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Jeep Liberty/Liberty Diesel Brakes

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Comments

  • zachinmizachinmi Member Posts: 228
    If it's driven 3 times a week, every week, I can't see how that would happen. Might be different if it sat for a couple months then was driven intensely, sat for another couple months, etc.
  • zachinmizachinmi Member Posts: 228
    "Has anyone had this problem? I've had my 2005 Liberty Limited for about a month. Bought used with 14K miles on it. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed a burning smell when I turned off the engine as I entered my garage. I got out and could still smell something that was "burning". Had my hubby come take a whiff and he could easily smell it too. He drove it around for a few minutes and when he parked it, he put his hand inside the wheel-well for each tire and the heat that was emitting from the rear passenger tire was VERY HOT--the other 3 tires were normal temps. "

    Yes, I had the exact same problem at about 30,000 miles on my 2005 CRD. I took it in, they diagnosed it as the right rear caliper having seized, and replaced the rotor, caliper, pads, and brake line under warranty. They said they had only ever seen one like that before, but reading here I wonder if it's a Liberty problem. As a rear brake the safety issue is relatively small, but you definitely want it fixed.

    I am fairly sensitive to hot brake smell, and as far as I can tell this problem developed from nothing in the course of one week or less of routine commuting.

    (I realize this post is more than a year after the question was asked, but hopefully it will be useful to others.)
  • jeffinthedjeffinthed Member Posts: 1
    I have this exact same problem you describe on my 02 Liberty. Did you find anything that fixes it? I replaced the shoes and it didn't help. Problem came back after a couple weeks as you describe. I haven't replaced the drums and would like to avoid paying the $180 to do so. Any help is much appreciated!
  • dmblairdmblair Member Posts: 1
    I have an 05 Liberty with 40K on it. Has anyone had any problems getting the rear rotors off? I know the parking brake mechanism is on the inside of the rotor. I'm thinking that is rusted which is causing my issues removing the rotor. What is going on with these brakes? At 40K the rear pads were smoked already and the rotors need turned/replaced?!?! I started getting a nice grind from the passenger rear and I found a nice groove that was starting on the rotor from the pad. Any ideas on how I can get the rotor off? Thanks. Dave
  • emp2emp2 Member Posts: 20
    The brake pedal on my 2006 jeep diesel falls away when steady pressure is applied . My dealers service tells me this is normal to all jeep diesels even though the gas jeep brake pedal will hold firm when the brake is applied . Are the brakes on the diesel different than the gas ? Does the pedal fall away on your jeep diesels ? I have driven vehicles for 50 years and the above discribed problem would have meant there was something wrong with the brakes.
    Emp2
  • nescosmonescosmo Member Posts: 453
    Only in the dealer world. Something is wrong, tell them to give it to you in writing so when something happen to the CRD or you , you can sue them
  • emp2emp2 Member Posts: 20
    After talking to customer service I was told to go to another dealer for opinion on the" brake fall away" this is how the service manual refers to the brakes going down under foot pressure . So far no jeep diesel owner have replied as to how there brakes pedals react in there vehicles . Do you have a diesel ?
    Emp2
  • usafusaf Member Posts: 1
    I have 06 CRD with 20K. Brakes are solid and work well.
    I had this problem with 98 chevy SUV. Put new pads on rear (drums) and kept them tight. Worked good after that.
  • emp2emp2 Member Posts: 20
    I talked with a chrysler mechanic yesterday who had just had a class on brakes and there repair. He said many jeep owners had the same concerns about the brakes as I had " brake pedal fall away" . He said three differant brake systems were used and one type had the fall away of the brake pedal as I have and that it was NORMAL . Also it was not only the Jeep diesel that had this brakes system .
    Emp2
  • siberiasiberia Member Posts: 520
    That is correct. It should take substantial pressure to make the brake pedal “fall away”. The fluid is accumulated under pressure and used by the anti-lock system. The amount of pressure needed to make the pedal fall away would otherwise lock up the brakes on dry pavement.
  • emp2emp2 Member Posts: 20
    Regarding break pedal fall away . I'm sorry I was not clear when I discribed the problem . The break pedal fall away I was addressing occurs when the vehicle is not moving as at a stop sign and without an excessive,but steady foot pressure.
    Emp2
  • siberiasiberia Member Posts: 520
    Typically, a master cylinder that is just starting to fail will allow the pedal to “fall away” slowly with just the weight of your foot until it goes to the floor. Then the pressure bleeds off and the car begins to roll away. However, if you step firmly on a failing master cylinder most of the time the added pressure will push the flexible cup out against the cylinder wall and it will hold the pressure as long as pushing firmly. Slack off on the pressure and it will fall away and the brakes release. This is not a hard and fast rule – just most of the time.

