AutoUtility currently tracks 231 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Dodge Journey. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 71 complaints (30.7% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 7 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 7 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 231 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (71 reports • 30.7% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (47), Engine & Cooling (29)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 7 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 7 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
231
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
7
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
1
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
7
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2018 Dodge Journey

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 30.7% of complaints

Electrical System

71 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#2 Problem Area 20.3% of complaints

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

47 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 2 crash reports
#3 Problem Area 12.6% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

29 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#4 Problem Area 12.1% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

28 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report
#5 Problem Area 11.3% of complaints

Exterior Lighting

26 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Dodge Journey

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Air Bags & Restraints NHTSA ODI ID: #11759321
Filed: 08/25/2026

"First Complain is that I was driving my 2018 Dodge Journey SE 2.4L across the interstate in [XXX]. My friend was sitting in the Passenger's seat when all of a sudden a loud popping noise happened and the airbag in the headrest popped out and almost hit my friend in the head. The second issue is..."

Incident Date: 08/25/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11757898
Filed: 08/19/2026

"The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank image. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not inspected. The contact was informed that an unknown recall was not associated with the VIN. The vehicle was..."

Incident Date: 08/01/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION
Other / Miscellaneous NHTSA ODI ID: #11757288
Filed: 08/16/2026

"The factory-installed ParkView rear backup camera on my 2018 Dodge Journey is suffering from an intermittent, severe component failure. The video display randomly flips completely upside down while reversing. Frequently, the system fails entirely, leaving a completely blank or black screen on the..."

Incident Date: 08/15/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11756433
Filed: 08/12/2026

"The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera image was inverted. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25E052000 (Back Over Prevention), and the vehicle was taken to a dealer for the recall repair; however, the..."

Incident Date: 07/12/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11756534
Filed: 08/12/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 08/01/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES,VISIBILITY/WIPER
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Dodge Journey

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2020)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Dodge Journey 552 30 6 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Dodge Journey 385 19 4 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Dodge Journey 197 12 2 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Dodge Journey Current Page 231 7 6 Current
2019 Dodge Journey 100 6 1 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Dodge Journey 64 1 1 View 2020 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Dodge Journey

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 83 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 24 0 1 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 13 0 0 0 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 12 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 12 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 11 0 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 8 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 7 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 6 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 1 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 4 3 0 3 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 4 0 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 3 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEATS 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 2 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 2 1 0 1 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS 2 0 0 0 0
BACK OVER PREVENTION,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SEAT BELTS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (231). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (3)

1 OPEN 2 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
OPEN Engineering Analysis (EA) ODI Action #EA24003
Opened: 2024-08-01 • Currently Active

Vehicle entrapment

Affected Component: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-008 on May 1, 2023 to investigate an incident involving a 2009 Dodge Journey alleging occupant entrapment during a vehicle fire that resulted in a fatality. During the investigation, ODI collected information from the manufacturer and involved parties to confirm or refute the defect allegation. ODI has determined that additional reports of vehicle entrapment exist for other model year Dodge Jo...

Active federal investigation. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE24006
Opened: 2024-02-27 • Closed: 2025-09-26

Back up camera failure

Affected Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

On February 27, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to investigate complaints alleging a loss of back up camera function in Model Year (MY) 2018 through 2020 Dodge Journey vehicles.  Complainants reported experiencing black screens, upside down images, flashing images, or blurred images.  A back up camera that does not display correctly increases the likelihood of a crash or injury. Analysis o...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 25V552 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE19014
Opened: 2019-09-09 • Closed: 2026-02-25

Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment

Affected Component: SEATS

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver...

Closed without associated recall campaign. Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2018 Dodge Journey

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.