Driving 25 miles per hour in a 2004 Jeep Liberty and the right front lower ball joint broke off. There was no warning. The suspension fell and the tire fell in. The car had to be flatbeded to the repair shop where it was fixed under warranty but they did not replace the driver side which they should of because there is a recall in 2 weeks.

- Schodack Landing, NY, USA

2004 Jeep Liberty. Ball joint failed while driving.

- Parma Heights, OH, USA

I was charged for ball joint replacements for my Jeep Liberty 2004 at 40,000 miles. Chrysler is telling me that my SUV was not included in the recent "ball joint" recall. Therefore no free repalcement. I think the manufactor needs to rethink this policy as I have never heard of ball joints goin out after 2 years.

- New Castle, PA, USA

2004 Jeep Liberty poor / sloppy steering... service station observed more than 1/4 inch play in lower left ball joint at 48,000 miles of mostly highway driving repairs not yet performed but ball joint must be replaced.

- Aurora, CO, USA

Both ball joints on my 2004 Jeep Liberty failed. SUV had less than 40000 miles.

- Coventry, RI, USA

: the contact stated the dealer and manufacturer were called about a possible recall to be issued; NHTSA action #EA06008. The manufacturer stated that the recall would not be issued until September. Soon afterwards, while backing out of a parking space traveling 3 mph on normal road conditions, the front lower ball joints separated and the connections fell out. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer determined the ball joint would be replaced with the same defective part and recommended that the contact call the manufacturer for further assistance. The manufacturer was contacted however additional assistance was denied.

- Springfield, OH, USA

My 2004 Jeep Liberty was recently checked for severe steering noise at brown's Jeep dealership in medford NY and I was advised there was nothing wrong with it. Well on 8/5/06 the front passenger side lower ball collapsed while operating the vehicle with my family inside causing the front end to slam down and I lost full steering control. According to the NHTSA site as well as Jeep owner internet sites, daimler/Chrysler should have know about this potentially catastrophic defect and yet did nothing until a recall that is supposedly being issued in Sept 06'. one minute prior and it would've occurred at highway speed as I had just gotten off the palisades pkwy in NY with potentially tragic results to my family. Please do not operate your 2002-2006 Jeep Liberty until you have had this situation corrected immediately!

- Farmingville, NY, USA

: the contact stated while parking the vehicle, the ball joints failed which made the vehicle un-drivable. The vehicle was towed to a service dealer for repairs. The manufacturer was notified. The contact observed a news report pertaining to the problems with the vehicle and contacted the manufacturer again. The manufacturer offered a reimbursement for the repair costs. Updated 09/13/06.

- Akron, OH, USA

: the contact stated while driving 15mph across the railroad tracks, the left front lower ball joint fractured without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who replaced the lower ball joints. The manufacturer was not contacted.

- Bedford, IA, USA

My husband had been saying that the steering was really tight and when you turned you actually had to turn the wheel to straighten the car back out normally the wheel will come back on its on in all other vehicles that we have had. I was exiting a shopping mall parking lot when all of the sudden it sounded and felt like the bottom had fallen out of my Jeep. So I stopped there in the middle of the road. My mother who was with me suggested that she thought I had a flat tire. I got out of the vehicle and did not have a flat tire instead my lower left ball joint had fallen out and was sitting in the inside wheel well on the drivers side. It was towed to the Jeep dealership where it was purchased and repaired the following Monday. Of course it was not covered under the extended warranty that came with my car so I had to pay out of pocket.

- Durham, NC, USA

Hi, I was driving on I405 North next to right most lane on 28th April in a 2004 Jeep Liberty sport and lost control because of the steering problem, when I tried to gain control the steering wheel became jammed and I wasn't able to gain control and hit the concrete divider after crossing all the lanes. I came to know the ball joint defect after reading the recall news of Jeep Liberty vehicles. I put forward 3 theories behind the accident to the insurance company. I clearly mentioned them the steering wheel was jammed so I didn't able to steer. The police cruiser pushed my vehicle to the break down lane. The vehicle was a total loss. The vehicle is with the century 21 insurance company. The 3 theories I put I) steering failure. II) tire burst III) hit and run by some other vehicle. The insurance company is still investigating the accident. I got a report from them where they mentioned nothing wrong with the tires. The third option police report tells nothing. I told the insurance company to look in to steering failure as the vehicle still with them. I have not heard the investigation result from them yet. When I read the news article today, which confirms my first theory. My Jeep was a 2004 model and has 26,470 miles at the time of accident. I can provide the Jeep company any information they need.

- Fremont, CA, USA

Vehicle was diagnosed after only 50K miles that ball joints and sway bar was "bad". vehicle was in reverse, going less than 5 mph when the vehicle suddenly dropped on the front passenger side with a loud thud and a grinding. Upon observation, the ball joint had come loose from the wheel, dropping the axle to the ground. This caused the wheel to push up on the fender, bending it out of place. Ball joint and lower control arms was replaced.

- Worthington, OH, USA

: the contact stated that while driving 10 mph, control of the vehicle was lost. Since the vehicle was traveling at a low speed the vehicle could be stopped. The service dealer determined that the front ball joint separated from the steering knuckle.

