2013 Dodge Journey — Known Issues & Recalls

While driving at 30 mph, you heard a loud explosion and were struck in the back of the head when your driver's side headrest suddenly deployed on its own. Both an independent mechanic and a dealer confirmed the headrest needed to be replaced, though the repair was not completed. The issue occurred at approximately 78,000 miles.

Your driver's side headrest suddenly exploded while you were sitting in the car at a stoplight, causing a loud noise and impact to the back of your head that startled you and made you feel like you'd been hit from behind. You experienced neck soreness and dizziness after the incident and are seeking medical evaluation. The manufacturer has acknowledged this is a defect but hasn't issued a recall yet. Fixing this will likely involve replacing the active head restraint system with a new or redesigned headrest assembly.

Your driver's side seat headrest cushion suddenly deployed on its own while the car was parked, even though there was no collision. When you examined the back of the cushion, you found broken pieces inside. The seat headrest will likely need to be replaced, as the internal mechanism appears to have failed.

While driving slowly through a park at 14-15 mph with no impact or accident, the passenger seat headrest suddenly deployed with a loud pop and struck your head. This happened without any collision or apparent reason to trigger the deployment.

Your active headrest suddenly sprang forward and hit you in the back of the head while you were parked, potentially caused by broken clips inside the headrest mechanism. The headrest now stays in the sprung-forward position and won't reset properly. This could be a safety hazard if it happens while you're driving, especially at night or in bad weather. The fix will likely involve replacing the headrest assembly or having the internal clip mechanism repaired or replaced.

Your passenger's side headrest suddenly exploded while your husband was driving out of the driveway, though no one was injured. This appears to be related to the Active Head Restraint system, which is designed to deploy in certain crash situations. Your vehicle is no longer covered under the warranty extension for this issue. The manufacturer has directed you to contact NHTSA directly for assistance.

Your headrest has randomly deployed or opened, causing neck pain and discomfort while driving. You've contacted both the dealership and Dodge directly over the past year without resolution. The headrest mechanism may need to be repaired or replaced to restore proper function and comfort.

Your car's headrest unexpectedly popped open while you were driving out of a parking lot. You've checked and found that some headrests were recalled for this issue, but yours wasn't included in that recall. The headrest mechanism may need inspection or replacement to prevent this from happening again.

Your car randomly shuts off while driving without warning—the engine just stops running, causing your speed to drop to zero. The dashboard lights stay on and other systems work, but you lose all engine power with no check engine light or error codes to help diagnose the problem. After waiting 30 minutes and tapping around the engine area, the car sometimes restarts on its own, though this is unpredictable and dangerous, especially in winter or on highways. The fix will likely involve a thorough electrical system diagnosis to find an intermittent connection or component failure, possibly including replacement of fuel system components, ignition switch, or engine control module.

Your driver's seat headrest unexpectedly popped open when your son touched the back of the seat, even though there was no accident or impact. This headrest is designed to deploy as a safety feature during crashes, but since it malfunctioned and opened on its own, that safety feature may no longer work properly if you're in an accident. The headrest assembly will likely need to be replaced or repaired by a technician.

Your 2013 Dodge Journey experienced a serious engine fire while driving. You noticed the engine hesitating during acceleration, the check engine oil pressure warning light came on, and black smoke appeared from under the hood—when you opened the hood, flames increased significantly. A mechanic determined the fire was caused by a failure in the engine's main wiring harness, which was not reported to Dodge or the dealer at the time. The vehicle was declared a total loss by your insurance company.

Your car has two outstanding safety recalls that your dealer never completed: one for the ABS system (which randomly turns off) and one for the engine beauty cover (which has fallen off). You were supposed to be notified when parts arrived, but that never happened. The dealer may have falsely reported these repairs as done. You need both recalls completed to restore proper braking function and prevent potential safety issues.

Your 2013 Dodge Journey has multiple warning lights illuminated: the ABS light, traction control light, seatbelt light, and air sensor light are all on. You're also experiencing grinding noises when braking. You purchased this vehicle on October 4, 2025, and discovered it has a branded title indicating it was previously declared a total loss, which you were not informed about at the time of sale. The dealer has refused your refund request, claiming the vehicle is sold as-is. A thorough diagnostic scan and brake system inspection will be needed to determine the extent of the damage and what repairs are necessary.

While driving on the highway in the rain, your ABS and traction control warning lights turned on and the car began hydroplaning. After this happened, your brakes are not working properly. You should have your brake system inspected by a mechanic to determine if there's a leak, damaged component, or ABS module failure.

Your driver's seat headrest airbag deployed and burst open overnight while your car was parked, with no apparent cause or accident. This is particularly concerning since your children travel in the vehicle with you. The airbag deployment repair will likely involve replacing the headrest airbag assembly and having the airbag system diagnostically scanned to determine why it deployed unexpectedly.

You noticed fluid leaking from under the front of your vehicle, and your Low Oil warning light came on. After an oil change, the dealer discovered 5 holes in your radiator, which was replaced. The dealer also said your engine needed to be replaced, but this repair was not completed. The exact cause of the radiator damage is unclear from the complaint.

Your car won't start when you press the brake pedal and push the start button, even though the brake pedal feels firm. A dealer diagnosed this as an Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) system failure and repaired it once, but the problem has happened again. The issue prevents your vehicle from starting and may require diagnosis and repair of the ETC system.

Your catalytic converter may be failing, which is causing your car to run poorly and limiting your top speed to around 55-60 mph — making highway driving unsafe. You're also experiencing frequent starting problems that multiple battery replacements haven't fixed. Your mechanic has identified this as a known recall issue that needs to be addressed with a replacement catalytic converter and related fuel system components.

Your backup camera isn't working properly — it's turning off, beeping when there's nothing behind you, and sometimes displays the image upside down or glitching. You're also experiencing rapid battery drain even after having the battery and alternator replaced, which suggests an ongoing electrical problem drawing power when the vehicle is off. The issue may require diagnosis of the camera system and electrical circuits to identify what's causing the constant power drain.

The cap on your oil filter housing broke when you were changing the oil filter. This will need to be replaced to prevent oil leaks and keep your engine running properly.