Key Takeaways
- NHTSA advances the Dodge Journey investigation after a fatal fire in 2022, affecting nearly 1 million SUVs from 2009 to 2020.
- Safety concerns arise from door lock failures during electrical malfunctions, despite manual unlock instructions in the owner’s manual.
- The Dodge Journey isn’t the only model facing issues recently, with Durango SUVs and Charger muscle cars also under scrutiny for potential defects.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has updated its investigation into the Dodge Journey following a fatal fire that occurred in 2022, which resulted in the death of a Wisconsin woman trapped inside her burning vehicle. The ongoing investigation, which started in May 2023, has now entered a more advanced Engineering Analysis phase to assess the safety risk further, according to the NHTSA document.
Available Models
Moreover, the NHTSA has also discovered additional reports of vehicle entrapment in other model years of the Dodge Journey, highlighting additional safety concerns and potential defects. This will affect nearly one million Dodge Journey SUVs, manufactured between 2009 and 2020. Dodge discontinued the Journey after the 2020 model year, though it returned after a few years, albeit exclusively for the Chinese market.
What Went Wrong?
The investigation originally began after the tragic incident in December 2022, where a 2009 Dodge Journey caught fire, and the driver was unable to escape due to the vehicle’s door locks failing. The fire started due to an electrical malfunction, and the inability to manually unlock the doors during such failures has raised significant safety concerns.
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While the Dodge Journey owner’s manual indicates that doors can be manually unlocked by pulling a plunger on the door trim panel, this method has been proven ineffective, especially when in a state of panic. Of note, the Journey has been involved in several recalls across various model years, mostly involving electrical defects.
Recent Dodge Issues
While this recent update on the NHTSA investigation doesn’t mean that all Dodge Journey owners are at risk of fire or vehicle entrapment, it won’t hurt if owners start reaching into their glove compartments and going through their owner’s manuals. The steps to manually unlock the doors should be pretty straightforward.
Related
Over 200,000 Dodge Durango SUVs And Ram Trucks At Risk Of Losing Control
The stability control system may be faulty, which means no anti-lock braking either.
The Journey isn’t the only Dodge that’s been scrutinized recently. Several Durango SUVs were recently recalled due to potentially faulty stability control systems, while several Charger muscle cars require replacements for airbag inflators. Even the new Dodge Hornet isn’t safe from issues, with the Alfa Romeo Tonale twin being at risk of fire due to its loose 12-volt battery positive cable nuts and/or high-voltage connectors.
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