    I really liked the hard brake pedal on my old '95 GC. I don't like the idea if a mushy pedal where it's difficult to tell if brakes are working normally or failing. My personal opinion is that it should be unambiguous.
  • jr32jr32 Member Posts: 23
    HAHA... I just heard the same thing from my dealer. 06 Liberty, 18000 miles. I bring it in for a recall and oil change and the said it needs front and rear brakes and the roters are too rusty.... "was the vehicle sitting for a long time?" We can change them for just under $400. Not to mention I too had the heater motor only work on high. Cloth seats stain when literally a raindrop or drip of water gets on them.
  • jeepgirl05jeepgirl05 Member Posts: 14
    My diesel Jeep Liberty is having issues with the brakes. I live in MT, we have tons of snow here. It only does this in the snow, so pretty sure thats the problem, but how do I fix it? The Jeep Dealer & tire shop will clean it out for me for under $50.
    Am hoping somebody has a "do it yourself" kinda thing.
    It has to sit out in the weather. Was thinking of sitting a heater by the tires, hoping this might work?!
    Ok the problem is, when go to stop, the brakes sound like there stuck/frozen, makes a noise & sounds like a sick cow. I tap them thinking that will help, but doesn't always work. Few days ago, it did this in town, I was going super slow, on a slick street, brakes didnt work..so was either hit the guy in front of me or aim for the giant snowbank, I kinda freaked and let go of steering wheel & thats where I ended up, about 1/2 way up on a snowbank. Only damage it did was break the front bumper in couple spots, no other damage.
    Any sugguestions greatly appreciated.
    Thanks!
  • siberiasiberia Member Posts: 520
    Jeepgirl05,

    The Jeep Dealer & tire shop will clean it out for me for under $50.

    I don’t understand, clean what out? You have 4-wheel disk brakes. The pistons that work the pads are pretty much sealed – but not invulnerable. You have small rear drums for the parking brake and that’s it. Are they just going to pull the Jeep inside until all the ice and snow melts off? Are you saying that your brakes did not work at all or your antilock brakes did not work and the wheels just locked up? (just FYI questions you need to answer for yourself) Antilock brakes on the Liberty make a vibrating, grating sound that could be heard as groaning. Antilock brakes can only do so much on glare ice.

    “Not invulnerable” means that something like jagged ice could possibly but unlikely damage a piston seal and cause corrosion in a brake piston leading to piston seize, but the other brakes would still work and the vehicle would pull to one direction.

    There has been a lot written on this forum about the rear brakes on the Liberty groaning and clunking. If I wash my Liberty in warm dry weather and run it into the garage without driving it, the next time I back out the rear brakes might groan/moan and clunk until the first application of the brakes. Sometimes in cool humid weather the same thing might happen the next time I drive out, although this hasn’t happened for a while. For some owners the problem was enough for their dealer to replace the rear pads and that seemed to cure the problem. I just ignore it because it never seems to affect stopping and is very temporary.

