Just a day after I posted my review of the 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD, several people (thanks, Bob and Robin!) brought an article from the Associated Press' Ken Thomas to my attention, entitled "Jeep recalls 2002-2006 Liberty SUV".Apparently, some flaw in the front suspension could potentially cause loss of steering control. Over 800,000 Liberty SUVs are affected by the recall. Oops.
Jeep will notify owners directly about the recall in September, and will replace the offending parts for free.
Which brings up a good point -- make sure that your car maker knows how to find you, even if you are not the original owner of your car. That way any recall information will get to you in a timely fashion. You can also check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation website for recalls on your vehicle -- a very good idea if you've never done so. I recently found out about a recall on my 1994 Toyota 4Runner, and was able to get a repair done quickly and for free at my local dealer.
Photo © DaimlerChrysler
Jeep should have sent out notices sooner. My 2003 Liberty, just purchased on monday Aug. 21, broke down yesterday, Aug. 24. Thank goodness i was in town, going slow, or i’d be a goner. But thanks to Bill and his crew the car lot, i should be up and running again in a week or so.
I was notified of the recall and did take my Jeep Liberty 2004 in for servicing. Last week, the upper ball joint broke and like Jacie, I was going slow and had no injuries nor did I injure anyone else. Why did it break? My servicing Jeep dealership is asking me what I hit. I didn’t hit anything….which is what concerns me. Just be careful out there! If anyone else has experienced upper ball joint failure, please please let me know!!!
Sorry about your luck. Your Liberty CRD driven in your review must have had some problems because I totally disagree with your observations.
Our CRD diesel Liberty has been great.
I don’t know what the problem was with the one you tested. Ours is considerably stronger than the gas version and not objectionably loud. We actually like the rumble/purr of the diesel and the gobs of torque it produces. There is a bit of turbo lag but it’s someting you get quickly used to. Our balljoint recall was performed by our dealer here in Cincinnati without incident. Their service department is great. My wife drives 25K plus highway miles a year and the diesel just flies along getting great milage. She makes it from Cincinnati to Cleveland non-stop and has diesel to spare in the tank.
I have a 2005 Jeep Liberty Renegade , I just received my recall notice the other day in the mail8 MONTHS AFTER THE Y ANNOUNCED THE RECALL! I Chrysler and they told me that I received the recall now because they don’t have enough parts and I have to be put on a waiting list for another 8 – 12 weeks, so maybe in June I can get this done. This is ridiculous and very unproffessional of Chrysler. I have and continue to drive this vehicle because I have no other choice. Then my Jeep Dealership tells me that they’ll look at it for me right now, but can’t fix the ball joints if they need replaced, GREAT thanks fellas, that really helps me out. Never again will I buy from Chrysler, overpriced vehicles and shoddy customer service and appreciation.
Has anyone else with a 2006 Jeep liberty experienced any problems with the windows coming loose from the up and down track?
what if i owned a jeep liberty and crash it due to the recall issue and then i received my letter about the recall. sopuldn’t they replace my jeep?? wasn’t it their fault for letting m drive something that was dangerous? can anyone tell me where to go to find help?
i bought my 2002 jeep liberty in feb how would i find out if my liberty is part of the recall
howwillyouknowifyoujeepshouldhavebeenrecalledifno onecallsyou
i bought my 2003 jeep liberty brand new in 02 when i first put it in reverse and try backing up it makes a roaring sound, carried it into shop did not do it and they could not find problem have and been recalled on rear end or brakes?
puzzled in texas
the window issue is easy fix take apart get the little plastic part thats boke and put the orm gear on it next drill three holes down each side use stainless cookin wire wrapp tight worm gear to plastic be sure not to over do it cause it needs to slide down channel nice tight not or twist on back side push not into groove of worm gear walla never breag again iv got 60000 miles on my fix that happend to right side at 15000 and left at 22000
Brought our Limited in February 2002…. Wife has a bit over 67,000 miles on it…. been a superb vehicle except for the rear windows…. seems like the rear passenger electric windows keep breaking on our 2002 Limited…. fixed the left side three times (all out of warranty at about $450.00 a pop) and now the right side is broken and just falls down / non- opearable…. into the wide open position…. we have managed to raise it up and by placing paper / woods shims to keep it in the up position…. has anyone else had a similar problem with their Liberty….?
are there any recalls on the 2006 for its windows? windows off track. same thing happend to my sisters, hers was newer and was fixed. just curious.
I have a 2006 Jeep Liberty and I had the same problem with me rear driver side window. It was $600 to fix as they had to replace the whole motor. A friend of mine had 3 of her windows fixed for the same problem. No recalls I know of.
Does anyone know of a recall on the drive shaft breaking. Today we were sitting at a gas station and went to start the jeep to leave and atleast we weren’t driving already…. the key turns forward nothing happens, dash lights on and nothing else. Take it to the nearest dealer to be told the shaft is broken and we must replace the whole steering column.
