, water may enter the wiring harness for the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) module and leak into the…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will seal the ABS wiring harness to prevent water from entering and will replace the ABS module and repair the headlamp and dash wiring harness, as necessary.…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2015 Dodge Journey vehicles manufactured July 19, 2010, to May 26, 2015 and equipped with 2.4L engines. In the affected vehicles, the engine cover may detach from the engine and contact the exhaust…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install an improved mounting system for the engine cover, free of charge. The recall began on October 15, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer…
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 DODGE JOURNEY AND FIAT 500 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 24, 2011, THROUGH OCTOBER 26, 2011. SOME VEHICLES WERE ASSEMBLED WITH CONTAMINATED BRAKE FLUID AND MAY EXPERIENCE A DEGRADATION OF THE SEALING…
Fix: CHRYSLER WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE ALL BRAKE COMPONENTS THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH HYDRAULIC BRAKE FLUID. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 1,…
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHRYSLER VEHICLES, INCLUDING 200 AND TOWN AND COUNTRY MODELS, DODGE VEHICLES, INCLUDING CHARGER, DURANGO, GRAND CARAVAN AND JOURNEY MODELS AND JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 31, 2011,…
Fix: CHRYSLER WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE ENGINE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT NOVEMBER 18, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-008 on May 1, 2023 to investigate an incident involving a 2009 Dodge Journey alleging occupant entrapment during a vehicle fire that resulted in a fatality. During the investigation, ODI collected information from the manufacturer and involved…
Model years named: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Technical service bulletins
224 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2012 Dodge Journey. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2012 Journey TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2012 Dodge Journey reliable?
The 2012 Dodge Journey drew 623 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 29/100, scored against the model's worst year (2009).
What are the most common 2012 Dodge Journey problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Dodge Journey are electrical (129 complaints), brakes & stability (108), and engine (106).
At what mileage do 2012 Dodge Journey problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Dodge Journey problems around 86,269 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 43,000 and 114,000 miles.
Does the 2012 Dodge Journey have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 Dodge Journey. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.