2018 Dodge Journey Brakes Problems

The brake calipers and brake rotators in the front are a safety concern. In other recalls the rear calipers and rotors have been flagged for recall. The front also has the same issue. Unrelated the visibility of the front windshield is extremely obstructed by the plastic body that surrounds the windshield. It is over 6 in wide and very unsafe when trying to exit Ally's or before turning at traffic lights.

NHTSA ID

11756534

Incident

Aug 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and failed to stop immediately. The traction control, ABS, and brake warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the calipers, rotors, and brake pads needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ID

11752059

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

Mileage

110,000 mi

I have a 2018 Dodge Journey SE with currently 70,000 miles. I'm the second owner & purchased it with only 11,000 miles on it. The front brakes | anti-lock braking system (ABS) experienced failure when I needed to stop the vehicle. I was approaching a 4-way intersection and had the green light ahead of me not knowing that a semi truck was entering the intersection due to other vehicles in left turn lane blocking my view momentarily, when I realized/saw it, immediately I hit brake pedal, the front brakes produced a grinding noise, and grinding was also felt in/on brake pedal. VEHICLE DIDN'T STOP IN TIME, I SKID/SLID DIRECTLY IN THE SEMI'S PATH & INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION ALMOST CRASHING INTO THE FRONT/SIDE OF IT, BEFORE VEHICLE FINALLY STOPPED! GOD SAVED ME FROM WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE LIFE THREATENING CRASH DUE TO CATASTROPHIC FAILURE! Vehicle has been inspected by local service/repair shop prior to this event/failure for the same exact failure. They said nothing could be determined, located or seen that would indicate why such a failure occurs on and off. ABSOLUTELY ZERO warning indicators of any kind occurred before, during or after failure. Prior to this event and on multiple occasions the same exact failure type has happened, but during a rain storm or after one when the road is still wet thus the reason I took it to shop previously. I only have this one vehicle and rely on it heavily to get myself and kids to and from work and school etc daily. With a catastrophic failure such as this I would hope the manufacturer would step up to ensure these are looked at seriously and correct the issue so it doesn't continue to happen. My VIN is not part of a recall or anything service related to this failure type.

NHTSA ID

11700835

Incident

Nov 20, 2025

There are known recalls on 2018 Dodge Journeys. For some reason my VIN [XXX] doesn't show on the list. 1) back up camera shows a black screen or a blurry dark picture (on going issue for over a year) 2) electrical system sometimes refuses to acknowledge the key fob and or won't start due to it thinking it has a dead battery. (on going issue for almost two years) 3) when braking in an emergency situation, heavy vibration from the rear of vehicle (on going issue for a few years when hard braking rarely occurs) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11673369

Incident

Jun 23, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact can a grinding sound coming from the rear brakes. No warning light illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, however the diagnosis was unknown. The vehicle was repaired as the front brakes were repaired. The contact mention while attempting to reverse the vehicle the rearview camera takes a few mins to display an image. The contact was relating the failure to related to the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 ( SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was also relating his second failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V398000( BACK OVER PREVENTION )however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they sent a message stating her vin was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 61,200.

NHTSA ID

11672587

Incident

Apr 15, 2025

Mileage

61,200 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear brakes. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The front brakes were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera image was slow to be displayed. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 ( SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and 18V398000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 61,200.

NHTSA ID

11672582

Incident

Apr 15, 2025

Mileage

61,200 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear brakes. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed; however, the result was not provided. The front brakes were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated while attempting to reverse the rearview camera image was not immediately displayed. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and 18V398000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recalls. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 61,200.

NHTSA ID

11672581

Incident

Apr 15, 2025

Mileage

61,200 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle shook abnormally. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed. The contact stated that all four tires were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to Midas but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ID

11645181

Incident

Apr 11, 2022

Mileage

75,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed a failure with the ABS unit; however, the parts to perform the repair were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted again to confirm parts availability and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The manufacturer was also made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11604782

Incident

May 1, 2024

Mileage

70,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, and the contact heard an abnormal grinding sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Midas where the vehicle was diagnosed that the rear brake caliper pistons failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that she was informed by the mechanic that the vehicle was included in a recall. The contact then stated that she received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The dealer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ID

11545998

Incident

Aug 21, 2023

Mileage

65,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention screen delayed in responding, before going black and then returning to normal operation. Additionally, the vehicle failed to stop in a reasonable amount of time while depressing the brake pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made not aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,862.

