NHTSA Complaint #11627974 — 2019 DODGE JOURNEY

The contact owned a 2019 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while the vehicle was completely stopped, another vehicle driving at 55 MPH rear-ended his vehicle. There were no air bags deployed upon impact. The contact mentioned that the owner's manual had verbiage that contradicted that air bags do not deploy when involved in rear-end collisions. The contact stated that the trailer hitch absorbed the majority of the impact from the crash. The contact suffered whiplash, but medical attention was not received. The fire department and police arrived on the scene. Police and fire department reports were filed. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site. The contact stated that the following week, while driving, all of the air bags deployed without any impact. The contact suffered a concussion, and his dog, who was sitting in the rear center seat, died as a result of his injuries. The fire department and police arrived on the scene. The Police and fire department filed reports for the second time. Medical attention was not received. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and their insurance adjuster informed the contact that the air bags performed as designed to not deploy in a rear-end collision. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.