2002 JEEP LIBERTY Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE'S FRONT LOWER BALL JOINTS STARTED TO SEPARATE WHICH CREATED A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN ACCESS RAMP AT 30 MPH. A NHTSA RECALL, # 03V46000, WAS PERFORMED ON 02/25/2004 CONCERNING, THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINTS. HOWEVER, THE RECALL DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR.

VEHICLE VIBRATES LOUDLY FROM FRONT DRIVELINE BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH AND OVER 70 MPH, CONCERNED THIS IS A SEVERE, UNSAFE, AND COMMON PROBLEM BECAUSE OF MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME DEFINITION FROM OTHER LIBERTY OWNERS. *JB

FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED IN JUNE 2006 NOW THE DRIVERS SEAT BELT IS DOING THE SAME THING. SEAT BELT WILL NOT LATCH. JEEP DEALER SAID THERE IS NO RECALL AND I HAD TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT SEAT BELT LATCH.

MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE DOOR LOCKS WHERE OPENING AND CLOSING, SO IT HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER, THEY SAID THE BATTERY WAS DEAD SO THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE IT AND THEN THEY WOULD RUN A TEST TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. I INFORMED THE DEALER THAT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS MY OVER HEAD LIGHTS WOULD COME ON EVERY SO OFTEN AND I WOULD HAVE TO GIGGLE THE TURN SIGNAL TO MAKE THEM GO OFF (SOMETIMES USING THE TURN SIGNAL TRIGGERS THE LIGHT TO COME ON). I ASKED IF IT COULD BE A SHORT IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THEY SAID NO IT WAS JUST A DEAD BATTERY. A FEW DAYS LATER I NOTICED THE OVERHEAD LIGHTS ON IN MY CAR AFTER IT GOT DARK OUTSIDE AND THEY WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF EVERY FEW MINUTES. AFTER DISCUSSING THE RECENT RECALL ON THE FRONT BALL BEARINGS WITH A CO-WORKER I FOUND OUT THAT SHE TOO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE INTERIOR LIGHTS (2002 MODEL), I THEN ASKED ANOTHER CO-WORKER WHO OWNS A 2004 MODEL AND HE TOO HAD THIS PROBLEM. APPARENTLY THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. IT IS DANGEROUS WHEN THIS HAPPENS ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT BECAUSE IT DISTRACTS THE DRIVER. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED THAT NOW MY LIGHT IS OUT ON THE SHIFT PANEL. I THINK THIS COULD BE A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT IT LEADING INTO OTHER SHORTS IN THE CAR. I FEEL THAT BECAUSE I NO LONGER HAVE A WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE THAT THE DEALER IS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY ON ME AND THIS OBVIOUSLY A MALFUNCTION IN THIS MODEL. *JB

I HAVE A 2002 JEEP LIBERTY. WITH ONLY 24,000 MILES AND LITTLE OFF-ROAD USE, BOTH UPPER(NOT LOWER--WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN THE SUBJECT OF RECALLS) BALL JOINTS HAVE HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR. I COULD HEAR SEVERE CLUNKING NOISE ON TURNS AND BUMPS. THEY WERE DIAGNOSED AND REPLACED BY A JEEP DEALER. *NM

BALL JOINT SNAPPED WHILE MAKING A TURN AND THE WHEEL CAME OFF AND THE CAR HIT THE GROUND. A YEAR AGO, THE BOTH BALL JOINTS WERE REPLACED DUE TO A RECALL. DEALERSHIP WANTS TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY AS THEY ARE TOO BUSY. I AM LUCKY I AM ALIVE AFTER WHAT I WENT THROUGH. *JB

MY 2002 JEEP LIBERTY BEGAN TO MAKE A NOISE FROM THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE AREA. I CALLED THE DEALER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND WAS GIVEN AN APPOINTMENT ABOUT 10 DAYS OUT. ABOUT HALF WAY BETWEEN MAKING THE APPOINTMENT AND THE DAY OF THE APPOINTMENT WHILE PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN THE LOWER BALL JOINT ON THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE BROKE APART DROPPING THAT SIDE OF THE CAR DOWN ON TO THE TIRE. IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO GET THE VEHICLE UP ON TO THE FLATBED TOW TRUCK THE TIRE DID SOME DAMAGE TO THE PLASTIC PART OF THE FENDER SURROUNDING THE WHEEL WELL. THE VEHICLE WAS DROPPED AT THE DEALER (SEACOAST MOTORS) FOR REPAIRS AT ABOUT 5:30 PM ON 8/2/06. AS OF THIS WRITING (8/3/06 @ 1 PM) THEY HAVE NOT LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE OR CONFIRMED THE ACTUAL PROBLEM SO I AM WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR AN UNDETERMINED AMOUNT OF TIME AT THIS POINT. *JB

DRIVING THE JEEP AROUND 20 MPH. TRANSMISSION WENT INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR, BUT WOULD GO INTO PARK. I TURNED THE JEEP OFF, RESTARTED IT AND IT WENT INTO GEAR FOR ABOUT 30 FEET, THEN WENT BACK INTO NEUTRAL AGAIN. IT WOULD MOVE AFTER A RESTART EVERY TIME, THEN STOP AGAIN VERY SHORTLY AFTER PUTTING IT INTO GEAR. HAD THE JEEP TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP, THEY FOUND NO CODES IN THE COMPUTER AND ARE NOW SAYING THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE FILTER TO CLOG. *JB

WHILE TURNING RIGHT INTO A PARKING LOT AT ABOUT 5 MILES PER HOUR IN MY 2002 JEEP LIBERTY, I EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE LOWER BALL JOINT ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THE BALL JOINT DROPPED AND THE BOLT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BALL JOINT STRUCK AND SEVERELY DUG INTO MY JEEP CHROME ALLOY WHEEL. THIS ALL TOOK PLACE WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 5 MILES PER HOUR AND TRAVELING ONLY ABOUT 10 FEET. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED NEW. PLEASE NOTE THAT I DID HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED AT REGULAR INTERVALS. I HAD ALSO RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN THE PAST AND WHEN I QUESTIONED MY DEALERSHIP ABOUT IT, THEY STATED THAT IT DID NOT PERTAIN TO MY VEHICLE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT LEFT FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE DID NOT LATCH PROPERLY. EXCESSIVE FORCE HAD TO BE APPLIED TO LATCH THE SAFETY BELT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE BUCKLE NEEDED REPLACEMENT.