Nearly 1 million Dodge SUVs under investigation for door lock malfunctions

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has intensified its investigation into almost one million Dodge SUVs manufactured by Stellantis NV over concerns about faulty door locks and windows. This decision follows a report of a death linked to the issue.

Initially, in May 2023, the NHTSA began a preliminary evaluation of 82,000 Dodge Journey SUVs from the 2009 model year. On Friday, the agency announced it had expanded this probe to an engineering analysis, now covering 992,000 Journey vehicles spanning the 2009 to 2020 model years.

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The investigation was prompted by a tragic incident in Middleton, Wisconsin, in December 2022, where a person was allegedly entrapped and killed during a vehicle fire. The NHTSA is still determining the fire’s cause and any potential connection to a door-lock malfunction.

So far, the NHTSA has identified 19 potential incidents involving door and window malfunctions, including the fatal case in Wisconsin. An engineering analysis is a critical step before the NHTSA can mandate a recall.

“We extend our sincerest sympathies to the family and friends of the customer whose life was lost, and we are providing NHTSA with our full cooperation,” Stellantis said in a statement.

Complaints to the NHTSA reveal a pattern of issues with the SUVs. For instance, the owner of a 2010 Dodge Journey in Oklahoma reported “random and erroneous electrical problems which included the doors unlocking,” and later being “locked inside the vehicle after the locking mechanism malfunctioned.”

Similarly, a 2018 Dodge Journey owner in Nashville recounted being trapped inside her vehicle after both the key fob and door panel failed. She ultimately “crawled out of the vehicle through the window.”