Loved my Jeep until this happened
Same problem as everyone else with the 2003 liberty 3.7 PowerTech, The Sludge. I now have a jeep with 78000 miles on it that is not under warranty with a bad motor.
I wish I would have kept my 96 Cherokee.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 11th January, 2008
A good buy, very satisfied
Transmission overhaul at approx. 50,000 km (under warranty). And again overhauled at 97,000 km (under warranty). Do you think I'll keep it past 145,000km?
First brake job, all around at 99,000 km.
Still on OEM tires at 101,010 km (desperately need new tires).
Ball joint replacement as per recall (under warranty) at 97,000.
Rack and pinion replaced at 99,000 km (under warranty).
Front right fog light burned out and replaced at 97,000 km.
Decals (i.e. JEEP on hood, 3.7L & 4x4 on tailgate) all delaminated (lost their chrome finish) at about 50,000 km. Replaced under warranty.
So, it has cost me $800 for a complete brake job and everything else was covered under warranty. Be vigilant about repairs. If your warranty is soon to end, take it in for one of those 99 point inspections. My dealer said I should get it checked out. If he finds anything under warranty to fix, he just does away with charging me for the inspection. That's when he found the worn out rack and pinion Steering. Saved me approx. $1500.. Well worth looking into.
Drivers floor mat is nearly worn right through at my heel. And cigarette lighter (the actual lighter) doesn't work. I can get a replacement from any other car though (rental or something! LOL)
I have enjoyed it. It is a great driving SUV on dirt roads, and when the tires were new it was good in the snow. It feels much bigger than it is.
It is great to park, due to the short length and tight turning radius.
There isn't nearly as much room for storage as one might think. My wife's Toyota Echo hatchback has just as much usable space in the back, and nearly the same in the drivers compartment.
Love the Patriot Blue color and the 17" chrome rims.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th August, 2007
Automatic transmission slippage at 40000 miles.
Fuel mileage was poor.
The transmission seems to slip when backing up a small grade like my driveway. Feels like not enough pressure from the torque converter to hold the bands tight. Dealer could not find anything wrong. This will probably be the case until the warranty runs out and then they will find it. This is my 3rd Jeep, but first Liberty. Transmissions in my Grand Cherokees went 125,000 before needing major service. Also it seems like the gearing on it is not matched to the engine power band. Going up hill is a real struggle and always have to take it out of overdrive to keep at 65mph. I finally found the combo for improving my mileage. I get 19 around town and 23 to 24 on hi way. I cleaned the Throttle body, threw away my K&N and put a stock one back in, drive at 70mph tops and use Mobile 87 octane gas. The car weighs more than my Cherokee's and has a lot more wind resistance. This destroys the mileage.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th November, 2006
16th Dec 2006, 00:40
I agree with what you said in your review of the Liberty. I had a 2003 Renegade. It's long gone now, in favor of a CRV. Anyway, back to the Liberty. Over all, it was a solid truck that I felt secure in. BUT, the gas mileage was horrible. I tried a K/N air filter, 91 octane gas, and synthetic oil. Driven conservatively, the mileage still was poor. Try 14 city and 18 highway. That's the best it could do, sometimes it would be worse, never better. I would be dancing in the streets if I attained what you did. I didn't bother cleaning the mass-airflow sensor. It should not have been dirty although I am aware of the K/N oil that can build up on the mass-air-flow sensor.
My Liberty was broken in with over 13,000 miles on it. The tires were inflated properly. I don't now what the problem was. I do agree that this is a heavy vehicle that is as aerodynamic as a brick. But still.
Other than that, the Liberty was pretty good. I was however disappointed with the weak radio and small-ish/unsupportive seats. As far as reliability, it was rock solid. I just felt like a bit of a poser in it since I didn't really need the off-road ability. The CRV will suffice and not eat me alive at the pump!!!