2002 Jeep Liberty Limited V6

Summary:

Love the car - the problem was costly

Faults:

Upper ball joint failure under normal driving conditions.

General Comments:

Although this Jeep does have so-called high miles, this part (upper ball joint) should never fail under any circumstances. After successfully negotiating the Liberty to a stop from the 40 MPH breakage, I took some pictures of the interior ball joint. I am a excellent mechanic and can honestly say this ball joint broke due to corrosion and fatigue. Chrysler said they inspected the part and determined it was from an "Impact"... Yeah, Right... anyone have a bridge for sale?

Anyway, I found there was a recall on the lower ball joint and not the upper, and after fixing the problem I know why. The upper ball joint is fused into the upper "A" control arm and would cost Chrysler a ton of money to replace all those Liberty's out there. I was told by Chrysler that I'm on my own, I just wish someone would have informed us by a warning or possibility of breakage for the Upper. So check yours if you own a Liberty, because it seems to me "inevitable!"

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 22nd July, 2006

1st Apr 2008, 14:53

I have had the same problem with the ball joints on my 2004 Jeep Liberty. You can go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and file a complaint. The NHTSA conducts investigations that lead to national recalls; you could get your vehicle fixed for free or get reimbursed for repairs that have already been completed if the agency finds a manufacturer's defect.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

31st Jan 2009, 10:50

I took my Liberty into the dealer to get the lower ball joints replaced due to the recall, and they failed to tell me the condition of my uppers, and here it is, not 6 months later and the jeep drives as though I'm driving on a cattle trail because the uppers are falling apart. I would have appreciated a heads up on the condition of the uppers when I took it in the first time. "Trail Rated", yeah right! Only if that trail consists of going to the market.

2002 Jeep Liberty Limited 4WD 3.7 V6

Summary:

Not a bad car, but the Japanese competition is better

Faults:

Purchase Jeep second hand from a dealer with 18,000 miles and one year old.

18,000 - 20,000 Speedo would not work after going through a puddle of water. Went to a 5 Star Jeep dealer 3 times before it was fixed properly.

21,000 engine light remained on another return visit to the dealer.

30,000 Central locking left passenger door failed to open.

35,000 Passenger air vent came off in my hand, fit and finish is flimsy.

No further problems to date.

General Comments:

The Jeep started off with some issues which were resolved 3-4 visits to the Jeep dealer under warranty From 25,000 to 45,000 no problems do date. Mechanically it has been very reliable and has always started first time in all types of weather conditions. It handles well in the snow and we like the high up ride and clearance. Generally we are happy with the car, but there are some flaws which Chrysler/Jeep need to sort out which are.

1. The fit and finish build quality isn't as good as previous cars I have owned which includes: Audi, VW, BMW and Saab all are better built (exterior and interior)

2. A car which costs around 30K new should have ABS as standard. This car didn't have this which is dangerous in the snow.

3. Why does this car still have drum brakes? Other SUV's in this class ie: Toyota, Honda etc... all have disk brakes all round. This doesn't have sense why Jeep doesn't have disk brakes all round like the competition.

4. Fuel consumption is poor from the 3.7 V6 engine when compared against the Toyota Highlander or Lexus RX 330.

5. The leather seats lack support.

Generally we have been happy with the Jeep Liberty, but will probably not buy another one. This car will be replaced by either a Toyota Highlander or Lexus RX 330 or Merc ML 350.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th December, 2005

12th Feb 2006, 15:33

The owner is correct, the Jeep has appalling breaks, why do Jeep cut corners by charging $30K for an SUV with good four wheel drive let down my very poor drum breaks with NO ABS. We also got rid of our Jeep Liberty for the same reason it was unsafe. We now drive a Toyota Highlander which is a far better engineered car in every respect

1. More reliable

2. Better on gas with the 3.3 V6 (same as in Lexus RX330)

3. Has disk breaks all round

4. ABS is standard.

Jeep need to improve on these points.

3rd May 2006, 19:50

How does not having ABS brakes make a vehicle "unsafe" in winter. Even ABS brakes will even lock up all 4 wheels. Jeep didn't make the Liberty as an off-road vehicle.

Don't blame Jeep for you not knowing how to drive a car without ABS.

4th May 2006, 14:14

Well if you knew all these things, why did you buy it?

28th Aug 2006, 18:29

I love my Jeep Liberty! I have had minor issues with it, but that is life! No car is perfect. Jeeps are known for being an aw-some 4 Wheel Drive vehicle not being a luxury car. I have never seen any other SUV being compared to a Jeep.. wonder why?...They are better then the rest as far as off roading goes.

18th Nov 2007, 22:18

The Jeep is a different type of vehicle than anything Japanese, other than maybe the Xterra and 4Runner. The Highlander is basically a Toyota Camry wagon with available AWD - a CAMRY. And the Lexus RX is also built on the Camry platform. You're comparing a Librty to a Camry? And don't bother with the Honda Passport or Ridgeline; those are Accords with identity crises.

Serious off-road capability comes with the price of ride quality and gas mileage. What kind of vehicle do you really want?