Jeep Liberty: Problems & Solutions

gus6037 · June 2005

Hello, anyone experiencing a squeaking/rubbing noise from their differential when backing and turning? Have an 02 4WD Liberty and it makes strange noises when backing and turning. It has recently started doing this in forward gear as well. I'm hesitant to take it to the dealer because I frankly don't trust them nor can I tolerate being snowed by some kid that doesn't know come see from sic'em about my vehicle.Does anyone know if a differential fluid change will help? The noise is hard to describe, and I consider myself a fair mechanic. It's probably best described as two pieces of hard rubber or plastic being rubbed together. Someone please help....I'm gettin worried here.

lyndag · June 2005

My 02 Liberty had the same problem and they had to replace the whole rear end. It was a while ago and I can't remember what the cause was. If you want I can look it up on the paperwork tonight.

jimk3 · June 2005

OK, I picked up the car and the total estimate for the compressor is $950. So that is not cool.

I'm just wondering what else will go wrong - and I think we'll get rid of the car as soon as we have it fixed.

Replacing the engine at 48000 miles as mentioned in previous posts is not something I want to wait for.

06251959 · June 2005

We are still waiting for the claims person to show up so they can authorize the work at the 5star dealer.....no fun just waiting for them to show up. They were notified last Thursday morning, June 9th. We had "some" hard shifting but mostly it was the "knock" or "thump" that we felt when we were cruising at 55-60 mph, and ONLY in that range of speed. At least you have the hard shifting documented, since you have taken the vehicle in for it. If there is less that 50k miles, you might want them to look at the transmission or you could be in the same boat we are. The only gradual loss of the tranny was what I mentioned. Then the idiot light came on the dashboard and it didn't shift into it's cruising gear. The dealer wasn't aware of any transmission problems out of the ordinary with this year and model..........

tqqlin · June 2005

My 2002 made a noise from the rear differential, I took it to the dealer and they put an additive to the oil...free of charge. Ever since then the noise is gone.

cats5 · June 2005

My '02 Liberty is in the shop right now due to transmission problems at 62,000 miles. Needs a new "valve body". Seems ridiculous at such low milage. Just would not drive in "drive" position but would in low and 2nd gear. Costing me $1,100.00 Everyone says is very low milage for such major work?

gus6037 · June 2005

I was afraid that might be the case. Any info you could offer would be appreciated. Guess it's time to dig out my warranty papers. Thanks

rikki · June 2005

I've had my new 2005 Liberty for just over one month. I love it and my gas milage is about 16 city 22 highway. Pretty close to the sticker. Those getting worse gas milage must be in a real big hurry all the time. Anyways on to my quirky problem...it feels like there is a big stone or rock stuck in one of the tires on occassion? I am constantly looking for this stone, see nothing..but I can't shake this strange feeling. It even feels timed, going faster the faster I go and slowing down when I slow down..yet there is no stone. After reading about all these differential problems I am wondering if that might have something to do with it? I've checked all the tire pressures and had the tires balanced and still feel it. Anyone else experiencing this same problem? :confuse:

dccheung · June 2005

I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty and I had a similar noise problem as gus6037 (#1657). It's a clicking/scratching sound that goes faster as I drive faster. It sounds like it's scratching some other components inside the car. I am so disappointed at the liberty and i'm just *this* close to selling it and get a honda!!

That's going to be my first *and* last time buying an american car!

I swear I must have visited the dealer like 4-5 times a year to get these kind of stupid problems fixed! :mad:

jimk3 · June 2005

The car is at the dealer again, as I'm having them fix the A/C today. It''l be $950 + tax. It was supposed to be done in one day. I dropped the car off at 7 this morning and got a call at 11 that they didn't have the parts in stock and had to order them; they should be in tomorrow.
I'm a bit surprised since I made the appointment a week ago, and they had the car for a day last week which is when they found out exactly what was wrong and which parts they needed.
So the dealer asks if I can get a ride home from the office from someone, or if I want to come pick up the car and bring it back tomorrow. Finally he offers a rental car.
He calls back at 3pm to let me know that if I need the rental car I have to be there before 5:30 to pick it up, which means I have to leave work early. Also, it is possible there won't be any cars available when I get there, in which case they'll take me to another Enterprise location to pick up a car.

