Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure on the 2010 Dodge Journey AWD
When ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure gets reported
Owners of the 2010 Dodge Journey AWD report ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure at a median of 20,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 1,000 miles and a quarter after 45,000 miles, from 16 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 85,000 miles. It is the 2nd most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 100 miles at the tenth percentile to 55,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 54,950 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A window that narrow is the signature of a part that fails on its own schedule rather than on how the car is driven — which is usually a design or supplier problem rather than wear and tear.
63% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 miles | 1,000 miles | 20,000 miles | 43,750 miles | 55,000 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $250–$1,500 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure, every year of the Dodge Journey AWD
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
While driving along, navigational systems went blank, radio/phone/etc went dead, and turn signals became inoperable (was able to use emergency flashers to warn other drivers while changing lanes). Brought to dealer, was found to be ignition module does not work properly so key ends up in invalid position - causing system functions to not operate. There was a recall for this ignition switch, in which they p,laced spacers to keep the switch from actually turning the car off, but apparently, it does not actually fix the problem of the key going into the wrong position, just reduces it's range. The manufacturer charged to replace the defective ignition module. *tr
While driving along, navigational systems went blank, radio/phone/etc went dead, and turn signals became inoperable (was able to use emergency flashers to warn other drivers while changing lanes). Brought to dealer, was found to be ignition module does not work properly so key ends up in invalid position - causing system functions to not operate. There was a recall for this ignition switch, in which they p,laced spacers to keep the switch from actually turning the car off, but apparently, it does not actually fix the problem of the key going into the wrong position, just reduces it's range. The manufacturer charged to replace the defective ignition module. *tr
Purchased new dodge journey 2010 in april 2011. Basic type tires needed to be replaced by september 2011 due to wear. Attempted to replace with snow tires, needed for safe winter driving in rural area with heavy snowfall. Only tires that fit wheels were on national back order. Used size/brand recommended by dealership that almost fit in october 2011. Since then, I have had to have all four brake rotors machined, front brake pads replaced for third time now, not covered by warranty. Car pulsates/steering wheel vibrates violently when braking starting at about 40 MPH. Pulsation/vibration does not completely go away even immediately after brakes worked on/pads replaced. I have the tires rotated every 6 months, this does not help decrease pulsation. As of july 2013, no winter tires can be found that fit the car exactly per the dealership. Car slows down too much when coasting. Gas mileage averages 17 mpg, current mileage is approx 43000. I have frequent problems with the locks and alarm when temperatures drop below 40 f, which is from october to may. Car does not always lock or unlock using either key fob or by pressing button in car…
Also reported on the 2010 Dodge Journey AWD
Other electrical problem
No-start or intermittent start failure
Other brake problem
Other engine problem
Other steering problem
Alternator or charging system failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 18 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure happen on the 2010 Dodge Journey AWD?
Across 16 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 20,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 1,000 miles and a quarter after 45,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure on the 2010 Dodge Journey AWD?
18 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.3 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed