10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,301 miles

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problem #30

Jul 052011

Liberty

  • 62,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 09V119000 (suspension:front:control arm). An authorized dealer was notified and the contact was informed that the parts necessary to remedy the failure were on national back order. The contact was also informed that they did not know when the parts would become available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 62,000.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

problem #29

Nov 222010

Liberty

  • 257,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty ultd. The contact was driving approximately 10 mph when he heard a loud rumble from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed the contact that the front right passenger ball joint was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 257,000.

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #28

Nov 112010

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 168,000 miles
In October of 2010 passenger side lower ball joint failed when attempting to turn into a parking lot. Discovered a recall was ordered on vehicle but never received notice. On 10/26/2010 dealership stated that they did replace both lower ball joints however on 11/11/2010 driver side lower ball joint failed at highway speed causing a serious automobile accident. There was also significant front end damage and airbags failed to deploy.

- Deatsville, AL, USA

problem #27

Nov 182010

Liberty

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty sport. The contact stated that he received a recall notice for recall 09V119000 (suspension: Front: Control arms) in November 2010. On November 18, 2010, the front driver side tire separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint; the manufacturer stated that the repair for the recall should have been performed April 2010. The current and failure mileages were approximately 80,000.

- Trenton , NJ, USA

problem #26

Oct 092010

Liberty 4WD 6-cyl

  • 113,000 miles
Recall J17 front suspension upper ball joints 2003 Jeep Liberty my vehicle was taken to a Chrysler dealer that didn't order the parts for my appointment that was set two weeks in advance. They entered my problem in their system my this recall J17. The dealer couldn't provide me with a loaner car or rental" I than contacted Chrysler customer services and they couldn't assist me either. The dealer is said my vehicle parts was on a back order and now I am without vehicle for 3-5 days. I work and have a 10 year old that needs our car. What remedy is there to my problem"

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #25

Aug 042010

Liberty

  • miles
There was a recall on the lower ball joints and a local Dodge dealership replaced them free of charge. There after loud popping noise continued and the upper ball joint broke. The upper and lower ball joints have been recalled in other states but only the lower ball joint has been recalled in tn. I believe that they need to be recalled in tn also because this is very dangerous. I also believe that they should pay to have this problem repaired on my vehicle.

- Parsons, TN, USA

problem #24

Apr 212010

Liberty 6-cyl

  • miles
Safety recall J17 I have contacted the dealer and ask to order the parts and he said they will call me when the part comes in, that was on 5/21/10, I called back last week and been told the part still was not in. I also been told they only do 1 car per week, if that is a safety issue, why does it take so long?

- Williamsburg, VA, USA

problem #23

May 042010

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 116,000 miles
While making a left turn onto my road from another driveway, my front left tire separated from it's joint, making it unable to drive. The tire was manually tied back in place with a strap and driven to a nearby garage (about 40ft.away.) finally a call was made to Chrysler describing the incident. On April 23, 2010 a call was made to a local dealership to replace the recalled parts. I was told that the parts had to be ordered in. When the parts arrive, the dealership would call me to schedule an appointment. As of today, 5/4/2010, I have not received a call to schedule an appointment.

- Punxsutawney, PA, USA

problem #22

Aug 032009

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 161,533 miles
On 08/03/09, I had my 2003 Jeep Liberty towed to my local 5-star Chrysler dealer (mileage = 148520). The right front ball joint had broken while I was making a turn in the parking lot. The tow truck driver had to pull my vehicle up onto the flatbed, as it was not possible to drive it, not even a few inches. During the loading of my vehicle onto the flatbed of the tow truck, the right front axle had come apart from the wheel. The service department had completed the necessary work to put my vehicle back together and indicated that it was all taken care of under the recall that was in the system. I had not known about the 2nd recall. I took my vehicle to the dealer for an oil change & courtesy vehicle inspection on 10/07/09 (mileage = 151838). The courtesy inspection indicated that the "suspension/steering" was "checked and ok." On 12/23/09, I took my vehicle to the dealer for an oil change & courtesy vehicle inspection (mileage = 158083), and I indicated that the right front wheel had begun making a weird noise again. I was told that it was it was fairly common, especially if the housing got wet inside. The courtesy inspection indicated that the "suspension/steering" was "checked and ok." On 03/19/10, I had my vehicle towed to the dealer (mileage = 161533) because it felt like I had a flat tire while I was driving, although there was nothing wrong with the tires. It ended up that the right front axle had to be replaced. At first I was told the damage was due to "normal wear & tear" and "high mileage." As they began looking at it more closely, they commented that they had not seen one this badly damaged. It was repaired & ready for pick up on 03/31/10. I am in the process of finding out more information on the right front suspension issues because I do not see how after all the "inspections, " it went from being "ok" to being told that they had not had one come in that was that badly damaged.