Michele – same thing happened to me two weeks ago. I turned the key forward to start the car and nothing, no stgarter, no resistance on the ignition. Turns out that if you take off the steering column housing and look underneath the and on the left side of the housing thereare two units that can be removed that contain the probably broken part/s. it looks to me to be an aluminum shaft inside of which sits a plastic piece that engages the ignition wgen turned. the aluminum piece broke on my vehicle and according to jeep you must buy the whole steering column at a cost of $300, oh, and its on back order – good luck getting one anytime soon. I am trying to get to a pull your own part junmkyard this week to see if I can remove what I need from a wrecked jeep and install it in mine to see if it will work before I plunk down $300 plus labor. I’ll keep you posted on my progress
2006 jeep liberty rear window problems.ran good for three years,then the battery drained.i replaced three new batteries in one year.no dealer can fix the problem.never buy a jeep again.
I bought my 2006 Liberty a year ago with 70,000 on it and haven’t had any problems with it. I am a former mechanic so i probably treat my vehicles better than most but it runs and drives great. I drove it to Ohio from Maryland and got 25 miles per gallon ran up and down the hills with no problems. The only thing I have noticed is it has some wind noise but its not a car so I don’t pay much attention to it. I agree all cars have issues but compared to some of the other manufacturers out there I would buy another Chrysler product again and own 3. Looking to lift mine and add some aftermarket stuff to get more power and mileage, plan on driving this little guy for years to come.
I have a 2005 Jeep Liberty Limited and I too have the issue with the driver’s side rear window motor. The motor just went out when I was trying to roll it down for my kid, had it replaced and it broke again. I think this should be recalled from what I have read there are several people that have the same issue with this window. Thanks.
For everyone having a window falling off track need to go to steiger performance , they have a replacement part to repair that about 90.00 a window but its a permanent fix dealer just puts in factory part that will break again
I have a 2002 jeep liberty limited – did all the scheduled maintenance on time – at 80,000 miles a spring that you wouldn’t put on a childs toy, broke in the transmission and had to have the transmission rebuilt. At 120,000 miles a head cracked in the engine ( $1900 to fix) now they are telling me I have another cracked head at 130,000 miles – piece of junk – I will never buy a Chrysler product again
02 Liberty Renegade Limited Edition, 72,000 miles om it and while driving the front airbagas blew on me, is that a regular thing to hapen? or just my bad luck?
I have a 2003 Jeep Liberty. I am now having a rear window replaced for the 5th time…….I never use the windows in the back nor does anyone riding in my car…..now I am told the motor in the door is bad.
This is a very costly repair and I am tired of having to replace something that is never used. Has there been a recall on these windows???
Thanks
the windows are definately a problem…my rear window of my 2002 Liberty is now Duct Taped…as I wont pay for #3…come on recall!!!!
I bought my 2004 Jeep Liberty in April 2011 with 84K. I knew the window regulators were a problem for many owners – and sure enough, I rolled my back window down for the first time since I owned the vehicle tonight, only to roll it back up and hear the dreaded grinding (reached 90K). The window has fallen – I don’t know if the previous owner had any of the regulators replaced, but I don’t think I will keep this car much longer. I will be calling Chrysler tomorrow (after a trip to buy a new regulator) to ensure all the other recalls were taken care of – check them out if you haven’t already! http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/results.cfm
I replaced one of the rear window motors about 2 years ago and then again a couple of months ago it happened again, so I went to a different mechanic. This week I replaced the opposite rear window motor. My mechanic told me he had replaced about 80 of these on Jeep Libertys since he did my first one a couple of months ago. This really is not good since it costs me $171 each time to do this. The first mechanic charged me about $250. My Jeep is 2004.
Note that repair kits for these are available on Ebay. If you can get the door trim off by removing the few screws and gently prying the plastic rivets out around the perimeter you can repair this yourself. Be careful prying so as not to break the panel. The guys selling the repair kits have videos to show how it is done. Very simple and cheap and a one time fix. The small plastic grommet that breaks is there to prevent an arm from getting pinched by the lift motor. However, the plastic degrades quickly and you can’t buy just that part when it fails. I replaced mine with the aluminum version on Ebay and never had another problem. Mine were Bosch brand lifts (Regulators) and they fail the same on Cherokees and Grand Cherokees as well. I bought spares and needed them for the other windows. Always search Ebay before you run to the dealer to see if someone has figured it out already and can provide a simple fix. Same with the A/C vent door motors and doors that snap off. Very poor quality plastics used on Jeeps. A lot of breakage happens just removing simple assemblies. never had this problem with Japanese cars but I have had the same problems with VWs. Windows fall down in Jettas and Golfs as well.
