Dodge Journey reliability by year
26 recall campaigns and 5,543 owner complaints across 12 model years. Best year to buy: 2020. Year to avoid: 2009.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 7 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 12 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 52, more than the 26 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Journey aggregated across 12 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Dodge Journey?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2020 Dodge Journey scores 7.8/10 — the strongest in the 2009–2020 range. 66 complaints on file, 1 active recall. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Dodge Journey year should I avoid?
The 2009 Dodge Journey scores 4.8/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 1,594 owner complaints with NHTSA, 8 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2009 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Dodge Journey should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2016 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 83 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 40,000–85,000 mi); 2015 (avoid — the electrical system — 5 fire-related complaints and 4 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2014 (avoid — the electrical system — 6 fire-related complaints and 3 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2012 (avoid — the brakes — 6 fire-related complaints on the engine); 2010 (avoid — the engine — 7 fire-related complaints and 4 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2009 (avoid — the electrical system — 1 fatality report and 17 fire-related complaints on the electrical system). The cleaner years on the data are 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2011. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Dodge Journey are tracked?
12 model years (2009 through 2020) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 26 distinct recall campaigns and 5,543 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 52 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Dodge Journey?
electrical is the most-reported category — 1,945 complaints across 12 model years. Average shop repair runs about $850.