I purchased my 2009 Dodge Journey, from Carl Gregory in Columbus, Ga, In OCT 2008, I was so excited about the Journey , saw the commericals and spent months reading about the Journey. The purchasing process was a very stressful event, i had to get a lawyer, which cost me $1,200, plus I put a large down payment on the Journey. that should have been my key to run like hell!! but no I am stubborn and now the service department at Carl Gregory is my home away from home.

All the plastic like the visors, pop up dash, sunglass compartment have broken and been replaced already this started a little over 10,000 miles. My first brake pads on the front at 17,000 miles, plus they turned the rotors approx. $200. now at 25,000 miles the front tires completely worn ...Oh but get this They have to special order the tires, 225/55/R19 Kumho Solus 99H or 99T the cost $189 each total cost $450.74, wow that was August, now today replaced the 2 back tires, because the shaking and vibrations in the steering wheel horrible, I hate driving this SUV now!! I took the Journey in to the service department at dodge in August and they said the rotors needed turning again $102.00.

Wow 26,000 miles approx $1200.00 I have had to put into my 2009 Journey...I feel like I have been hit the the stomach...I am a disabled Veteran, living on a fixed income....Do you think Carl Gregory cares or the service people.. NO!!! I just decided to Google "Bad Brakes" last night...I feel like a complete idiot...over 50 complaints and Chrysler still "NO RECALL" . I am mad as Hell and when I get to the service department in the morning...They will know it too!! I called them today and told them about all the complaints...I am so thankful that I can rant and rave on the website, and plus I am not alone..I hope everyone that has a crappy Journey will see the light at the end of the tunnel.. I was going to trade it in , but i have too much money invested in it...I would be very upside down and screwed even more ..if I did that. I will take my Journey in everyday of the week...until they fix this problem...They already know me there anyway...I'm thinking this would make a great Columbus ledger story.

After replacing the front pads, having the rotors turned twice, new tires now, my steering wheel vibrates and if you are going 50 mph, and brake normally the whole front end shakes, it feels like you are on that old crappy rollercoaster and you better hang on .

I am going to call the 1-800 mumber and whatever web sites that I can tell my story. I just hope that they will decide to recall the Journey on the brake and rotor issue.

Bummed out in AL!!!

I have been buying Dodge and Chryslers since 1972. I like chryslers styling innovation and because Iacocca used to work for my uncle a long time ago. What I liked about Chrysler most was its engineering. Until I bought the 2009 Journey. At 19535 miles I had to have the front brake pads replaced (20% left) and the rotors machined. This week the front wheel is squealing like something is rubbing until I apply the brakes to stop. The continuous squealing starts at 0 mph and is intermittent at highway speeds. I wonder what the problem is now. Also at 19535 miles I had to replace the water pump and front struts and inner tie rods. I hate to say this but I may be forced to trade this vehicle in for something else. My wife likes the Sonata?????? C'MON Dodge don't make me be ashamed to drive this vehicle. I would like to keep Dodge's in my driveway but if the engineering keeps slipping like this. I mean how long have you been designing brake systems for cars. My Ram truck has over 50000 miles and is just showing signs of needing brake attention so I know you know something about brakes. Maybe you outsourced the engineering to some company that had the lowest bid. Please fix this problem before you lose loyal buyers of Chyrsler and Dodge vehicles.

Update from Dec 29, 2010: Updating since last entry:

We now have 22224 miles on the 2009 Dodge Journey. My wife normally drives the vehicle a short distance to work and back. The latest brake problem happened when I joined a car pool. When it was my week to drive I used the Journey because it has more passenger room than my Ram. When returning home at the end of our trip we smelled something as we exited the highway. Then smoke was billowing from the rear wheels. I took it to the dealer a few blocks away. The dealer found that the inboard brake pad slides were sticking, the pads were worn and rotors needed replaced. The repair cost for the rear brakes was $347.13. I don't think I will not be buying another Journey in the future unless Dodge fixes this problem. I am also considering purchasing another car brand in the near future because of these problems that were not covered by Dodge. I beleive these brake problems were premature wear and need to be covered by Dodge. Also a better solution to the brake problem other than just replacing them should be done.

I have a 2009 Journey and the front brakes failed after 29,868 miles on it. The dealer says that it is normal. That is not so, or it may be for this vehicle. I have been working on cars for over 35 years, including two years as a mechanic. Yes I know when something is a design issue. I have never owned any vehicle that the brakes failed under 70,000 miles. I also know when the brake pads wear uneven, their is a problem, contrary to what they tell me. It is a shame that Dodge just sits back until they are forced to do something, after someone is killed, that is wrong. Based on all that I have seen with this vehicle and others having the same problem, I will not buy Dodge in the future.

