[xxx]: complaint about Jeep backing plates: 2006 Jeep Liberty VIN # [xxx].I am writing about a safety problem we encountered over the past few weeks. On 2 separate occasions; 8-13 and 9-3-15 I almost drove off the road when suddenly my vehicle began to shake, loud, clamoring noise occurred, which made it imperative that I pull to the side of the road/await assistance. The problem was that the backing plates had corroded and rusted to such a severe degree the car was inoperable without expensive repairs (557.97 each time).the close timing of these incidents show that the lifespan of these parts were not made to last. Jeep declined the request to reimburse expenses paid, and failed to address the bigger safety concern. I worry someone will not be as lucky when this problem occurs. It is a very dangerous situation when a vehicle <10 yrs old used solely as a passenger vehicle, is made of such poor quality parts that they literally rust off the vehicle while it is in transit. In doing research on the extent of these backing plate issues, I see that there have been a significant customer complaints from a quality, financial, and safety perspective, yet I see that nothing has been done to rectify this issue. It is my view that I should have been notified of this quality issue before I almost had accidents twice within a 3 week period. This make and model has been the subject of several consumer safety recalls, I am surprised that this has backing plate issue has not been brought to attention of owners so that it could be resolved in an expeditious manner at the cost of Jeep Corp. This is an issue that their company was aware of and parts should not "rot" off quality vehicles. Jeep responded on 9-29-15 and failed to mention the safety issue related to this problem. I attached their letter via attached file. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Beacon, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. While driving at various speeds, an abnormal sound emitted from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the front passenger side lower ball joint and front driver side lower ball joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 06V288000 (suspension). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

- Topeka, KS, USA

The lower ball joint broke causing the frame and wheel to separate. The frame fell onto the tire. The rim was sliced completely in half. And the brand new tire was busted. It caused us to loose control of the vehicle. The vehicle feared of the road and landed ina ditch. We had to have a tow truck pick up the vehicle. It cost us 300 dollars to have the vehicle brought home. After getting home we found out the piece that broke, the lower ball joint, was part of the Jeep recall in 2006. I called Chrysler and they did admit that part was a recall fix in 2006. We are now waiting on Chrysler to call us back to let us know what we are suppose to do next. We are without a vehicle.

- Leakesville, MS, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a squeaking sound that came from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed that the lower ball joints had excessive rust and fractures and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 06V288000 (suspension). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,700.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

While driving there is a rambling sound coming from the front of my front of my vehicle, when I press on the breaks there is a grinding noise, I have taken my vehicle to southern Chrysler Jeep of greenbrier located in chesapeake, va and they advise the unit need front upper control arms and lower ball joints. According to contacting Chrysler the manufacture I was advise the part was inital change in 2007 and the current part (lower ball joints) is currently on back order. According to the dealer/service facility they stated there is approximate 500 lower ball joints on back order, I have contacted Chrysler via web chat and they confirm part is not available. I have express my fear of driving the vehicle due to issue and ask to be compensate for a car rental in which I was decline. I am complaining due to part stock availability is un-acceptable and I fear of driving this unsafe vehicle

- Norfolk, VA, USA

Leaving driveway moving about 5mph there was a loud bang, checking the noise I found the driver side lower ball joint bolt broke in half.had to tow vehicle to repair shop.

- Daytona, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle stopped independently without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the lower ball joint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 06V288000 (suspension). The failure mileage was 130,000.

- Craig, CO, USA

A large noise followed by deteriorated control steering my vehicle. After forcing it into a parking lot, a view of underneath front drivers side revealed a large metal object broken and jammed into my wheel. This sounds like the recall #09E039000 or recall id # 91163. Local dealership states my VIN is not in this recall and cannot fix it under the recall. My make, model and year of vehicle matches the recall and I think this calls for further investigation into additional vehicles.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

The lower control arm and ball joint failed per F 23 recall of Jeep Chrysler and damaged the tire and rim which had to be replaced. We filed a claim with Chrysler customer assistance on Aug 20, 2014 and they were processing it and told us they would reimburse the $1146.83 not later than Oct 20, 2014. We had not heard anything from ccassistance so we telephoned today. Brad, the agent, could not find any record and also said that the recall was completed and that there would not be any reimbursement to us for the repairs we had to make. That is not in Accord with the recall and furthermore, the lower control arm and ball joints failed again on August 18, 2014 and the safford Chrysler Jeep Dodge of springfield Virginia replaced the control arms and ball joints on both the left and right side under a F23 recall warranty at no charge to us. We request that NHTSA contact Chrysler and require them to reimburse us for the $1146.83 which we paid out of pocket.

- Falls Church, VA, USA

While driving veh. Slowy went over a speed bump heard a loud bang. Upon inspection noticed that rear trailing / control arm. Had separated / rusted. Unable to drive at speed or control steering. Did not crash though.