    If your antilock brakes actually did not work you need to get them repaired whether the vehicle is still under warrantee or not. Without access to the vehicle I can only speculate and someone else might speculate in a different direction. Good luck and stay safe.
  • jeepgirl05jeepgirl05 Member Posts: 14
    Found the problem, there was a chunk of ice/snow mixture, stuck in near the front wheels, anyway its out now, so good to go. Had brakes checked there fine. :)
  • siberiasiberia Member Posts: 520
    Occam's Razor. A friend of mine was driving a '65 Mustang on the highway in just the right kind of snow that built up in the wheel wells until he lost his steering and went in the ditch. So what you really had was snowpacked wheel well(s) :blush:
  • jeepgirl05jeepgirl05 Member Posts: 14
    yup, so it snowed alot more last night...will have the same problem again, ugh!
    Been setting a heater by the front wheels hoping to melt some of it off, it has to sit outside. Not fun
  • siberiasiberia Member Posts: 520
    What I did was run a hot water pipe to my outdoor faucet. So when I come home with a ton of ice and snow under the wheel wells I can turn on the hot water and just wash it off before putting the Jeep in the garage. It also makes for better car washing on cool days.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    To avoid packing the wells I just frequently turn my steering full left to full right when I am in heavy snow.
    I was once stuck because the power steering was not powerful enough to force the wheels to steer. Either the serpentine belt was slipping over the pulley or the overpressure. valve of the steering pump got mad at me.

    People put chains up front to widen their tracks and avoid ice forming around the steering tires. Even my new BFG T/A tires get caught in heavy snow. We usually think traction by the rear is important, but what a frustration not to have a steering wheel anymore :sick:

    When you drive a normal car you never dive so deep in the snow; you stall by looking at it.
  • wittsendwittsend Member Posts: 6
    The "Flaw" is the fact that the have started making the rotors thinner thus lighter for MPG. Which now they warp faster and are consumable instead of just having them resurfaced like you use to in the 70's and 80's.
  • hockeymom98hockeymom98 Member Posts: 2
    I have taken my 2006 Liberty CRD in twice for a deep, grinding, almost moaning noise that comes from the front wheel wells on slow, hard turns (like in a parking garage). The first time, they told me it was my rear differential fluid (I kid you not) and this time they are telling me they don't hear it. I am not losing my mind - everyone in my parking garage at work is hearing this. My Libby has 41,000 miles. Any ideas on what might be causing this? I checked the power steering fluid, it's good and there are no leaks. There does not appear to be any obstructions in the wheel well that would cause the tire to rub against anything. I am at a loss on this one. Maybe some good anti-psychotic drugs will help with the noises I am hearing... (just kidding... really! LOL)
  • gmc11gmc11 Member Posts: 9
    Brakes went to the floor on hard emergency stop. Vehicle continued to roll nearly colliding with another vehicle. No brake fluid leaks were found. Dealer has stated that the problem is in the master cylinder or the boost module. Master cylinder was replaced and problem still exists. To check, with vehicle turned off, apply pressure to the brake pedal. If the pedal continues to the floor, there is a problem with your brakes! My dealer stated that they checked another Jeep Liberty diesel and its brakes did the same thing. It is important to know that the brakes work fine unless they are needed for a hard emergency stop. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I will post again once we know for sure what solves the problem.
  • north49north49 Member Posts: 1
    We have a 2002 Liberty--zero problem vehicle until rear drums quit working. Front brakes lock up on ice, rear wheels keep pushing. Drums have been turned, drums have been replaced, shoes changed twice, proportioning valve checked, all done at my Chrysler dealer. After all this you can slip the vehicle into neutral on glare ice and the rear wheels will not lock up, by pulling on the "e" brake or braking hard. If you set the shoes up so the brakes grab some what, the drums over heat in a short distance. I have only paid for the original visit, given work is warrantee. I know they don't want to see me again.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    It seems your brake linings are now too thin and this forces the automatic play limiters (brake shoe rests) to go beyond their normal range. When your drum brakes over heat rapidly this means the brake shoes become "self locking". When you open a brake drum, bring all cams and rests to their lowest position and measure the minimal diameter over the lining of the brake shoes. The drum diameter should be ~1/16"-1/8" larger than the linings. If you have a lot more play, this should be the problem.
    Otherwise look at the surface of the brake shoes: rubbing against the drum should occur in the middle, never at the tip where they are pushed by the receiver cylinder.
  • gmc11gmc11 Member Posts: 9
    Dealer has now replaced the master cylinder and the antilock brake control module. Brakes are doing the same thing. Pedal will go to the floor when steady pressure is applied. Dealer stated that they have now checked four Jeep Liberty Diesels and they all have this same symptom.
  • gmc11gmc11 Member Posts: 9
    I have a 2005 Liberty Diesel with the same problem. Dealer has replaced master cylinder and antilock brake control module so far and the same problem exists. They have given up and said it was normal. They have checked 4 other diesel Libertys and they all act the same way. I believe this is a serious problem and will continue to research this.
  • gmc11gmc11 Member Posts: 9
    Update: Check the pedal with no key in the ignition. Pedal is hard, does not fall away. Turn on the key, this energizes the antilock brake electronic module. Now pedal falls away. Problem must be in the electronic module (CAB) or in the wheel sensors. I will be going back to the dealer with this new information. Stay tuned.
  • dwarshowdwarshow Member Posts: 1
    I just got back from the dealer where I asked them to check the brakes. The car has 47k miles on the original brakes so I thought it was getting close. They told me the front needs immediate replacement and the rear has a few thousand miles to go. Then he told me that they won't replace just the pads anymore. They always replace the rotors at the same time, it comes in a kit. I really don't want to spend $700 for the front and rear brakes.