I already know that the whole thing will take at leaast an hour out of my day. Is this normal Jeep / Chrysler 5 star dealer service?

I was also wondering if there was anything I could do to have Chrysler give us a discount on the cost of the new A/C, since they really aren't supposed to break at 41000 miles. Any ideas? (Like contact corporate office or something?)

thanks

lyndag · June 2005

I finally found my paperwork. I took it to the dealership 4 times for the same problem and they replaced the differential on the 4th visit. If you want to I can fax copies of the paperwork to you. Let me know.

gail6 · June 2005

I own a 2004 Jeep Liberty Renegade and everything hits the windshield and puts cracks and chips into the glass. This will be my third windshield replacement (this will be replaced after my upcoming road trip - don't want to take the chance of it cracking again) - Has anyone out there experienced the same problems with the windshield attracting every rock and pebble on the highway????

bozz · June 2005

I have a 2003 2.4 Sport and absolutely love my Jeep. I have however had some serious issues with the car when using it offroad.

1. The Liberty uses a cv joint between the transfer case and propshaft. This is all good and well but if the car is taken on sand and sand gets into the cv boot the cv joint will be ruined and to top it all off Jeep in South Africa do not sell the cv as a unit meaning I had to buy an entire propshaft.

2. The front Differential and axle are made of aluninium. Recently I was driving over some rocks and the front differential hit the ground and the axle broke. Yes that's right the front axle broke.

To those of you looking to do some serious offroading in a liberty I have the following advice.

1. Bolt some bashplates to the bottom of the vehicle to protect the differential, transfer case and propshafts.
2. If possible fit a lift kit to the vehicle as ground clearance is an issue.

P.S. In South Africa a liberty is called a Cherokee and a Cherokee is called a Grand Cherokee.

rodneym · June 2005

Since there is so many of these problems does dc fix them for free with a recall. If not what does it cost to fix it. My brakes in the front also seem like they are not stopping me like they should and I just bought the vehicle a month ago.

rodneym · June 2005

I forgot to say it was a jeep liberty sport

genegladden · June 2005

I bought my wife a 2005 4x2 Sport this Saturday 6/18/05. While on the 140 mile drive home I stopped to get something to drink. Then I got back on the road. I noticed that the AC was not blowing cold air. I continued to drive for another 15 miles, at speeds of 65 mph. It was a hot day, around 95. We had traveled approx. 60 miles prior to the break for a drink. I pulled over and turned the engine off. I turned it on after half a minute. Everything was fine from that point. What was the cause?

cappy2 · June 2005

farout - Thanks for your reply - I had the dealer re program the computer last week.
The service manger didn't think it would help ?? My first tankful is 15.9 MPG vs 13.7 on the one before it. I think the people on this forum know more than the Jeep service people. I hope it gets even better as it breaks in. If anyone out there knows ways to get a few more MPG, please post it.

rickliberty · June 2005

I thought Jeeps came with a seven year, 70,00 mile warranty. How come this is costing $$? Shouldn't the transmission/engine be covered?

gvlng · June 2005

In a nutshell: One rear seat in up position. Seat belt was pulled and engaged in child seat lock mode. While being released it was around the back seat. Since it was in lock mode it just got tighter around the seat and will not pull away. If you play around with it much it just gets tighter and tighter around the seat. Is there a way to get it out of lock mode other than the normal way??? Any help is appreciated. I really don't want to cut it. Thanks

cowboys33 · June 2005

I have had to have my wifes 2002 Jeep Liberty brakes done way to many times. They have been machined at least 4 times and I have had to have the rotors replaced 2 times and going on a 3rd. The worst part of all is that the vehicle has 73000 miles on it. I don't believe I should have had the breaks looked at this many times. The dealership is telling me that they have not had any customers complain about their breaks. Is this true? If not, let me know your problems please.

berndog · June 2005

HI gsaint

I had a similiar problem. I would be driving and my liberty's steering wheel would start to vibrate, If I applied the brakes the vibration would be amplified to the point the front end was vibrating back and forth. This problem was intermitent, but I was lucky it happened when the dealship had the car out for a test drive.

