23rd May 2010, 13:49
To the man wanted to buy a 2002 Liberty for his daughter, I understand seeing all these comments would make you turn away.
I recently bought a used Jeep and it has cost me a few bucks these past months, but nothing any used car won't do; it was worth the buy.
You have to keep in mind that people with car problems will come to these websites for answers and post their own problem. It is unlikely for someone who has a Jeep and loves their Jeep will come on a site like this just to preach their good word. So just because the negatives are outweighing the positive comments, doesn't mean it's a bad car.
Good luck with your buying.
18th Jun 2010, 17:01
This is for the gentleman contemplating buying a Liberty for his daughter or anyone else who might be. I drove my Limited off of the lot new in '02. It has well over 250k miles on it. I have replaced one radiator and am about to replace a compressor for the AC. That is all. Loving my Jeep.
29th Jun 2010, 13:09
For the guy buying one for his daughter... how far is she going to be away from you? If not too far... it'll probably be alright. If not, find something more reliable. I am a mother of 2 daughters, and I would not buy one for them... although I have had one for 8 years. I love my Jeep Liberty (2002) and will not trade it in, although I have had some major issues with it. I will not be happy driving anything else, so I keep repairing it, and driving it, and repairing it, and driving it, etc. :)
16th Jul 2010, 10:05
02 Liberty, bought new.
I was horrible with maintenance, did no spark plugs, differential service, or trans service till 112k (recommended every 30k).
The only problem I have had is my A/C compressor clutch gave up a few weeks ago, but considering 8 years and lots of use, I figure that is normal for a wear item.
And of course the normal maintenance of brakes and tires etc.
And besides, it's a 4x4, not a car, thus a lot more moving parts that can break, and it weighs a lot more than a car, so the engine/trans will work harder; just my thoughts.
Love the Jeep, great buy.
26th Jul 2010, 17:27
Bought a Jeep Liberty 2002 with 140K miles on it for $4500. It has run great until the last week when the engine light came on and had a slow coolant leak. Made an appointment to bring it in, but before I could, the idle became very rough and kept stalling. I'm thinking it's a head gasket, seems pretty regular for this car at these miles. Waiting for the mechanic to call, and debating whether to fix it, or junk it and get a new one. Still love the Jeep, and in every other aspect it is in beautiful shape - engine looks super clean and it's a great ride... hmm... to fix or not to fix? Not sure I'll find a vehicle I like as much, even for twice the price I paid for this one.
14th Sep 2010, 09:35
Bought my 2002 Liberty at 32,000 miles. Had to replace a belt once, other than that, it has been great. Until now.
It's now at 90,000 miles, the check engine light came on... but it still drives fine. I have had it diagnosed by the Jeep dealer and an independent mechanic. Both tell me cylinder is not firing and it needs a new engine.
I am completely baffled. I still owe money on this car. Do I fix it? Is this normal?
20th Dec 2010, 09:37
My 2003 Liberty went above the average 90.000 miles mark to 127,000 miles for piston springs cracking. This meant for me that I had no choice but to sell this 7 year old vehicle for parts. My options were obtaining a used (same) engine with 80.000 miles on it with same possible scenario down the road, or to buy a new engine (lots of money as this isn't a cheap engine), or to have a piecemeal fix with no guarantee it would get off the lot. This is an apparent problem for the 2001, 2002 and 2003 models.
23rd Feb 2011, 19:22
I own a 2002 Jeep Liberty Limited. Had about 70,000 miles on it when I bought it.
Last week, went out to go on a short trip across town (about 2 miles) and noticed that it seemed to be missing and wanted to stall when RPM's went below 1000. Got to my destination, shut it off, went inside. Came out 10 min. later and started it. It ran fine. For 2 days no problem. Then after my wife drove it for about 6 miles to the grocery store, shut it off (it was running perfect) and came back out 20 minutes later, it was back to the missing and wanting to stall.
Got it to the garage, and the computer showed a #2 cylinder misfire. Thought it may be a spark and replaced it - no change. Replaced crankshaft and camshaft position sensors - no change. Then a compression test revealed a valve problem in the #2 cylinder. Pulled the valve cover to find the the lifter had come out and jammed under the camshaft, and damaged the cam and cylinder head. Have to replace the head at 106,000 miles for something that just doesn't happen in well manufactured engines. $1250.00 oh boy! Seems the valve spring on the exhaust valve in #2 cylinder broke.
Reading other comment boards, this seems to be a common problem with the Liberty from 2002-2005, and it would seem that Chrysler knows about it, because the part number for the exhaust spring changed in 2006 model (Surprise, surprise). By the way, the intake spring part number is the same for all the Liberty years 2002-Present. Guess they figured out the problem, but won't recall them. Guess I should start worrying about the other head - Yeah!
24th Feb 2011, 07:27
Bought an 03 Jeep Liberty about 5 months ago with 130,000 miles.
I love the car, love the way it rides and handles. I have put lots of work into the car, intake, exhaust, lift kit, etc.
But yesterday my computer started going nuts, my dash keeps reading that my rear hatch is open when it's not, and the radio would come on and off with the key out, and my front blinker just stays on all the time and won't go off.
Thought that was it until I unhooked the battery to reset the computer. When I hooked it back up, my Jeep would no longer stay running and and began to smell coolant, think I got a blown head gasket, but still need to figure out what's wrong electronically.
If anybody has any ideas on this please let me know.
21st Mar 2010, 01:23
I own a 2002 Jeep Liberty V6 3.7L. I have owned it since new.
After 100,000 miles the #2 cylinder wouldn't fire, I had to replace the engine (up to $3,000 brand new).
At around 107,000 miles, the transmission went out with weird vibrations, had to replace, ($2,010.00 brand new).
The air conditioning went bad after about 90,000 miles. They say about $200.00 refill.
After around 70,000 miles, the plastic air conditioner went bad with a leak at the seam. I had regular oil changes and routine maintenance checks, and we still couldn't avoid this mess.
I like how the Jeep drives, but am very unhappy with the durability of the Jeep and the parts used. I would really appreciate some reimbursement, but I feel it's highly unlikely.