Reliable Auto DB

2018 Dodge Journey reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2018 Dodge Journey has 234 complaints with NHTSA after 9 years, or 25 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Journey years here — over the median of the other years, which is 20. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Exterior lighting, Front underhood wiring, and Caliper.

2012 Dodge Journey
Photo by Noah Wulf, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

234

Per year

25

Recalls

6

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (72 of 234), then Engine (30) and Exterior lighting (27). Those filings include 7 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Journey has 197 complaints, 25 per year, and the 2019 has 100 complaints, 5 per year. The 2018 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 Dodge Journey. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall Exterior lighting 2022-09-29 · NHTSA campaign 22V723000
Summary Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Dodge Journey vehicles. The amber side reflex reflector assembled into the headlamp may not reflect brightly enough. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Dealers will replace the headlamp assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 16, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Z99.
Recall electrical system, wiring, front underhood wiring 2018-08-09 · NHTSA campaign 18V524000
Summary Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
Remedy Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc, caliper 2018-08-09 · NHTSA campaign 18V523000
Summary Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and Jeep Compass, 2018 Dodge Journey, and 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Remedy Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began September 29, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U86.
Recall visibility, rearview mirrors 2018-06-14 · NHTSA campaign 18V396000
Summary Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Dodge Journey vehicles. When reverse gear has been selected, the rear camera view may not be fully visible within two seconds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Remedy Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rearview mirror, free of charge. The recall began August 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U58.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2018-06-14 · NHTSA campaign 18V398000
Summary Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Dodge Journey and RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 vehicles. The backup camera may experience a loss of image display while backing up. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Remedy Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rearview mirror, free of charge. The recall began August 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U56.
Recall electrical system, wiring 2018-05-17 · NHTSA campaign 18V332000
Summary Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
Remedy Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.

Complaints by component (234 total)

Electrical system
72
Engine
30
Exterior lighting
27
Back-over prevention
23
Speed control
21
Service brakes
20
Powertrain
18
Seats
14
Air bags
12
Steering
11
Fuel and propulsion system
8
Suspension
8
Visibility and wipers
8
Seat belts
7
Structure
5
Wheels
5
Hydraulic brakes
4
Engine and engine cooling
3
Lane departure
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Forward collision avoidance
2
Tires
2
Air brakes
1
Traction control
1
Visibility
1
Show 17 more Show less
Crash-flagged

7

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

122018372019252020152021112022342023302024422025282026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Technician notes exterior headlight assembly is defective and not reflecting bright."
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-18
  • "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 2026-09-16
  • "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…"
    Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-09-01
  • "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…"
    Exterior lighting, Air bags · filed 2026-08-25
  • "The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank image. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not inspected. The contact was…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-08-19

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Journey 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic 4-speed Front-wheel drive 19 25 21 MPG $3100
Journey 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 17 25 19 MPG $3400
Journey all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 16 24 19 MPG $3400

Specs and fitment

JC generation, 2012–2020
Body styles Crossover
Oil 5W-20 (2.4L four-cylinder; 3.6L V6 uses 5W-20 in US service) , 4.5 qt capacity
Tire size 225/65R17 (most trims)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 18V-396 covers certain 2018 Dodge Journey vehicles: when reverse gear is selected, the rear camera view may not be fully visible within two seconds, so the vehicles fail to meet FMVSS 111 rear visibility timing. Dealers update the radio software. Recall 18V-332 covers certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger, and Durango vehicles and other FCA products: wiring may chafe and cause a short, increasing fire risk; dealers inspect and repair wiring and add protective covering.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Dodge Journey Next year 2019 Dodge Journey See every Dodge Journey model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Dodge Journey reliable?

The 2018 Dodge Journey has 234 complaints with NHTSA after 9 years, or 25 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Journey years here — over the median of the other years, which is 20. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Exterior lighting, Front underhood wiring, and Caliper.

What are common problems with a 2018 Dodge Journey?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (72 of 234), then Engine (30) and Exterior lighting (27). Those filings include 7 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2018 Dodge Journey more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Journey has 197 complaints, 25 per year, and the 2019 has 100 complaints, 5 per year. The 2018 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Dodge Journey been recalled?

The 2018 Dodge Journey has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Dodge Journey?

Owners have filed 234 complaints about the 2018 Dodge Journey with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Dodge Journey get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Dodge Journey is 19.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What year did Dodge stop selling the Journey in the US?

US sales ended after the 2020 model year.

What engine oil does a Dodge Journey use?

5W-20 (2.4L four-cylinder; 3.6L V6 uses 5W-20 in US service)

What does NHTSA recall 18V-396 cover on the Dodge Journey?

Recall 18V-396 covers certain 2018 Dodge Journey vehicles: when reverse gear is selected, the rear camera view may not be fully visible within two seconds, so the vehicles fail to meet FMVSS 111 rear visibility timing.