Jeep Liberty 2002 model subject to recall for lower ball joint failure, recall #F23. Lower ball joints replaced by dealer, found upper ball joints also worn out. This problem is similar to the cause of the lower ball joint failure - seal failure with attendant lubrication failure and corrosion.

- Burnsville, NC, USA

2002 Jeep Liberty safety recall F23- lower ball joints customer states that the they had to have the work done and want to be reimbursed for the service* the consumer provided a copy of the repair invoice. The dealer stated that upper ball joint was also bad.

- Concord, NH, USA

After having satisfied not one, but two recalls on the 2002 Jeep Liberty renegade for lower ball joint issues, the upper ball joint on the driver side failed as I pulled into my driveway at a 45 degree angle. The tire fell into the ball joint, stopping the Jeep (moving at 5 mph) in its tracks. I am very thankful this did not occur on the highway at 70 mph not 10 minutes earlier. Slight noises were coming from under the vehicle and had just gotten a bit worse a day or two before the failure (although it was driving normally), so I was about to schedule an appointment for it. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, the car itself is fine too, well, other than the missing wheel... parts will be replaced tomorrow at my expense - I am attempting to work with the service manager and likely Chrysler directly to be reimbursed for the obvious flaw. A 4 1/2 year old vehicle with 65K miles driven normally should not simply fall apart like this - warning to all Jeep Liberty owners to have all upper and lower ball joints inspected regularly (at least annually) for this dangerous condition.

- Murrysville, PA, USA

1/24/04 - brought Jeep Liberty in for recall on lower ball joint - "ball joints replaced" per Jeep dealership. 3/25/2006 - while pulling out of parking spot, the left front tire broke off of the axle due to corrosion of the upper ball joint. Breaking top of tire from axle. 9/27/2006 - received a new recall notice for the lower ball joint from the dealership. Dealership claimed that lower ball joint was on back order and unavailable. Dealer told me to call back in 90 days. Called other dealership and scheduled recall repair. 10/14/2006 - took day off of work, brought car in to second dealership for recall. I was told that they did not have the ball bearings and was told that they could put me on a waiting list for the ball bearings. 12/25/2006 - wife pulled out of parking space. Left front tire popped out, appears that recalled lower ball bearing broke. Separating bottom of tire from axle. Car is currently at stadium automall dealership, rutherford NJ, where car was originally purchased, waiting to be repaired. Have had problems at this dealership in the past. Have had "oil changes, tune ups, etc" to later find that the dealership never replaced the lube express oil filter that was dated and installed previously.

- Rutherford, NJ, USA

- the contact stated that she received her recall letter on her Jeep Liberty 2002 in October 2006. The matter hasn't been rectified as of 12/12/06. The dealership said that they are in back order for the parts. The contact is really concerned about continuing to drive this vehicle.

- Chesapeake, OH, USA

: the contact stated while driving 20 mph on a street, the steering wheel became difficult to turn followed by a grinding noise. The vehicle was inspected by an independent repair shop who determined the left front upper ball joint was fractured and needed to be replaced. There was a NHTSA recall # 06V288000 regarding the lower ball joints. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. The manufacturer was notified.

- Hammond, IN, USA

: the contact stated while pulling out of a parking spot, the left front tire collapsed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined the left front upper ball joint corroded and needed to be replaced.

- Rutherford, NJ, USA

There had been some occasional front end squeaking but not enough to take notice. Several weeks ago I was informed by my mother that certain Jeep had been recalled. We went to Jeep's website put in the VIN as the page requested and were unable to find a record. One Saturday morning I called a local Jeep dealership to ask if I could bring it in and have them check it. The dealership said that it would not do any good because Jeep had not released any information about the recall and that I would have to wait until early September and a letter would be sent advising of the recall. Sunday, August 20, 2006 I was taking our daughter to work and heard an awful thud and the Jeep lurched to a stop. I had to leave it in the middle of the street and use our other vehicle to take our daughter to work. When I arrived home, my partner told me that she contacted her brother and he said it sounded like it was the ball joint. I tried to move it and the ball joint broke and damaged the tire and the grey material over the tire. I contacted Jeep's headquarter as well as a local dealership and it was at that time that we were informed that this vehicle had been recalled and repaired in March of 2004 (it was a ball join issue at that time as well). This was not reflected on our carfax report.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

: the contact stated while driving 5 mph, the left front wheel separated from the vehicle without warning. The contact managed to pull over without incident. Upon initial inspection, the left front axle was on the ground. The vehicle was towed to a dealership who replaced the lower ball joints which were fractured. A NHTSA recall, #04V596000 was performed on the vehicle concerning, the upper ball joints however, the recall did not remedy the problem. The dealership would not offer a second repair under the recall. The manufacturer was alerted.

- Lebanon, OH, USA

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.

