2011 Dodge Journey Troubleshooting

When braking, the steering wheel shakes back and forth from side to side, or a vibration is felt in the seat.

Rotors are out of round or have thickness variations. Most modern cars leave little room for machining the rotors, and will need to be replaced. Brake pad replacement is recommended at the same time. Shaking in the steering wheel indicates front rotors are the most likely cause, and shaking felt in the seat indicates rear rotors.

When tires are first wearing and out of round, it often manifests as shaking during braking. Tires can be checked by a dealership or tire store (accurate diagnosis requires expensive machinery).

Again, a dealership or other auto repair shop will need to diagnose and fix this. Alignments are often needed after replacement as well.

There is a light that is inoperative, regardless of driver/switch input.

A fuse can often be the problem here. For headlights, each side has its own fuse for the high and low beams. Other lights usually share fuses - e.g. both brake lights on one, tail/parking lamps on another, interior lamps, etc. Fuses often blow for a reason, however, and may blow immediately or shortly after replacement if the cause is not fixed.

A bulb may be blown as well. In some cases, it is simple to remove and visually inspect the bulb, although visual inspection is not always reliable. Bulbs can also blow in specific ways that cause shorts, and may blow fuses. Also, many lights in these cars are computer controlled (even simple bulbs like the brakes or tail lamps), and computer memory may need to be cleared to reset power to the lamp after bulb replacement.

Wires that are shorted or broken may be the cause. As mentioned before, many lamps are computer controlled, and require dealership specific scan tools to identify certain issues. Other causes may be ground points, lamp sockets, or poor pin contact at connectors.

There may be a rattling from one of the speakers, especially with music of deep lows or bass.

Most speakers are in the doors - rattling may be caused by loose change or other objects in the door pockets or handles.

Rattling may be caused by loose interior components. Many interior panels are held in place by plastic clips instead of screws - these clips easily break or weaken, and the panel may vibrate. Sometimes, panels are warped, and felt or rubber adhesive pads can prevent the rattling

The speaker itself may be blown, and require replacement.