The problem turns out is the brakes would not release all the press so a brake would lightly rub and cause the vibration also when I applied the brakes it amplifies the situation.

They though it was the master cyclender so they changed it to no availe. Then the called the Jeep Tech line and it turns out they have a problem with some brake boosters not releasing all the pressure in the system. They are in the process of changing my brake booster so hopefully that fixes it.

berndog · June 2005

See my post 1674

jayrider · July 2005

My neighbor just traded in his 02 Limited with 130,000 miles. Not one problem and the original brakes still passed inspection. Hope mine does the same.

gollum · July 2005

Its not just you. I had an 03 sport and every 15k miles i needed new brakes..the dealershitp told me the same as they told you. they 'never' heard this issue. its BS. they told me it was my driving habits. ive had SUVs before and i never experienced this. so i got rid of mine at 46k miles and figured maybe there was something wrong with my libby. i traded in for an 05 renegade. if i have the same issues, i will get rid of this one and get a mini ute thats japanese made.

skim1 · July 2005

Hi, we have a 2004 jeep liberty Limited with just 6300 miles on it. We love it except that the ignition key will not release after turning the engine off. We have taken the vehicle to the dealer three times to get it fixed with no good results. This started in January and after the third attempt, we were told that if you bang on the gear shifter when in "P," it will release the ignition key so that you can turn it back all the way into the unlock position. Personally, I thought it might have been due to the cold weather in Boston, but now that it is warm, we still have the same problem. Do I have to constantly bang on the shifter everytime I use the vehicle? Has anyone experienced a similar problem? Do I have any other recourse? Thanks.

dgorham · July 2005

i have a 2002 jeep liberty limited 3.7 emgine that runs rough at idle, other than that it runs fine any ideas thanks

rreidt · July 2005

My dealer has told me that the engine has very stiff motor mounts. My '03 Liberty Limited did the same thing. I now have 26k on it and it seems to have subsided. Hope this helps.

libertyinct · July 2005

I have to agree with you. I've had the same problem with my Liberty. It does seem that the windsheild has been prone to rock strikes. I have two chips in my windshield right now. I'm just thankful that only two of the countless many rocks that have hit it, have caused it to chip. I've been holding off doing anything about it for fear that as soon as I do, another rock will hit it and cause another chip or crack.

missy321 · July 2005

I have a shifty transmission on my jeep liberty it is still under warranty. The dealership is giving me some kind of bullcrap about it being from differnent drivers and an automated sensor shifting thing. I drive this car 90% of the time. What are they charging you for the repair? and what are they saying is wrong? Just curious

orbitz · July 2005

I have a UK version of the new 2005 Jeep Liberty with the 2.8 CRD and have two problems that Jeep do not seem to be able to sort out:

1) At approximately 1800 to 2000 RPM I get a vibration/resonance from the engine bay, at higher or lower revs the resonance disappears. The noise is very loud when the engine is cold and dies off slightly when warmed up. The last visit to Jeep seemed to cure the problem for a couple of days but then reappeared.

2) When I am driving and I let off the throttle and ease it back on again I get a stutter, which resembles what I can only describe as like a sticky throttle. This problem also manifests itself if I am driving along a straight and ease off the throttle a bit for a bend or a roundabout I get a jolt as the engine drops the revs and then picks up almost instantly.

The car has now done 4000 miles and has been back to Jeep 4 times but they seem unable to fix the problems.

Has anyone else experienced these problems?

caribou1 · July 2005

1) If you have a belt driven fan, I think it's your fan clutch that has excessive play. It took me almost one year to let it degrade to the point I could feel vibrations in the steering column. Below 15 degrees Celsius air is more dense and this was the only condition when it could be detected.
2) The throttle pedal pulls a cable that rotates a potentiometer that sits under the bonnet. Check that your pedal mount is well bolted to the firewall and that the cable+pot assembly doesn't stick.
I hope this helps.

trein · July 2005

I have a 2004 Jeep Liberty 4WD and the AC only works when I am moving. If I have the AC on when I am stopped in traffic, in neutral or park, etc. the fan keeps blowing and within minutes the engine is overheating. I flushed the radiator and changed the fluid and it didn't help at all. Maybe it is the water pump, so I guess it is time to take it in and open up my wallet. It has approximately 51,000 miles on it. Any ideas or help?

