Dealership said all pads and rotors needed changing ... price was a joke (double what a certified mechanic quoted me) ... I purchased the parts and the mechanic called me to tell me he would not touch them and to bring it back to dealership ... turns out rotor was rubbing on housing that holds the brake pads and the calipers attach to. Rubbing causing heat / rotors to warp and pads to burn out quickly. He said it's a huge safety concern and should be rectified by Dodge and putting on new rotors would make it worse as there would be fresh metal to start wearing away the part more.

I hope this helps .. get your mechanic to look how the rotor clears the housing for the pads / calipers.

I'll find out tomorrow what answers I get. This is a design flaw, not a rotor / pad flaw.

I'll try to post pictures of what to look for!

As of this date 1/19/11 I continue to have problems with the brakes. Front w/rotors were replaced at just over 15k. Back brakes w/rotors were replaced at just over 20k. I continue to have brake problems but dealership says that they don't find anything! Last night my tire sensor shown and what do you know I got a flat tire driving on clean, flat roads. Now I am reading that many of these cars have tire problems too. Not sure what to do but this vehicle seems very unsafe. Any suggestions for this overpriced piece of junk?

Dealer advised us of the front brake problem when we had the car in for a standard oil change. We complained about the work having to be performed with such low mileage and the dealer said he would contact Chrysler about it. The dealer's price was quoted as half the cost, as Chrysler would pay 50% of the fee. We took the car to an independent tire/brake service for evaluation and estimate. The estimate was the same that we would have to pay the dealer. (So dealer was charging double) I intend to contact Chrysler about the problem and ask what material is used for the brake pads. I guess we'll take it back to the dealer for the work, but not before we cover all avenues of complaining. Maybe we'll get a "break" on the fee.

I drive a 2009 Dodge Journey and with just 10,000 kms of city driving it has given me problems with very premature brake wear including problems with the booster kits. Just recently I had an unusual knocking sound in the steering column and suspension and it's very annoying because you can hear it even with a hefty volume from the radio. The problem here in the Philippines is that we only have one authorized service center here that apparently doesn't know how to fix this worthless piece of "S". Well what can I say?? I'll take a "kalesa" than any of these car brands any day....

We replaced the front brakes at 22,000 and now replacing them again at 37,000. Mechanic said that crysler were having some issues with brake systems and that we should check it out to see if they are covered. However, we are now 1000 miles out of warranty and Chrysler wants another 2-300 bucks to replace. Not happening....I will do it myself. if there is a recall however I would much rather go that route. Sounds like from others on this site its more of a system issue than wife's driving habits which is what dealer mechanic said.

Had my front Rotors replaced at 4000 miles, 9000 miles, and now need them AGAIN! (18,000) This time when I brought it in, the dealer made a mistake and told me mine were cut the last time and I would have to pay for the fronts this time. I was advised to call the corporate offices to get assistance. After 3 days the Service manager finally realized his mistake but still continued to tell me,(politely) This is my fault, and I must be hard on the brakes. After 30 years of Driving, I have NEVER had this problem. So Far it has been 4 days I have been trying to get my car repaired and I'm still waiting. As far as the rear rotors go, 18,000 does not seem like a reasonable life time. If you are reading this and considering a Journey I only recommend you do so if you have a close relative whom can replace your brakes frequently at a discount!

I had to have pads and rotors replaced at 20,000 miles, which I thought was early, but I figured since my husband was also driving the car that maybe he was brakeing too hard. Now, at 40,000, I have to have the rear pads and rotors replaced. The front ones are also squealing again. When I called Firestone (where I had the fronts replaced in Jan.), they expressed surprise that they would be going out again so soon. However, since they only gave me the standard brake job, I didn't get lifetime pads. So, there's nothing they can do for me. Now I'm looking at $400-$500 to have the rears done, and the fronts again - and that's if I don't need rotors again up front! This is the worst vehicle that I have owned when it comes to reliability, and I'm a lifelong Dodge owner - not anymore!

We have had the same problem as the rest of you. Replaced our brakes and rotors on the front at 28,000 miles. Guess we are luckier than most to make it to 28,000 miles. But we have heard the exact same excuses from our dealer. We are to blame. Not the quality of the brakes and rotors or the quality or, lack there of, of the Dodge Journey. It is us, and the way we drive, that is wearing down the brakes and rotors. Also had to replace tires at that same time. Total bill was $600. Don't let anyone convenience you that you have to purchase the same tires that came on the vehicle. They are outrageously priced. But only weeks after all that work was done, we returned to dealer again for shaking in the steering wheel. Were told that back rotors were worn and they had to cut them. Mind you, when all of the other work was done only weeks prior, the car was inspected also. No one found that the back rotors were wearing. Front rotors also had wear on them and it had only been like 3 weeks since they were replaced. Again this was our fault. Called dealer back a few weeks later to get vehicle in yet again. Wheel was vibrating at 50-60 miles an hour. They took it in an said this was the last time they could or would cut the rotors for us and that we should prepare to buy new ones in the near future. We only put 8000 on these new rotors and I have to think about spending more money again. We do drive about 500 miles per week to and from work, but are you kidding me? We are not new drivers. We know how to drive. I think the Dodge Corp gave all of there dealers a script that they have to read from. Dodge sucks. We will never buy an one as long as we live. So much for supporting an American Company. They wont stand behind their products

I purchased my vehicle from Sherwood Dodge a few years ago. We have roughly 36000 km (22k miles) on it. I took it to the dealership last week (or maybe 2 weeks ago) and was told that I need to get new front brake pads as they have 2 mm left, and that there was a chip in the rotor. As money is a bit tight and we have other repairs, I know that normally 2 mm should last a while.

I ended up taking it in to Midas today and was told that I was extremely close to being in danger.

Why would the dealership let me leave if I was going to be in danger?

And new brakes and a rotor costing me $650... that just seems insane.

I bought a used Dodge Journey with an extended warranty Oct 2009, the car had 27,000 miles on it (that should have given me a warning), anyway I was told by the dealer that they just replaced the front breaks and the car seemed to be in great shape. During the next 6 months, the brakes started squeaking. I just figured it was the new brakes on the front. A couple of months later they started squealing really loud. This was about 9-10 months into my first year. I took the car back to the dealer because they had originally replaced the front breaks. They told me there was nothing wrong with the front brakes, I still had about 55% wear left, but the back breaks were metal to metal. I am not someone who rides their brakes. Breaks usually last me a good two years sometimes more, so when he said 55% left in the front breaks, I am like what happened to the other 45% of the break loss. you just put the front breaks on. Anyway I ended up spending 258.00 for back breaks because they said that is were the noise was coming from. WRONG. Not two hours later the breaks started squealing again. So the next month I took the car to firestone who also said there is nothing wrong with the front brakes, the noise is coming from the back brakes, and OH you have about 25% left in your front brakes you may also need a to replace the caliper and I am sure with all the grinding your rotors will have to be turned. Total cost about 300.00. The caliper itself was 189.00. So right now I am riding on bad front breaks, I know the breaks are bad, but everybody keeps telling me they are not. I can feel the grinding in the break system, and I hear the noise only when stopping not when backing up. I guess they figure since I am a woman I don't know what I am talking about. By the way, I didn't left firestone fix them either.