Dodge Journey NHTSA Investigates 1 Million Vehicles for Locking People Inside

 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating a serious defect in all model years of the Dodge Journey. The issue has been discovered where door locks and windows may not function properly, trapping people inside the vehicle, and there have been reports of fatal fires.

Dodge Journey

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) began an initial investigation into the issue in May 2023 and has found six more cases of passengers being trapped. None of the cases resulted in injuries, but the investigation has now been upgraded to the engineering analysis phase. This analysis focuses on assessing what happens to the vehicle, locks, and windows during a thermal event, such as a fire.

Based on the findings, the Dodge Journey is estimated to be approximately 992,643 vehicles produced from 2009 through 2020. This includes both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models.

NHTSA is also investigating a possible backup camera defect in Dodge Journey models produced from 2018 through 2020. So far, 26 failures have been reported, and if confirmed, an estimated 226,249 vehicles could be affected.

Dodge discontinued the Journey in 2020, a midsize crossover available in two- or three-row seating configurations and with four-cylinder or V-6 power options. In the final model year, it was available only with a 173-horsepower 2.4-liter engine paired with a four-speed automatic transmission.

The results of this investigation could result in a major recall of the Dodge Journey, so we’ll have to wait for further updates.