- Newark, OH, USA

Right front ball joint broke on my 2004 Jeep Liberty. Fortunately we were travelling at a slow speed. Service manager at dealer reported no corrosion.

- Salmon Arm, 00, USA

2004 Jeep Liberty - lower passenger side ball joint broke while in motion. This caused a considerable amount of damage and repair of the vehicle and nearly caused my death.

- Mansfield, OH, USA

On Sunday morning, I noticed that the car was pulling oddly to the left. While driving home from dinner in the evening, I stopped at a store and when leaving heard a loud thump and scraping noise. The right passenger side tire was rubbing up against the steering well. A tow truck was called to tow the vehicle to the local Jeep dealer and in the process he mentioned that this was a ball joint issue. In speaking with the dealership today, they have determined that this was a failure of the right ball joint which caused separation from the steering column. This vehicle has only 41,000 miles on it. The vehicle has not yet been fixed but it has been recommended that both the right and left ball joints be replaced in the car. This vehicle is 5,000 miles from factory warranty and therefore I'm told that this will not be covered by the manufacturer. It was also mentioned to me that a recall was conducted for the 2002 and 2003 models of this same vehicle but nothing for 2004. Chrysler is still investigating the situation with the dealer but they have already told me that this was not an issue that I could have prevented and was not caused by normal wear and tear. We were 5 minutes from getting on the highway where, if this failure had occurred at that high rate of speed, would have caused a rather major incident. Chrysler, at best, has told me that they will investigate with the dealer further but that they are not fully liable because this vehicle is outside of the manufacturer's warranty.

- Charlottesville, VA, USA

While leaving a parking area the ball joint dropped off. Nothing led up to this major problem. A tow truck was called to deliver the Jeep Liberty 2004 to the local Jeep dealer in wilmington, nc (neumirth Jeep) dealer states it is not a warranty item. We will pursue legal action if necessary. A very dangerous crash could have happened if it was on a major highway.

- Sneads Ferry, NC, USA

Dropped kids at the movies after traveling on the saw mill parkway at 50 mph. Went to a shopping plaza and parked. Returned an hour and a half later and when I tried to put my Jeep Liberty in reverse and move out from the spot my front drivers side wheel fell forward while making a very loud grinding sound at the same time. I had the vehicle towed to the nearest dealership and the tow truck operator said he sees a lot of this with the 2003 and 2004 Jeep Liberty's. since I am under warranty they are fixing the problem. I investigated this online and there has been recalls on the 2002 and 2003 Jeep Liberty's but nothing on the 2004's. I found a site online where people have had the very same problem. Just by typing in the search box "problems with 2004 Jeep Liberty's." my concern is that there may be people driving this model and may have a wheel come off. I was lucky since mine occurred after I parked. The dealer called me today and said my Jeep is ready to be picked up and that the ball joint and the axle was replaced and that I shouldn't worry because they replaced it with an updated ball joint -- the best that they have and the same type that was used on the recalls for the 2002's and 2003's. so I guess they will replace if the warranty is still valid and if not, people will have to pay out of pocket. I want to know why they are not putting into place a recall for the owners of 2004 vehicles? someone may be seriously injured or even killed due to lack of knowledge of this faulty ball joint problem. As a result of the ball joint breaking - the axle broke and the brake line was punctured.

- Bronx, NY, USA

Put 2004 Jeep Liberty with less than 29000 miles on it in reverse and heard loud noise. The ball joint had broken and wheel was falling off. Towed to dealer where it was replaced under warranty and hopefully with a good ball joint, but dealer refused to replace left ball joint until a recall is issued by daimler Chrysler for the 2004 Jeep Liberty's.

- Galloway, OH, USA

I own a 2004 Jeep Liberty sport. I love it! I bought it from a Jeep dealership & get all the service work done at the dealership as well. There have been no troubles with my Jeep until recently. While I was backing out of a parking space I heard a noise and the front passenger side seemed to drop. I parked the Jeep into my parking space with a terrible grinding noise as to not get hit since I was blocking the drive. I called for road side assistance to have it towed as it was not drivable. The front passenger side was sitting much lower than the driver side. When the tow truck arrived, the driver couldn't believe what he saw. The lower front ball joint had completely separated from the control arm and the tire was on the line of completely falling off. He was not equipped to remove it from the parking space without causing more damage to it at that time, so I had to have a different tow truck dispatched that would be able to raise it on a dolly and remove it from the parking space to tow it. The next day I spoke to my dealership & they said the 2002 & 2003 models had been recalled for this exact same problem. Thank goodness that this happen while I was just backing out of a parking space! I drive 35 miles one way to work on the highway at 55-65 miles per hour every single day. This would have been deadly if the ball joint had broken while I was driving on the highway! my factory warranty had expired since my Jeep has over the standard 36,000 miles so I had to pay for the expensive repairs on my own. The dealership suggested that I contact Chrysler customer service to pursue reimbursement of this repair bill that totaled over $2,000 for the new lower ball joints on both front tires, replacement of the axel and a new wheel as it was damaged when the ball joint broke. I have called Chrysler customer service and they have not said they won't reimburse me for the repairs, but contacting the dealership for more details before they decide.

- Delaware, OH, USA