Hi everyone! So yes I am new here. I need some help with my 2014 possessed Dodge Journey.

She is Christine’s teenager daughter with PMS and Bipolar

She has been to three mechanics and they can’t find the issue.
I am having issues with her not wanting to start randomly.
Changed the starter
Changed all the relays and fuses
Changed the battery
Cleaned all the terminal connectors
Replaced the key fob

Now:
When I step on the brake pedal it doesn’t want to move. It will not go down. It is hard as stone.
When I push the button everything comes on like it is going to start. Lights all come on, I can hear the click of the starter, everything looks and sounds normal. Just doesn’t start
BUT! When someone gets under and taps the starter with a hammer (old school I know) she starts right up 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

What the Heck??? The starter is brand new (not a pull from the junk yard)
There are days where she will start without any issue at all that is why one mechanic says that it isn’t the new starter.

Soooooo anyone here have ANY suggestions what could be going on before I take her back to the , very patient and not charging me for my craziness, shop

 

You might have a bad relay on the starter. I've seen newly rebuilt starters be bad, You shouldn't have to tap on the starter.

 

A Dodge Journey has no resemblance to a 58 Plymouth Fury. Not even five generations later. And "Christine" was able to fix itself! If it had the same issue with the old starter then that's not the problem. Sounds like it's a connection issue somewhere, Have you checked for a good ground to the motor? The three so called "mechanics" should have checked for voltage/ground in the starter circuit. But random problems can hard to diagnose because you have to be there and testing when the problem acts up.

 

I know the cars are not the same. I was using it as a possession reference only.
the problem is that the car doesn’t “act up” when they have the car. That is why they are having trouble figuring out what the exact problem is.
the first one changed the starter.
the second one came down because the first one wasn’t Available at the time and he cleaned the battery cables and checked for codes but the car started fine for him. Then the third guy the car originally would not start so they towed to the shop but when they got it back to the shop it started fine and was consistent with starting for the week they had it. We thought the secondary issue might have been a bad battery (old) corroding the battery terminals so we changed it out. But that did not solve the problem.

I refer to her as Christine’s daughter because she only seems to “act up” when she is with me.

 

You're not alone with the starting issue. I have a 2015 with the V6 doing the same thing. I did some research and it seems like the immobilizer may have been triggered or it's a bad ignition switch.