NHTSA ID

11539733

Incident

Mar 7, 2023

Mileage

72,862 mi

Rear caliper problems

NHTSA ID

11460961

Incident

Apr 14, 2022

THE BRAKE PEDAL FEELS SPONGY WHEN I PRESS IT DOWN, FEELS LIKE THERE'S AIR IN THE SYSTEM. I GOT THE BRAKE BOOSTER REPLACED A FEW MONTHS AGO AT THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. NOW THERE'S ANOTHER ISSUE WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, I HAVE TO STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR TO INCREASE HORSEPOWER. THE RPM INCREASES, BUT IT TAKES A WHILE TO GAIN HORSEPOWER.

NHTSA ID

11413126

Incident

Apr 18, 2021

I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW AT ABOUT 10,000 MILES STARTED HAVING A SHUTTERING ISSUE WHEN BRAKING WASN'T TO BAD TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY FIXED IT I COULD TELL SOMETHINGS WASN'T RIGHT IT KEPT GETTING WORSE NOW WHERE AT 40,000 MILES IT'S EXTREMELY BAD THE DEALERSHIP REPLACE THE ROTORS ON THE FRONT I HAD THE REPLACE SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE IT'S FEELS THE WORSE THE DEALERSHIP AND FCA WOULD NOT HELP RESOLVED THIS ISSUES IF ANY PAPER IS REQUIRED FROM THE DEALERSHIP I CAN GET IT IT'S WORSE COMING DOWN HILL

NHTSA ID

11407972

Incident

Apr 13, 2021

Mileage

40,000 mi

3RD BRAKE LIGHT FUNCTIONS WHEN DOORS ARE CLOSED AND REVERSE CAMERA TURNS OFF WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE ON.

NHTSA ID

11383609

Incident

Nov 1, 2020

THE BRAKES SOMETIMES FEEL THAT THEY WON'T STOP. THE ROTORS ARE GETTING SOME DEEP LINES ON IT.

NHTSA ID

11383272

Incident

Dec 2, 2020

Mileage

18,000 mi

SINCE AROUND 9,000 MILES I HAVE HAD A VIBRATION WHEN BRAKING TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY REPLACED THE FRONT ROTORS STILL DOING IT I HAVE TOOK IT BACK 7 TIMES THEY CLAIM NOTHING WRONG TOOK IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP NOTHING WRONG TOOK IT BACK AGAIN THEY SAID IT WAS THE BACK ROTOR REPLACED THEM WITH NEW AND STILL DOING IT THE CAR HAS AROUND 27,000 NOW DODGE IS REFUSING TO LOOK INTO IT FURTHER IT DOES IT WORSE GOING DOING HILL USING THE BRAKES SOME TIMES IT GETS TO THE POINT YOU HAVE TROUBLE BRAKING

NHTSA ID

11338822

Incident

Jun 8, 2020

Mileage

27,000 mi

AT JUST 13K MILES ALL 4 ROTORS ARE COMPLETELY WARPED AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. NOT COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DUE TO ROTORS ARE "MAINTENANCE" EVEN THO ROTORS ARE SUPPOSED TO LAST 70,000 MILES! I WAS TOLD TO 'NOT USE" MY BRAKES WHILE DOING 75 AROUND TURNS...THAT IS CHRYSLER'S SOLUTION?CAR SHUDDERS ARE 75 MPH IF YOU TOUCH THE BRAKES. *TR

NHTSA ID

11321229

Incident

Apr 1, 2020

Mileage

13,389 mi

I HAVE HAD TO BRING MY DODGE IN TO THE DEALER AT LEAST 7 TIMES SINCE I GOT IT BRAND NEW. I HAD STEERING ISSUES, BRAKE ISSUES, THE PASSENGER BACK DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE. NOW THE CAR WILL "STALL" AT TIMES WHEN CAR IS IN MOTION AND I GO TO ACCELERATE. I HAVE NOT BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR THIS ISSUE YET .

