2013 Dodge Journey Interior & seats Problems

On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at approximately 1:30 PM, the driver’s side headrest, part of my 2013 Dodge Journey’s AHR (Active Head Restraint) system suddenly exploded for no apparent reason. I was alone in the vehicle, waiting to make a left turn. The sudden loud, sharp sound and impact to the back of my head startled and stunned me; I felt as if I had been rear ended. I looked back but there was no one behind me. Not knowing what had happened, I felt scared and light headed. I was still able to complete my turn but I pulled over to compose myself and ensure that I was okay. I didn’t become aware of the failure of the headrest until I returned home and my husband inspected the vehicle. As I write this incident report 24 hours after it occurred, I am experiencing soreness and discomfort in my neck and plan to seek a medical assessment. The vehicle is available for inspection until repairs are made. The manufacturer acknowledges that the sudden failure of this component is a defect for this vehicle but as yet it has not been the subject of a recall. No inspection of the head rest component by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

NHTSA ID

11687948

Incident

Sep 16, 2025

My headrest randomly deployed/opened. I have contacted the dealership, and spoke directly, with Dodge; still no success. I have been trying to get this issue fixed for over a year; I still have a broken headrest that hurts my neck and makes it uncomfortable to drive. Please RECALL the headrest for 2013 Dodge Journey! This is my second form and NOTHING has been done yet!!

NHTSA ID

11652174

Incident

Jan 7, 2024

The driver side seat headrest cushion deployed automatically. There was no car collision. I noticed the seat headrest deployed after returning to the car hours later. I liked into the interior back side of the cushion part and I saw broken pieces inside.

NHTSA ID

11651269

Incident

Mar 27, 2025

We were going thru the park we did not hit anything nor where we going fast we were only going 14/15 mph . I was sitting in the pasenger seat and all of a sudden we heard what sounded like a loud pop and my head was hit by the head rest for no reason . We were not in an accident or anthing to cause it to just all of a sudden deploy.

NHTSA ID

11637995

Incident

Jan 22, 2025

As I was driving to pick my son up from work at 10pm, I started to drive my 2013 dodge journey sxt and noticed my head position didn't feel right. I got to my sons job and as we were making our way to the gas station to get gas before we headed home my headrest hit me in the back of the head randomly. The active headrest sprung forward hitting me in the back of the head. Luckily I was not driving at that moment or it could have caused me to crash, being that it was night time and raining. I got home where I could get my flash light out and give it a good looking over and realized that it the clips on the inside of the active headrest broke. I tried to reset the headrest to dee if there was some other mechanism that would let it re-clip back in place and it just keeps springing forward. I have not taken it to get it looked at yet as I am writing you on the same night of the incident. I tool a picture of the headrest in it sprung forward state. I have also read alot of reviews on cargurus website about other dodge journey owners having the same issues. Over 20 complaints regarding this same issue. There were jo warning signs other than me noticing my head position felt strange before the headrest completely sprung forward.

NHTSA ID

11604626

Incident

Jul 25, 2024

We were pulling out of a parking lot on to the road and the riverside head headrest “exploded” open. We have looked and seen that some weee recalled but ours was not apart of the recall.

NHTSA ID

11599864

Incident

Jul 7, 2024

There was no damage to my headrest when I parked my car on the evening of: June 29, 2024. On Sunday morning; June 30, 2024. When I entered my vehicle. I learned that the driver seat headrest; airbag deployed/busted open for no apparent reason. My children travel with me in this vehicle. This is very, very dangerous!

NHTSA ID

11597845

Incident

Jun 30, 2024

My headrest on my passenger seat employed during the night. My wife noticed it in the morning when she went to turn the car on for work. My safety or whoever would be sitting in the passenger could be compromised if the headrest would’ve went off while driving. We are worried now that our driver seat might activate for no apparent reason. That would put myself or anyone else on the road in danger.

NHTSA ID

11540436

Incident

Aug 23, 2023

On November 2nd, 2022, while driving home with my teenage son in the passenger seat with his head leaning back on the headrest, the headrest spontaneously sprang/deployed and thrust his head forward toward the front of the car. When we got home, I looked into the headrest and found the latching pin broke away from the housing and deployed the headrest. This is available for inspection as I cannot put the broken headrest back into my vehicle. Fortunately, my son was not injured as far as we know. We will be having the local dealership look at the headrest tomorrow 11/5/22

NHTSA ID

11492358

Incident

Nov 2, 2022

The driver side headrest has snapped from its plastic hinges inside that keep the front cushion part attached the the back plastic cover. It happened while I was driving with my children in the vehicle and could have caused an accident!

