The 2009 Dodge Journey crossover driver was trapped in the car when an electrical fire broke out, so the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started an investigation. The NHTSA only sometimes looks into problems with vehicles that haven’t been made in a long time. According to Automotive News, the 2009 Dodge Journey is being looked at by the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation. The review is a response to an incident on December 9, 2022, when a Journey driver pulled over after having multiple electrical problems, including electronic door locks that wouldn’t open. The driver was dead when the car caught fire and burned to a shell. It is likely the same thing that Newsweek wrote about in January. The driver, 73-year-old Wisconsin resident Mary Rahm, told her fiancé in an emergency call that the car’s electronics were failing. The speedometer was “going crazy,” the wipers turned on themselves, the horn honked, and the dashboard warning lights flashed. Sources say that Farm stopped the car and called another emergency number, but by the time help arrived, the car was gone, and Farm was dead. Automotive News says there have been many reports about the manual and electronic locks on the 2009 Dodge Journey in the NHTSA’s online database. It’s unclear if the waves got stuck because of the automatic system or because the driver was worried and didn’t pay attention to the manual settings. The accident report says the driver may have been stuck inside the car because the electronic locks failed. Automotive News says Stellate’s has said it will help the NHTSA with its probe. Most ODI reviews start with a preliminary assessment, and engineering studies are only done when it is clear that there is a problem. The ODI will then decide whether there needs to be a return. It’s rare for an old car like the Journey to be recalled, but it can happen if problems are common and caused by design flaws instead of normal wear and tear.
