Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Dodge Journey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, the contact became aware that the front passenger head restraint was damaged and unhinged. Neither an independent mechanic nor a dealer was contracted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
On Friday, August 28, 2026, my wife entered our 2014 Dodge Journey and found that the drivers side head rest had burst open. The vehicle was parked in our driveway. Thankfully neither of use were driving the vehicle when this occurred, as this could have caused an accident. There was no warning from the vehicle that this would occur. We found online that there was a warranty extension (which has expired), but that seems inadequate for such a safety hazard. The headrests should have been recalled and replaced. I contacted Dodge customer support and they said that I need to pay for the repair since the extended warranty expired. Their problem, my expense, inadequate solution on their end. Not cool.
I was driving and moved the seat back of the car to sit up straighter. When I did I heard a loud noise from what I thought was the back seat and pulled over to check what it was. Upon inspection I noticed the head rest had completely separated. My first thought was that I was happy it didn't knock me out which is exactly what I said to my daughter who was sitting in the passenger seat. I got online to see how to put it back together and realized this is a common and expensive issue for dodge journeys and that the head rest can't be pushed back together. I can have it inspected if need be. No warning lamps came on yet.
I got into my car today , August 12, 2024, and my son noticed something wrong with the front passenger seat headrest. It had somehow deployed. I was not in an accident. The little black pieces that are apparently supposed to hold a pin were completely broken. I don't know if it is because it has been so hot where I live or what, but if someone had been in that seat, they could have gotten injured. I never heard a sound of it happening, so it must have been when I was parked. There were no warning signs and the seat hadn't even been moved.
My drivers side headrest busted open and hit me hard in the back of the head. I was driving around 45 mph when I heard a loud pop and I got hit in the back of the head. This caused me to panic and swerve, thinking I got hit by another driver. My mother, child, and myself were in the car at this time and it was a safety hazard, not only to me, but them as well. Being hit by by the head rest set off a bad migraine and neck pain. I have not had it looked at as I can not afford to do so.
When driving down the road, all of a sudden I felt a huge jerk, and heard a loud noise. I thought that we had got hit from the back of the vehicle. However, we had not been hit. My passenger seat's headrest had deployed. It looks as if the brackets inside had broken. I could have wrecked my car and injured my children inside because it was so sudden and scared me!
As I was driving on the highway my headrest made a loud bang and smaked the back of my head/ neck with a lot of force. I almost lost control of the vehicle, and it really hurt. My headrest still is apart. Going to see if a dealership can do anything tomorrow. This was so scary it is a huge saftey issue.
On Saturday September 19, 2026, while driving my 2014, Dodge journey without any warning. My driver's seat headset deployed. There was no impact or collision at the time of the incident. Upon deployment of headrest hit my head
Headrest deployed while sitting in the driveway. The vehicle was in parked and not running. I was getting ready to go to the store. I got in and fastened my seatbelt then the headrest deployed. The ignition was off.
On 5/6/21, while the vehicle was running and stationary, waiting to turn left through an intersection on city streets, the ahr (active head restraint) randomly deployed in the driver headrest. My husband, who was driving at the time, thought we had been rear ended due to the loud noise it made and the force with which it hit the back of his head. The vehicle has never been in a collision and is up to date on maintenance. Researching the ahr online brought up dozens of articles about this problems occurring in Dodge journeys (yr 2010- 2018) but it has yet to officially be listed for recall even though a class action lawsuit was filed for the issue. We called our local Dodge dealership and they informed us the headrest could not be repaired once deployed and that a new one was needed, quoting us roughly $575.00 to do so.
NHTSA investigations
Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early…
Seat complaints in other Journey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2014 Dodge Journey?
NHTSA has 43 complaints about the seats of the 2014 Dodge Journey, 10% of the model year's 416 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Dodge Journey seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2014 Dodge Journey, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2014 Dodge Journey seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to seats problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.