NHTSA ID

11257414

Incident

Feb 6, 2018

THE CAR KEPT LOSING POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING AND NO ENGINE LIGHTS WERE POPPING UP TO SHOW THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE FIRST 2 TIMES WERE IN REVERSE. THE POWER CUT OFF AND I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL OR BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND GO. THE THIRD TIME I WAS GOING FORWARD ON A HIGHWAY. I SLOWED TO TURN ON AND THE POWER CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN. I WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE STEERING WHEEL OR BRAKES. LUCKILY I WAS NOT AROUND OTHER VEHICLES AND THE CAR SLOWED TO A STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN GRASS. THIS OCCURRED WITH A YOUNG CHILD IN THE CAR AND IT SCARED BOTH OF US. I WAS ABLE TO THEN START THE CAR AGAIN AND GET IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT THE NEXT DAY. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN THEY HOOKED IT UP TO THEIR MACHINES. THEY DROVE THE CAR FOR A WEEK AND WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE LAST DAY WHEN THEY TOOK IT FOR ONE MORE DRIVE THE CAR DIED ON THEM IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. THEY HOOKED THE CAR UP AGAIN AND IT SHOWED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. WHEN THEY CONTACTED CHRYSLER CORPORATION THEY TOLD THEM TO LOOK AT THE ENGINE. THAT IS WHEN THEY FOUND METAL SHARDS AND OTHER THINGS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE. THE CORPORATION HAD KNOWN THAT SOME OF THESE ENGINES WERE FAULTY BUT HAD NOT NOTIFIED THE DEALERSHIP OR THE CONSUMERS THAT THEY COULD BE DRIVING A CAR WITH A FAULTY ENGINE. THIS WAS MOST DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND ESPECIALLY CONCERNING SINCE WE HAD BEEN DRIVING OUR YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE WITH US. I BELIEVE THE CONSUMERS SHOULD KNOW THAT THEY COULD HAVE FAULTY ENGINES AND NOT KNOW BECAUSE THE SERVICE MACHINES DO NOT DETECT THE PROBLEM AND CHRYSLER IS NOT GIVING OUT THE INFORMATION.

NHTSA ID

11204621

Incident

Mar 28, 2019

Mileage

2,700 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN MY BRAND NEW DODGE JOURNEY THAT WAS PURCHASED LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AGO, ALL THE VEHICLES CAME TO A STOP AND WERE STATIONARY. MY CAR INCLUDED WAS STATIONARY OR STOPPED. WHILE WAITING FOR TRAFFIC TO GO, MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED (WAS IN MOTION) AND STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD. MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE WHEN THIS OCCURRED. I CONTINUED TO PUSH DOWN THE BRAKE AS HARD AS I COULD AND PUMP THE BRAKE TO MAKE THE CAR STOP BUT IT FELT LIKE THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT GO DOWN. MY BRAKES DID NOT WORK AND THE VEHICLE IN FRONT ON ME ENDED UP STOPPING MY CAR. I PULLED OVER TO THE LEFT SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY AS MUCH AS I COULD AND PUT MY CAR IN PARK AND CALLED HIGHWAY PATROL. *DT*JB

NHTSA ID

11160994

Incident

Dec 10, 2018

Mileage

356 mi

TAKATA RECALL. MY VEHICLE BRAKES HAS A PAUSE BETWEEN THEM. WHEN I AM COMING TO A STOP IT TAKE A WHILE TO BREAK. THE BREAKS ARE NOT CONSISTENT THIS IS VERY SCARY, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY YESTERDAY AND THE BREAKS TOOK A WHILE TO ACTUALLY START BREAKING. THESE BREAKS ARE NOT RIGHT. I WAS TOLD AFTER 500 MILES THE CAR WOULD BREAK IN AND DRIVE BETTER. BUT STILL DRIVING THE SAME. VERY DANGEROUS FOR MYSELF AND MY FAMILY.

NHTSA ID

11139387

Incident

Oct 9, 2018

Mileage

1,400 mi

WAS RAINING AND WHEN I WENT TO BREAK IT'S LIKE THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT A BREAK FAILURE LIKE IT DID NOT WANT TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND I ENDED UP SKIDINGBEFORE THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP BUT DID NOT HIT ANYTHING SO IT'S LIKE IT IT DID NOT WANT TO GRIP THE PAVEMENT OR STOP UNTIL IT ACTUALLY GRIPPED

NHTSA ID

11133463

Incident

Oct 4, 2018

Mileage

5,650 mi

SOME DAYS MY BRAKE PEDAL FEELS MORE FIRM AND WILL STOP ON A DIME THAN OTHERS TIMES IT FEELS SPONGY OR SOFT AND GOES TO THE FLOOR IT DOES STOP THE VEHICLE BUT WHEN IT'S SPONGY IT TAKES LONGER ALMOST AS IF I'M DRIVING A FREIGHT TRAIN AT 60 MILES AN HOUR HIGHWAY IN OR IN TOWN DRIVING AS OF TODAY I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS OTHER THAN THE BRAKES

NHTSA ID

11123982

Incident

Aug 10, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 DODGE JOURNEY. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE WOULD SKID BEFORE STOPPING, WHICH EXTENDED THE BRAKING DISTANCE. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER (TROTTER AUTO EL DORADO, 1910 W. HILLSBORO ST, EL DORADO, AR) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200.

NHTSA ID

11110328

Incident

Jun 1, 2018

Mileage

200 mi