    Does this sound normal? What would be the harm in just replacing the pads?
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    I had to pay 700 USD just for the front brakes (disks and pads), the labor was covered by the ball joint recall.
  • gmc11gmc11 Member Posts: 9
    Dealer replaced the CAB module. Problem still exists. Jeep is synonymous with Junk!
  • blubayoublubayou Member Posts: 2
    I've replaced both front & back pads, rear rotors twice and now when I brake, the steerling wheel is once again vibrating. What is wrong with my 05 Liberty? Everything else has been okay so far. I've got 53K miles to date.
    Other than the stains on the seats and the brake issue - I've been rather content with my LIberty.
    If my problem sounds familiaror there are solutions or explanations, please advise. The thought of spending another $450 is just not cool.
    Thanks.
  • sthogesthoge Member Posts: 28
    Vibration in the steering wheel while braking is typically caused by a warped rotor. I'm sure that's why the dealer wants to replace them. If the rotors haven't been turned before, having them turned/re-ground will normally take care of that problem otherwise, yes, new rotors are in order. Now with that said, let's talk about causes. It's been my experience that warping of the rotors are typically caused by the wheels not being torqued properly when they are changed. So the next question would be who rotates your tires. I rotate mine every 5,000 miles or so and because I do it myself, I know that I have torqued the studs myself. If you have it done at a tire store, they can be lazy at times and simply zip them on with the air gun and there is no way to have each bolt tightened at the same number of foot pounds. If you do them by hand, then you need a torque wrench to make sure that they are.
    Untorqed lugs will cause uneven pressure on the rotor and when you do either a high speed stop or a lot of stop and go, the rotors heat up a lot and when cooling down it will cool down unevenly causing warping of the rotors.

    At least that's been my experience in all the vehicles that I've worked on in the past. I've got the same year and about the same miles on my liberty as you do and I still have the factory brakes and rotors on it.
  • meme12meme12 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2002 jeep liberty limited with 84,000 miles. The last 2 years when it rains my brakes seem to lock up which causes me to slide. i have had 2 brake jobs, drum cleaning and finally a drum replacement. None have solved the issue and jeep delaer is clueless. the only person who seemed to know what he was doing is no longer at the dealer.
    my issue of the locking up is now starting to happen even when it does not rain - any ideas what this issue is??
  • winter2winter2 Member Posts: 1,801
    I have a couple of thoughts.