- Denver, CO, USA

Jeep, Liberty purchased in March 2003. On Saturday July 15, 2006 vehicle was be drove home on a common route. While negotiating an S-turn at an estimated 40 mph, the upper ball joint failed causing the right front wheel to fold under the front of the vehicle. Being a good driver with no accidents, I managed the vehicle under control while also not hitting the brakes thus leaving a 261 ft skid mark ( I do have a picture). I have a very good mechanical background and after further survey have concluded that the upper-ball joint had failed due to rust inside the ball-cup and deterioration of the metal around it( I have a picture). This failure has caused an estimated $1200 in damage which includes replacement of all four ball joints the two upper at my request ( never trust a part on the vehicle that has failed once and has a twin brother), plus-a tire and rim, etc. *lower ball joints were on a recall notice but I was never notified by Chrysler because of not being in their computer system as a customer. After a web search I found the recall of the ball joints (nice job by Chrysler). After exchanging repeated phone calls with the dealership and Chrysler, the "experts" determined that the failure was due to "impact". I can honestly say that there is no way this joint failed by impact but I can say it failed due to bad engineering and fatigue which is way too soon considering the vehicles life span. In my opinion, Chrysler has failed to come clean with a problem that will soon become very apparent with all it's Jeep Liberty's!!

- Easton, PA, USA

4 college freshman could have been killed in a 2002 Jeep Liberty sport due to ball joint failure. When making a left hand turn at an extremely low rate of speed the left drivers side ball joint snapped causing the tire to buckle inward which caused vehicle to tip and the axle to break. An extended warranty on the vehicle covered the ball joint, axle and rim. What was also damaged because of this malfunction was the moldings that are around the tire and the washer fluid tank, which Chrysler will not cover. These damages would not have occured if this vehicles front end did not fail. Also this vehicle is maintained properly and timely fashion. It was a parents nightmare coming home from dinner and having 3 frantic messages from a daughter in college in another state 10 hours away from home. I think the least Chrysler could have done was to cover these items.

- Monmouth Junction, NJ, USA

I currently own a 2002 Jeep Liberty. As I was making a turn in the parking lot my car stopped and I saw my tire bent under my car the ball joints in my Jeep Liberty went 2 times on me. First the lower ball joints before the recall and then the upper ball joints the control arm and the axle failed on me just yesterday. The upper ball joint failure also caused a large puncture in my rotor and it bent my axle. I fear for the other Jeep Liberty owners; for instance what if this happened on a major highway causing the driver to lose total control? someone could have lost their life. This upper ball joint issue should be researched and recalled.

- Hanover Twp, PA, USA

I have had to replace the front ball joints 2X with in 40,000 miles, even after a recall which replaced them in their entirety.

- Gardnerville, NV, USA

The contact was traveling at 10 mph, when the upper ball joint broke. This caused the axle to break. The location was the front driver's side. The happened on 10-16-05. The vehicle was then towed to the Jeep dealership. The dealership was repairing the vehicle. The cost would B E $2,000, the warranty on the vehicle expired in May 2005. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle is a 2002 Jeep Liberty. The manufacturer has not been contacted.

- Rockaway Park, NY, USA

Caller had recall work done on the ball joints O last year. Now she took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and she was told the ball joints were bad again. Dealer and manufacturer said a certain amount of play was acceptable, and they will not replace the ball joints until there was complete failure.

- Mentor, OH, USA

The front end of my 02 Jeep Liberty (39,527 miles) VIN # [xxx] began to make loud noises from the front end. The dealer diagnosed the noise as upper ball joint failure. The repair cost $655.20 and car rental $89.99. Previously, this Jeep model was factory recalled for a bottom ball joint defect which was performed at 26,887 miles. I contacted the diamler Chrysler customer assistance center who refused to pay for the repairs. I have a hard time believing that the upper ball joints were not defective like the bottom ones. A heavy duty Jeep should have suspension components which last the life of the vehicle. Updated 07/19/2012 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Valparaiso, IN, USA

Caller says his ball joints are defective. Without warning the front passenger wheel fell off two weeks ago. Vehicle had to be towed. Dealer fixed it under warranty. Manufacturer said they will not replace the vehicle because of the mileage. Recall work was done in April 2004. Caller dose not have recall information. Caller says at his expense he replaced the rear ball joints.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

Consumer has a 2002 Jeep Liberty had the ball joint recall repaired. On Sunday the ball joints became disconnected from the wheel. They couldn?T steer the vehicle, and the driver's side wheel tilted outward. Consumer complained approximately 6 months after the repair S because she heard funny noises. She took the vehicle to be looked at, and was told there was nothing wrong. When she had the vehicle at dealer for the 60,000 mile check up she was told the vehicle was fine. She contacted the dealership and manufacturer and neither of them were willing to help her. The axle came out, and the dealership told her it was $800 worth of damage.

- New Fairfield, CT, USA

Caller stated she got a recall notice to get the ball joints replaced, which she did. After another 37000 miles the ball joint snapped, resulting in the tire falling off. Vehicle was towed to a different repair shop.

- Merrillville, IN, USA