- Arcata, CA, USA

problem #21

Apr 262008

Liberty

  • 87,642 miles
We purchased a 2003 Jeep Liberty on December 4, 2002, in kent, Ohio, that was manufactured in November 2002. We have lived in akron, Ohio, continuously since 2002. We drive the Jeep in the eastern suburbs of cleveland, Ohio, very frequently to visit family and to take our son to school. Ohio is a salt belt state, and akron and the eastern suburbs of cleveland experience significantly more snowfall during the winter than other areas of Ohio due to lake effect. The right front upper control arm assembly became loose, almost to the point of failure, and was replaced on April 26, 2008, at our cost of $597.87. On December 17, 2007 NHTSA opened preliminary evaluation PE07-Q62 for 2002 -2003 Jeep Liberty based on complaints of front suspension upper ball joint separation. On April 7, 2009, Chrysler notified the NHTSA that '[T]he front suspension upper control arm ball joint [of 2003 Jeep Liberty] may experience a loss of lubrication which can lead to corrosion, accelerated wear, and possible separation while driving[,]' and agreed to 'conduct a safety recall to replace the front upper control arm assemblies on all affected vehicles.' Additionally, Chrysler stated that '[T]he vast majority of these alleged separations occurred in salt belt states. A review of some returned parts indicated compromised sealing, loss of lubrication which resulted in corrosion, accelerated wear and separation.' However, Chrysler has refused to reimburse us for replacement of the failed front upper control arm assembly because it was manufactured in November 2002 and not between May 2002 and September 30, 2002, even though it is the same part, manufactured on the same assembly line with the same materials, and Chrysler admitted that '[N]O root cause for this increase in the rate of separation during this five month build window in 2002 has been determined.' We request that the recall be expanded to include Jeep Liberty manufactured in November 2002.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #20

Oct 042009

Liberty

  • 68,289 miles
Drove into a driveway with a bump up of about 6 inches, and suffered a catastrophic failure of the right hand upper ball joint causing loss of steering control, in my 2003 Jeep Liberty limited. Recall work for lower ball joints was completed June 28, 2007. Upon inspection, upper ball joint had lost all lubrication (seals/bushings rotted) and joint was severely pitted and rusted. I pulled the ball joint and am attempting to replace it. However, local Chrysler dealer only sells the entire upper control arm (incl. Bushings and ball joint) at $215 per side.

- Norwalk, OH, USA

problem #19

Jul 172009

Liberty

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. While driving less than 60 mph, the front driver's side of the vehicle collapsed and knocked the tire off the rim. The vehicle slid 100 yards, tearing the tire and wheel until the vehicle came to a stop on its own. The dealer stated that the ball joints could have been a factor in the failure. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign id numbers 06V288000 and 03V460000. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were less than 105,000.

- Florence, AL, USA

problem #18

Jun 122009

Liberty

  • 42,078 miles
On Friday June 12th, 2009, my wife was driving our 2003 Jeep Liberty home. After stopping for a stop sign, she turned to the left and immediately the upper front ball joint gave way.(it was completely rusted on the inside) the Jeep has 42087 miles on it. Fortunately my wife was going very slow, otherwise there is no telling how severe an accident could have occurred. Chrysler/Jeep said that there has been no recalls on this particular model, yet I found a April 15, 2009 posting on the internet saying that there have been recalls for the upper control arm ball joints (recall N. J17) on models sold in the "salt belt states". we are in Pennsylvania. I've had the part replaced but would caution other Jeep Liberty owners about a potentially serious problem.

- Wrightsville, PA, USA

problem #17

Dec 152008

Liberty

  • 78,000 miles
Upper ball joints worn to the point the vehicle was considered unsafe by Jeep dealership.

- Mandeville, LA, USA

problem #16

Dec 222008

Liberty

  • 42,000 miles
Right front upper ball joint getting close to separation.

- Murphys, CA, USA

problem #15

Nov 212008

Liberty

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. While driving 10 mph in reverse, the contact heard a loud noise and then the front passenger tire collapsed. The dealer stated that the upper ball joints fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local repair shop and the upper ball joints are currently being repaired. The manufacturer would not assume financial responsibility for the repair because there were no recalls available. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 57,000.

- Maumee, OH, USA

problem #14

Nov 132008

Liberty

  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. While driving 25 to 30 mph, the vehicle veered to the left. The ball joints failed and caused the tires to flatten. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. He filed an incident report with Chrysler. He has pictures of the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 46,000.

- Bridgeview, IL, USA

problem #13

Oct 212008

Liberty

  • 120,000 miles
Upper ball joint broke while pulling into my drive way. Had it broke only minutes earlier it would have lead to a serious accident.

- Mccordsville, IN, USA

problem #12

Oct 182008

Liberty

  • 34,600 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. When the contact took the vehicle to an auto shop for routine maintenance, he was informed that the rubber boots on the upper control arm ball joints were severely torn and needed to be replaced. The dealer recommended that the ball joints be replaced. They also stated recently that the part was on national back order and could not advise him of the date of availability. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were approximately 34,600.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #11

Sep 042008

Liberty

  • 61,000 miles
While driving slowly across a bridge, my upper ball joint disconnected causing the passenger side front tire to fall off. No apparent warning that vehicle was in need of repair. No one was injured. Had vehicle towed and control arm: Upper ball joint replaced. The lower ball joints were replaced on 12/29/2006 due to the recall in 06' of the lower ball joints -- it appears the upper ball joints have the same issue. My concern now is when will the other side go bad" hopefully I won't be traveling at a high rate of speed when the other side goes, because I fear the outcome. It only had 61,000 miles at the time -- can I assume the side that was repaired is safe to drive another 61,000. It's not worth putting my life and/or others in danger. How can Chrysler assure me that it is safe" I feel this is a dangerous and premature failure of this part and should be covered by Chrysler, just for safety alone.

- Dubuque, IA, USA

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