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 2015 Dodge Journey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Journey. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the passenger's side headrest exploded without impact or warning. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the safety mechanism was erroneously tripped. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.
[redacted]: Driving down a city street, had not braked or slowed down when I heard a loud bang behind me and something hit me in the back of the head. My son was in the car with me and said the headrest had exploded. I had nausea and a headache for a couple of days, which indicates a slight concussion. Saw my doctor the next day and he said to let him know if it got worse, which it didn't. Took the car to my dealership where I purchased the car, Bill Luke Dodge, Phoenix, AZ and they said the headrests were added to my cars warranty, but since my warranty had expired a little over a year ago it wasn't able to be replaced free of charge. I also need to get the passenger headrest replaced before it injures a passenger. It's almost $800 to replace each headrest. I had multiple items fixed under my warranty just before it expired and feel the headrests should have been replaced also. …
While my car was stationary, my passenger headrest safety mechanism (or Active Head Restraints (AHR)) deployed. The soft piece of the headrest unexpectedly and violently popped out from the plastic unprompted. Luckily, nobody was in that seat, but the noise startled me so badly I thought I was hit. Upon inspection, two PLASTIC clips that hold the strap in place had snapped and broken, releasing the mechanism. I promptly called a Chrysler dealer and they scheduled me for a warranty replacement. The serviceman said this is a known issue, and that a lady suffered this same issue a couple weeks ago but on the driver's side. He said that although this is a known issue, there is no recall. When asked if I could have the driver's side preemptively replaced, he said it would have to be at my expense. …
Driver's headrest deployed, popped open while vehicle was turned on but in park. My safety was at risk , had I been driving not exactly sure how I would have reacted. Especially since when it deployed ( exploded open) it did so to the back of head causing blunt pain from back of head down neck. Initially thought I had been rear ended due to loud noise and force of head being pushed forward. There was no forewarning at all. Due to pain, was not able to verify with dealer of insurance agent as of yet.
Spontaneous deployment of active head restraint of passenger side of vehicle occurred. The passenger seat was occupied when spontaneous deployment occurred which caused passenger to experience head and back pain. The deployment of active head restraint was not the result of collision as the active head restraint spontaneously deployed while the car was in motion. No safety dash features predicted the spontaneous deployment of head rest.
On Nov.18,2021 while driving my 2015 dodge journey suddenly felt like something slammed into the back of my driver seat, and into the back of my head. Come to find out my headrest airbag deployed. I feel this should be repaired at the expense of manufacturer. It is a defect that can cause injury to driver. I was not in an accident was just driving down the road. I have had pain in my neck and head since this occured.
My driver side headrest popped forward. Apparently this is a safety feature if you are in an accident, I have not been in an accident. I noticed on 8-28 the headrest felt different while driving and when I got to work I looked at it and the front of the headrest was detached. After looking online this has happened to many dodge owners, I'm glad it didn't happen while I was driving.
The headrest on both driver and passenger seats that are supposed to deploy in case of an emergency have deployed due to a broken pin holder that is made of plastic. The latches are still locked yet the pin that the latches hold on to has broke free from the holder rendering the safety feature useless and costing $575 to replace per seat.
Driver side headrest has deployed, and there was no warning or notification prior to this happening. I should not have to pay hundreds of dollars on a replacement if clips or what may it be to hold device together are faulty. 1st vehicle with this problem, and now my 2nd Jeep Compass has this issue as well. No accidents, just deployed.
The front passenger seat head rest has snapped open or apart while it was parked & no one in the seat. It appears there is a broken clamp or snap that holds it together. This seems like it could be a safety hazard if there was a collision, the headrest might push a passengers head forward instead of restraining.
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 2015 Dodge Journey?
NHTSA has 90 complaints about the seats of the 2015 Dodge Journey, 16% of the model year's 554 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 Dodge Journey seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2015 Dodge Journey, though it has 6 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 2015 Dodge Journey seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 14 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.