- Gastonia , NC, USA

We are the original owners of the Jeep Liberty 2006 that had a recall on the ball joints and stabilizer bars in 2006. Of course, we had the vehicle repaired when the Jeep was only a few months old. It may have had less than 1000 miles on it at the time. When visiting the dealer on Dec 2, 2014 for an oil change and tire balance. I was informed that the ball joints on driver's and passenger's side of Jeep were in need of replacement at a cost of $1100 (we only have 61,600 miles on Jeep) I was shocked that a vehicle that has been garage kept and only driven by the mom of the family around town of about 6000 miles a year could incur such a drastic problem. This is a valid safety issue with the integrity of the recall. The repair should have a lifetime warranty or at least 100K miles. There is absolutely no way, these ball joints disintegrated without being faulty from the being. My question lies if my vehicle was really taken care of, or was it just looked at because it was brand new at the time. Our Liberty has had full synthetic oil changes and treated with the utmost care. So it really saddens me that Chrysler has such "safety" issues. Of all things that can go wrong with a car, when it refers to a previous recall, it's obvious the issue was never really addressed.

- Tampa, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while entering a parking space, the front lower ball joint became fractured. As a result, the frame came down and rested on the front driver's side wheel. The contact received a notification for recall NHTSA campaign number: 06V288000 (suspension). However, the parts were unavailable to remedy the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Ruma, IL, USA

Zubecks Chrysler/Ford in oscoda mi 48750 refuses to fix Jeep with new hitch as stated in recall there service dept has been screwing up my Jeep everytime I bring it in for repair or recall and now wont do the recall.

- Oscoda, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. The contact mentioned that when the steering wheel was turned right or left, the vehicle would make a loud popping noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the lower ball joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and made the contact aware that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 06V288000 (suspension). The failure mileage was 141,000. Updated 10/22/2014 the consumer stated the vehicle was dangerous to drive. The suspension was loud and began to turn slightly. Updated 4/2/2015

- Plano, TX, USA

I was in stop-and-go commute traffic traveling approximately 15 mph. Traffic started moving a little faster when the car in front of me brake hard, I pressed hard on the brake pedal and my Jeep lurched forward before braking hitting the car in front of me. The road was dry and there were no skid marks.the way the Jeep lurched forward it felt like the brake pads were worn out or the rotors were warped or the shocks were faulty. We had bought the Jeep Liberty new less than one year earlier. I was able to drive the Jeep home. That was a Friday and by Monday my stomach became so distended I could barely move. I had been in contact with kaiser advice nurses throughout the weekend and that Monday I was hospitalized. 2 weeks in the hospital resulted in the first of 3 surgeries that changed my life and my families life permanently. Surgery 1 was an illeostomy in July 2007, surgery 2 was J-pouch surgery in December 2007. Surgery 3 was abdominal reconstruction surgery in September 2013. I have permanent nerve damage in my stomach, painful scar tissues throughout my upper torso, a degenerating disc in my lower back and ongoing abdominal and hip pain. The physical and emotional toll this has had on my family is tremendous. My 2006 Jeep Liberty has been determined to be a lemon by the state of California.

- Pinole, CA, USA

Front lower drivers side ball joint broke while driving, was told by mechanic that all upper and lower ball joints are bad and need to be replaced..as well as rear suspension replacement.

- Snyder, OK, USA

The wheel came off of my 2006 Jeep Liberty renegade as I was driving in a residential neighborhood, I was told by a mechanic the ball joint came off and broke in half.

- Snyder, OK, USA

As I had just exited the Florida's turnpike North bound at kendall drive in miami and attempted to enter the town and country mall at about 20 mph, the front passenger side ball joint of my 2006 crd 4X4 Jeep Liberty came apart causing the vehicle to lock the front wheel as the steering arm with part of the ball joint enter and landed inside the rim and the tire, perforating it and preventing the tire from turning causing the Jeep to almost buck like a horse sending us head first towards the windshield. Thankfully, it did not happen 45 seconds earlier when my family and I were on the express way driving 65 mph...it would have been catastrophic! this equipment/part failure is known as recall F-23 by Chrysler/Jeep and they are well aware of it!! I was never aware of such recall !! Chrysler/Jeep, after one month at their dealer continue to refuse to fix the collateral damage on the vehicle (rim, etc) created by their defective part!! using as an excuse that the factory warranty is over when it has nothing to do with that. Chrysler sent an "independent" inspector to view the vehicle. This "independent" inspector's bill is paid by Chrysler. This equipment failure is extremely dangerous!! and could be fatal!!! please help!! at this time I only want my Jeep fixed properly, and that Chrysler honors the traditional Jeep quality and commitment to their customers!! a letter has been sent to Chrysler claims after multiple attempts to solve this problem in person and via telephone. No results!! updated 06/04/14

- Miami, FL, USA

We purchased a used 2006 Jeep Liberty last year. Last night we went to drive it up the road and the right front passenger side tire disengaged from the steering knuckle and the ball joint disconnected. Luckily enough we weren't driving very fast otherwise it could have caused injury considering the tire is now almost at a 90 degree angle and we can't move the car. I understand the statute of limitations is 8 years after the original purchase date, I would like to know if I can get a manufacturer repair done free of charge, and would rather have it done at a dealer knowing they would have the correct parts. Normally my 1 year old is in the car, luckily he wasn't last night, but would like to know if I am entitled to repairs.

- Williamsburg, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that the vehicle was traveling approximately 35 mph when the front passenger's side lower ball joint suddenly became fractured. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 06V288000 (suspension). The failure mileage was 119,000.

- Windermere, FL, USA