16th Feb 2011, 21:53
I'm undecided about how to feel about my 2002 Jeep Liberty Limited. I have recently invested nearly $900.00 in it to replace fuel rail and starter. Now I've been told I may need a new head after white smoke comes from under my hood and out of my exhaust. Another $$$$$ pricey job to keep my Liberty running acceptable.
It has only 115,000 miles on it ~ I think it should run better!
15th Mar 2011, 20:22
Glad I found this, I almost picked up a used Liberty today! Looks like Jeeps aren't built like they were in the late 80s and early 90s. I've seen many of them with over 300,000 miles on them.
10th Apr 2011, 10:07
My wife drives a 2002 Jeep Liberty Limited, and really loves her car. It is the perfect size, and she loves the tough sturdy look of it. We purchased the car in 2004 from the local dealer used off of lease. This was our 3rd Jeep. We had been very happy with our 1991 Laredo with the 4.0 liter straight 6 and our 2002 Grand Cherokee with the 4.7 liter V8, and we felt confident with the Jeep brand.
The car had about 18000 miles on it when we purchased it, and ran good with regular maintenance every 3000 - 4500 miles with some minor repairs.
At about 80000 miles, the car started to rap and our local master mechanic tried to diagnose the lack of oil returning to one cylinder head, and finally decided that the engine needed to come out, and that replacing it with a used engine compared to a rebuild would be the least expensive answer.
He changed the motor with a 2004 low mileage replacement for about $4500 dollars, with more difficulty than he expected, and after some computer problems were solved, it is running fine with about 125000 miles on it, except that it is now losing 1 quart of oil every 700 miles or so.
We have given up trying to salvage this vehicle, and are trading it in on a 2011 Grand Cherokee with the new V6.
I am hoping that Chrysler/Jeep has stepped up to the plate, and the new technology is an improvement.
We still have the 2002 Grand Cherokee with 85000 miles, and I noticed that it was 1/2 quart low on 3000 mile regular maintenance interval, and I am a little concerned, as this engine is really the 3.7 V6 with 2 more cylinders.
I drag raced a Dodge 426 max wedge back in 1963 when Chrysler was the pinnacle of automotive engineering, and I hope they can find that level of excellence again. I am betting about $40000 on them.
26th Apr 2011, 22:10
I also have a 2004 Jeep Liberty and have the same problem as far as the engine or specially the oil pump. It has a loud banging noise in the engine area.
I'm still making payments. I need a car, can't afford to fix it... Can the dealer help?
11th Sep 2011, 21:01
My wife has a 2003 Liberty that died on an exit ramp and almost killed her. Same thing; broken valve spring, valve ate a piston for dinner, we really have to get a class action suit going, Chrysler really should be held responsible for this, not the people who bought their vehicles in good faith.
1st Feb 2012, 06:25
Have a 2004 Liberty 3.7L. Motor died via broken spring and subsequent chain reaction at 72,000 miles. This was in the summer of 2010. Now with 25,000 on the new heads and rebuild, the engine is about to do the same. Been faithful on changes, and the problem continues. Never buy a Liberty...
2nd Mar 2012, 14:40
My 2002 Jeep Liberty just got towed after the engine light came on and the vehicle stalled out. Nice warning! Told that the second piston and cylinder are "coming apart"! Needs a new engine. WTF!! Nice garbage from Chrysler. Where's the class action lawsuit?
15th Sep 2012, 08:49
My wife was driving her 2004 Liberty home from work, a 7 mile ride, and was half way when she called and said the engine was making a weird noise, and the RPMs were going up like it was downshifting, then a light came on with what looked like a watering can. I told her just take her time and get it home.
When she pulled in, she shut it off right away. I let it sit while I checked the engine oil, trans fluid and coolant, which were all good.
After about 10 minutes, I started it and the light was out and it sounds fine. I changed the oil and filter, started it up and the oil pressure light stays on. Now it's sitting in the garage. Thinking about changing the oil pump and screen; has anyone else done this and fixed the problem?
16th Sep 2012, 02:43
I know we all go on the web to complain and rarely to compliment vehicles. I was reading this review because it popped up as a "recent review" on the right side of the screen.
Seriously people, if you always think what you've always thought - you're always going to get what you've always got!
Somebody mentioned their Jeep Liberty's engine blew, and they sold it and bought a new Jeep. Why?!?! That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. If my engine blew prematurely and Jeep wouldn't stand behind me, I'd be jumping ship to Ford, GM, Toyota, Nissan; ANYBODY but Jeep.
16th Sep 2012, 08:39
Perhaps the person has had many, many many, great Jeeps that were problem free (as I have), and they understand that one bad one doesn't mean that all Jeeps are bad.
Fact is we become loyal to brands because they have served us well, and some of us realize that any manufacturer can build a bad vehicle once in a while.
17th Sep 2012, 17:38
What I'm asking is if anyone had the oil pump and screen changed before actually seizing the engine and fixing the problem? Also, how much does it cost to do so?
The entire Jeep is in excellent condition, except for the sudden oil pressure drop and impending demise of the engine if it's driven. Let's face it, if most people are like us, we can't afford another car right now.
15th Oct 2012, 06:43
I purchased a 2002 Liberty. The motor blew at 119000 miles. I am in on a class action suit also. Reply to me or start a web site, and we can try to get the ball rolling.
15th Oct 2012, 07:47
Good luck - We had a Lexus RX300 that went through 3 engines before it hit 136,000 miles, not to mention a multitude of other problems (yes, we changed the oil regularly - 3,000 miles with synthetic). To Lexus' credit, they paid for the parts, but they were still very expensive repairs.
I'll take a Liberty any day, thank you.
16th Feb 2011, 14:38
Add me to the list. A class-action suit is definitely in order.
My 2003 Liberty sits idle at the mechanic's shop and now I need to decide: spend $3000 for a replacement engine, or take $1460 to scrap it?
At least I got over 170,000 miles out of it, which is apparently a lot for one of these vehicles.
My 1973 Dodge Dart? Simple. Affordable. Built to last. Easy to repair (if I ever needed to). My 2003 Liberty, supposedly possessing 30 years of automotive advances? An overly-complicated, hard-to-fix piece of crap.
Nissan, you're be getting a returning customer. I got over 300,000 miles from my last Sentra (1 clutch, 1 heat shield replaced during 300,000+ miles).