NHTSA ID

11489471

Incident

Oct 16, 2022

My car was parked in the driveway and when I went to leave in my car I noticed the headrest felt odd. I got out of the car to inspect it and found that the active head rest had deployed. The vehicle has not been in an accident and was parked at time of incident.

NHTSA ID

11467664

Incident

Jun 5, 2022

The passenger side headrest popped open when no one was in the passenger seat. Scared me half to death!

NHTSA ID

11459336

Incident

Mar 29, 2022

I noticed today that the front passenger headrest popped apart, or deployed. I am not sure exactly what to call it. I had no front seat passengers.

NHTSA ID

11444206

Incident

Dec 16, 2021

Active head rest deployed. Car was off.

NHTSA ID

11423529

Incident

Jul 5, 2021

THE PASSENGER HEADREST DEPLOYED WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVEWAY. TRIED TO RESET HEADREST AND WHERE THE PIN IS MOUNTED IS BROKE. PIN IS STILL IN LATCH ASSEMBLY AND CANNOT BE RESET. AFTER GOOGLING IT WAS SUGGESTED I SEND A REPORT TO YOU. WE HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE.

NHTSA ID

11421877

Incident

Mar 14, 2019

ACTIVE HEAD RESTRAINT HEADREST ON FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DEPLOYED ON ITS OWN. CAR WAS STATIONARY AND TURNED OFF. THE PASSENGER WAS BUCKLED IN AND HAD LEANING FORWARD TO OPEN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT WHEN THE HEAD RESTS POPPED OPEN.

NHTSA ID

11366320

Incident

Oct 24, 2020

Mileage

54,458 mi

AS I WAS DRIVING THE HEAD REST DEPLOYED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AND SHOVED MY HEAD FORWARD CAUSING ME TO LOSE FOCUS

NHTSA ID

11364753

Incident

Oct 16, 2020

Mileage

80,000 mi

DRIVER'S SIDE HEADREST DEPLOYED WHILE THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND PARKED. IT STRUCK DRIVER IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD.

NHTSA ID

11363816

Incident

Oct 9, 2020

Mileage

110,000 mi

DRIVER HEADREST DEPLOYED WHILE CAR WAS PARKED. LOOKED ONLINE SEEMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MOST DODGE VEHICLES MADE AFTER 2010.*DT CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND HAD A POSSIBLE CONCUSSION.*JB

NHTSA ID

11361646

Incident

Sep 28, 2020

Mileage

183,000 mi

PASSENGER SIDE HEADREST DEPLOYED WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED & UNOCCUPIED.

NHTSA ID

11361586

Incident

Aug 15, 2020

Mileage

171,000 mi

DRIVERS SIDE HEADREST SNAPPED APART WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY.

NHTSA ID

11354162

Incident

Sep 4, 2020

Mileage

70,300 mi

THE ACTIVE HEADREST RESTRAINT DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A CITY ROAD.

NHTSA ID

11348599

Incident

Jun 29, 2020

Mileage

100,000 mi

DRIVERS HEADREST EXPLODED FORWARD AND HIT ME IN THE HEAD WHILE DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.

NHTSA ID

11342804

Incident

Aug 2, 2020

Mileage

94,271 mi

THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEADREST DEPLOYED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED. NO COLLISION, IT WAS JUST TOUCHED WITH A HAND.

NHTSA ID

11340266

Incident

Jul 12, 2020

Mileage

59,468 mi

I GOT INTO THE VEHICLE SHUT THE DOOR AND THE HEAD REST POPPED OPEN IT HIT MY HEAD SO HARD MY NECK HURTS FROM MY HEAD BEING THROWN FORWARD THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MOVING IT WASN'T EVEN STARTED YET IT WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY I HAD TO TAKE OFF THE HEADREST SO I COULD DRIVE IT.*DT CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THE HEADREST WOULD COST $575 TO REPLACE IT. IN THE MEAN TIME, CONSUMER PLACED 2 SCREWS TO HOLD IT IN PLACE UNTIL HE COULD REPAIR IT.*JB

NHTSA ID

11339836

Incident

Jul 16, 2020

Mileage

115,302 mi