2013 Dodge Journey Problems, Recalls & Reliability
509 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2013 Dodge Journey, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 27/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 60,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2013 sits among all Journey years
What owners report
“I have had the car three months and the car has been in the shop multiple times had the engine replaced and the battery and the car is doing it again it will not start and i'm at the end with this lemon of a car”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Journey
“Transmission mount and engine mount and drive shaft mount breaking all the time. Transmission going out on vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Journey
“Dodge Journey 2013 Headrest deployment while driving down the road for no reason.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Journey
“My abs / traction control light is on. And my windows refuse to roll down and my lights on the inside of my car flicker when driving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Journey
“The airbag in the drivers side headrest just deployed for no reason. The vehicle was stationary when this happened.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Journey
“My car was parked and i was sitting inside when the passenger headrest airbag deployed. Thankfully my passenger wasn't sitting there at the time.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2013 Journey
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 326 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 72,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 46,000 and 100,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
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…
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
248 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2013 Dodge Journey. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2013 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 2013 Dodge Journey reliable?
The 2013 Dodge Journey drew 509 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 27/100, scored against the model's worst year (2009).
What are the most common 2013 Dodge Journey problems?
The top reported problems for the 2013 Dodge Journey are electrical (78 complaints), engine (77), and other (75).
At what mileage do 2013 Dodge Journey problems show up?
Owners most often report 2013 Dodge Journey problems around 72,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 46,000 and 100,000 miles.
Does the 2013 Dodge Journey have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2013 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.