    1. Is the proportioning valve in good working order?
    2. Are the rear brakes adjusted correctly?
    3. Are you still running the factory brake fluid and has the system ever been flushed?
  • meme12meme12 Member Posts: 3
    i brought her in for a tune up back in March - i dont recall them flushing out the brake fluid - i will bring it in again and have them check the above that you suggested
    thanks!!!! this has been a very frustrating issue for me for the last couple of years and i appreciate your feedback
  • winter2winter2 Member Posts: 1,801
    Generally, brake system flush is not on the maintenance menu and you have to request it. Shop around as the price varies from place to place. Bringing your own fluid will generally save you a few dollars.

    If the shop uses BG Products, which is good stuff, then go there.
    If the rest of the fluids are original, like power steering, it might be worth your while to have that done too.

    One other thought about the rear lock up is that you never mentioned if you had antilock brakes. If so, have the sensors checked.
  • meme12meme12 Member Posts: 3
    i do have anti lock brakes - it sounds like i need to have all my fluids replaced and a few things checked:)
    thank you - very much appreciated
  • kayakhomerkayakhomer Member Posts: 1
    I have a 06 liberty diesel that was making a grinding, dragging noise from the rear drivers side wheel. When I removed the rear tire and brake rotor I found the remains of a aluminum rivet in the "hat" portion of the rotor. I then discovered that the backing plate that holds the parking brake assemble had come loose from the axle. It is only held in place by two small aluminum rivets. Has anyone else had this problem and how do you get at the backing plate to replace the rivets?
  • gbeck5gbeck5 Member Posts: 1
    I have replaced the breakpads and the calliveter on my 2005 jeep liberty. What else could be causing them to lock up every other day :cry:
  • cornbob01cornbob01 Member Posts: 2
    I am An owner of a 2005 Jeep CRD as well. I am now experiancing the brake problem that you were talking about in #82. I Have taken my jeep to the dealership back and fourth for over 3 months now. I was wondering if you had found out what the problem was. I am looking forward to getting my jeep fixed and just need and awnser and the dealership cant give me one.
  • gmc11gmc11 Member Posts: 9
    I finally told the dealer to replace the pads and to check the rotors. They resurfaced the front discs and found that both rear rotors were delaminated (junk). They put new rear rotors on and one of the rear calipers was seized so they replaced that. They replaced the pads on all four wheels. This solved the problem. The brakes felt like new again and the peddle did not fade. This was done at approximately 55,000 miles on the odometer.
  • iaokieiaokie Member Posts: 1
    My 05 libertys brakes lock up intermittenly
    One day there fine the next day I'm driving down the road and all 4 brakes slowly start to lock up to the point of not being able to move without pushing the gas pedal half way to th floor
    Ive be told it's the proportional valve or master cylinder
    Any ideas
  • cornbob01cornbob01 Member Posts: 2
    I told the dealership to replace all pads,calipers,and rotors. Then they test drove it for 2 days and said it was fine but it wasn't. Problem still exists. Brake petal goes to the floor more if you hit the brakes, then let off and hit them again. Dealership states that they have replaced everything except the hoses which arn't leaking.
    Any other ideas?
  • gmc11gmc11 Member Posts: 9
    Excellent advice! After reading this, I checked my owner's manual for the torque spec and sure enough the owner's manual states the same thing that you say. When I checked the torque, some were so tight I thought I'd break the wheel bolts trying to loosen them and others backed off easily. I will be torqueing the bolts from now on every time I have my tires rotated and balanced.
  • gmc11gmc11 Member Posts: 9
    I checked the brakes of some other vehicles with anti-lock brakes and found that they do the same thing. The anti-lock brakes stop the vehicle by modulating the brakes on and off very rapidly. What if they are staying in the off mode and bypassing the fluid? BTW, my brakes will still go to the floor if I apply constant pressure to them when the vehicle is running. If the vehicle is off however, the brakes are firm and will not go to the floor. We need a mechanic to explain that.
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