I just experienced a issue with the lower ball joint and the tire came a loose. I have a 2002 jeep liberty, about 3 years ago the CV Joint broke and my left tire came ajar, this time it is the right tire.
Yup, I’ll add to the vote for a recall on this steering column BS. Drove my 2005 Jeep Liberty to my bf’s on Friday night. Saturday afternoon we go to run errands and the Jeep won’t start. We get a clicking sound at the relay but no turn over in the engine. Tested the battery – all good. Banged on the starter with no luck. Tried in and out of gear. Called a mechanic who came out and tried a couple things with no results. Paid to have it towed to his shop. He replaced the starter and guess what? STILL not working!! We didn’t figure it was anything in the steering column since we got dash lights and power to everything when you turn the key. Turns out it very much WAS in the steering column… a small metal cylinder that turns to make a connection sending juice to the starter had broken. METAL mind you, not plastic – absolutely had a chunk broken off. Come to find this is a “common” thing with Jeeps. If it’s that common, WHERE IS THE RECALL? It cost me $500 to fix this small metal cylinder (probably a $5 part) because they don’t sell that one part – you have to replace the ENTIRE interior of the steering column to fix it. Ridiculous!
Make sure you file a complaint at safercar.gov if you experience a problem you think there should be a recall on. The more people that file complaints, the more likely the manufacturer will issue a recall!
we have problems with windows, also with back hatch, AC,poor quality seats, and electrical. Not happy with 2006 JEEP .I drive like “a lady” and still having problems. We also have older HONDA and NO PROBLEMS -we just do oil change.
Traci – I experienced the exact same situation yesterday. A small metal part broke off and I need a new steering column that now cost $800 dollars plus the labor brings it to $950.
How do I know bout a 2007 Jeep Liberty ball joint recall??? Pleaseeee give me a hand on this!!!
We purchased our 2005 Jeep Liberty Limited brand new and have had nothing BUT problems!!!
This is the 3rd time we are having to replace the rear window motor regulator (twice on passenger and once on driver’s side) However, I wish to say “thank-you” to (19) Mark and (26) Jim for sharing this information. I may investigate and attempt to replace the part myself since now I learned what is causing the problem and this plastic piece of garbage will continually break and need replacing. What I don’t understand is how Chrysler/Jeep gets away with such shoddy workmanship?? Aren’t there laws against this? I realize this isn’t a safety issue, but what about meeting guidelines??? I also had a problem multiple times with the fan motor on the a/c (The air pressure stayed the same no matter what level I put it on) I’ve had to bring it in twice for a fix on this as well. Anyone else have this problem? One last problem I will mention is the power side view windows (driver and passenger). They work only when they feel like it!?!?! I will NEVER buy a Jeep/Chrysler product again!
Just got done shoving a block of wood under my rear window today.. I guess thats why the Wranglers go topless all the time cuz Jeep windows suck!!
I have a 2004 jeep liberty. I haven’t had any problems until now. My window regulators now keep breaking. I’ve fixed two. Now two more are broken. Come on recall!
I purchased my 2006 Jeep Liberty in 2006 and I have had to replaced window regulators in it twice now from were the windows keep breaking. This cost approx. 300.00 each time this happens, and now I have to have this done again. I see by other letters i am not alone in this issue. I have a friend that has the same Jeep Liberty as I do and is going on her 6th time to fix her windows. What does a person have to do or say to get the Chrysler people to back up there piece of crap windows?? They say by American made products, then we do and we get crap. Someone needs to step up and do the right thing and put a recall out on this, and inprove your windows. This will be my last Jeep and probably American made car if someone dosen’t get a handle on this problem. RECALL!!!!! needed badly.
2005 jeep liberty biggest piece of junk
steering column went cant start car NO RECALL
why the hek are there NO parts for 3 to 4 weeks if that on a WAITING LIST FOR THIS PART
I have 2006 liberty and there is something wrong with the end the steering is hard to turn and when you start out from a dead start it seems like one sides lift up like a bracket is broken. Now the rear side window cable broke but the motor works ok . Any help will be appreciated
Thank you
Gene Stashick
I have had my jeep liberty for months and nothing but problems and nothing being done about them if your like me and had enough stop complaining about the windows and everything else on here do what I did call and complain and report the issues to national traffic and motor vehicle safety act ( nhtsa ) the number is 1-800-327-4236 enough people call and make complaints then we all should be able to get the ball rolling and get them moving on fixing the problems and issues that they are selling us at a high price to put unsafe vehicles on the roads. Don’t pay out of your pockets for there mess up just call the number I provided and let’s all make them replace and fix there screw ups.
Have a 2005 jeep liberty …bought it new there seems to always be some light on the dash .replace a bulb monthly I have yet to recieve a recall on anything i find out from someone else who has one .I will never buy another Chrysler auto.