I have my auto since Jan. 2009 it has 22700 miles it is so bad that the front brakes have had to be replaced 6 times already most of the times rotors and pads.Thats not all the rear brakes have been replaced 3 times also this can not be normal. To top it all off my brakes were changed 3 weeks ago and they are already vibrating and shaking like crazy . I have had them changed by the dealer who only cuts the rotors that didnt work. Ihave had them replaced by my own machanic and that has not worked

You gotta be friggin kidding me! Barely even 2000 miles on the car after the first brake and rotor replacement and my wife is bitching again about grinding noises. Believe me, it aint her driving! Its this dang car! I love the Journey and so does she, but this is ridiculous. The BRAKES i purchased last month were under a 1 year warranty so it didn't cost me anything this time except TIME, but what a ridiculous situation. Where is Dodge in this? No where....left us all hanging out to dry because no one is doing anything about the serious underbuild in this vehicle's braking system. Guess somebody will have to be killed before it makes news and someone does something about it. Get ready for the lawsuits ... :(

I guess I was lucky. My front left brake went metal to metal at 38,000 miles. Strange that the front right still had 20 - 30% of the pad left though. I recently noticed that the back left rotor had pitted rust covering the rotor. I took it to the Dealer since I had bought the extended warranty and explained that the front left brake was again wearing prematurely. I was told that both issues were being caused by "excessive rust build up on the slides" and that the car needs to have service performed on the brakes every 15,000 miles in order to prevent "rust build up". When I asked if this was the reason nickle plated slide covers were used, the tech never answered. I then asked if he took the back left caliper off to see if it was froze up, he told me "no" it was the "rust build up" causing the problem. I asked if he had checked the sensors, he stated no reason to. I asked if he checked the proportioning valve, I was told he did and it was fine. After having the back breaks and rotors changed by by a ASE certified mechanic (one that I trust) I called the dealer and told them that there was no rust build up prohibiting the pads from sliding. I am now told that because there is no evidence of the uneven wear on the left side (go figure) I have to take the car back in so they can gauge and monitor brake wear. So I really made this guy mad by telling him "due to you not doing your job right the first time, I now have to wait 10,000 miles or for a complete brake failure to prove there is an issue". Because they could not argue with my logic, I now have to wait and put my family at risk. I do not blame Dodge (Chrysler) for this, I blame the dumb ass Tech and the owner of the dealership.

Update from Aug 11, 2010: After having Chrysler stand behind the technician and tell me tough cookies, I sent the following reply. Please feel free to send it to chrysler also.

So with all the issues and complaints in regards to the Journey's brakes will Chrysler actually wait until a life is lost over this issue before saying there is a problem? Let me guess here, hmmm 1 life, $3 million dollar law suit, and Chrysler still makes the money. I bet your family drives a GM or Ford because you don't want to risk their lives.

By the way, It cost $290.00 to have the back pads and rotors replaced.

I purchased my 2009 Dodge Journey not even 1 year ago, and when I went to drive it today there was a terrible grinding noise when I applied the brakes. I took it to the dealer first thing in their "Express Lane" to find out that I needed new brakes and rotors at 21K miles. I knew this wasn't correct so I asked the extremely smart service man and he told me "On a car like this its normal" I asked the tech what did he mean by that? He didn't answer. This is not my issue, this is Chrysler dodges issue, I hope that Chrysler and or the dealership does something to fix the issue as I would hate to have the brakes fail and have this vehicle end up on the showroom floor in the bad way!!! Complaints have been filed with Chrysler direct and safercar.gov please do the same don't stop talking till you get satisfaction, this is bullshit!

This is absolutely ridiculous. I've replaced the pads at 13,500 miles. At the time the car was so new, I had a hard time even finding replacement pads. Went to Napa, autozone, and Kragen. They all said that there is something seriously wrong if you are replacing brake pads already. Tell me about it! I called the local Dodge dealer and they said this was normal. I didn't fall off the truck yesterday! I guess if this is what to expect from a dodge, then I will never buy one or any affiliated product from them again period. And they wonder why they are in trouble financially. Build a freakin vehicle that matches the high price we paid for it! Idiots! Not to mention, I am now at 30,000 miles and now have to replace not only the front pads, but the rotors as well! Dodge needs to step up or go down in flames. Shame on you Dodge for ignoring the problems. Safety problem= LAWSUIT you idiots. I hope you get bought out by a japanese company, at least they know how to build a car!