Best,

TR

elmoblatch1 · July 2005

Could anyone please provide a link to recall info on my 2003 Liberty Sport ?

I went to nhtsa and only found one notice from 2003 regarding the control arm & lower ball joint.

Thanks-

renegader · July 2005

I had the same problem on my 02 Lib with TracLok diff. Dealership solved it with adding Mopar Friction Modifier to differential oil. After that there was no squeaking/rubbing at all, but unfortunatelly no locking effect too...

candy3 · July 2005

Less than a month ago I purchased a 2005 Jeep Liberty Renegade. During and after the test drive I noticed a skunk smell coming from the engine. I was told that the smell was overspray and would burn off. Five days after I purchased it I took it to the service department to have them check out the smell. They stated that it was a normal new engine smell and would burn off. 600 miles later the smell is still there and just as strong. I called the service department and scheduled another appointment for them to look into the smell again. To me, the smell seems to be coming from near the radiator. Any thoughts or ideas on what this is or what could be causing this? Has anyone reading this had a similar problem or know someone who has? I am so afraid they are going to tell me that they can't find out where the smell is coming from. What's even worse is that when the vents are on or the air conditioning is on, it comes into the cabin when the car is idling. The only other thing I can add to this is that my husband thought it was idling rougher than some of the other Liberty's we test drove. I would appreciate any feedback. My service appointment is this Thursday. It would be nice if I could go in there and tell them where the problem is or may be.

jayrider · July 2005

Take it back to the dealer and politely ask them to treat the smell by spraying disinfectant into the air vents. You can buy a product and do it yourself but they should be responsible for such a new vehicle. Did mine at 18 months. No more bad smell. I might add that it probably won't work if a real skunk has taken up residence in your engine compartment.
Smell you later.

caribou1 · July 2005

You can spray formaldehyde or hydrogen peroxyde mixed in water for disinfection. Chlorinated water also works.

candy3 · July 2005

Thanks for your reply! I really appreciate it. Did you also notice the smell outside your car too? If I pop the hood it smells like it's coming from the area of the radiator. Also, the car stays in the garage overnight and thus makes our garage smell like a skunk. Does this sound like the problem you had or did you only have the smell in your vents? If your car did the same thing, what did the dealer say about it?

candy3 · July 2005

Thanks for your reply! I really appreciate it.

renegader · July 2005

Do you have passenger room dust filter in your Liberty? First summer I had problems with a lot of dust in interior and it smelled a little, when air condition was off. My dealership told me, that there is no factory dust filter at all (2002 CRD). They desinfected the vents down to the cooler unit and it helped for a while. My friend "customized" later some air condition filter from another car, because I did not find any part of MOPAR or aftermarket. Now its O.K.

caribou1 · July 2005

I never opened the ventilation system on the passenger side because I've not found any spares. Now I understand why...
I seem to be very lucky with my truck. It stays clean inside, I've had no other problem in 2 years than the noisy fan clutch that was changed under warranty (but that could have been repaired). I keep the A/C ON all the time because it has practically no influence on my mileage and I don't give it time to "smell bad".
I checked for break wear last sunday: the disks are still 27.2mm thick instead of 28mm when new. I now have close to 52,000 KM (32,500 miles) and the pads still have 5/16" to go each side of the disks. The disks I have are made by Bosch, and I'm really surprised to read that some folks have problems at 15,000 miles ???

maryg1 · July 2005

My friend just found out that her Liberty needs $4000 to get a new transmission on 44000 miles. Won't go above 45mph and makes a clunking noise when accelerator is pressed. Does this sound right ? No warranty and needs help as to what she should really do . Thanks to anyone with any advice! "> :lemon:

jimmel · July 2005

I have a 2003 Jeep Liberty, auto trans. I recently had the trans fluid changed and noticed on my drive home that it had a hard downshift from 3rd to 2nd. I called the shop and they suggested I take it back to the dealer as it was probably a warranty item. The dealer said all trans codes were in spec. Ok, back to the shop and they provided me with docs that said the correct fluid was used (dealer said to check this) and more info about the transmission going into limp mode causing the hard downshift. Alright then, I was going to go back to the dealer with this new info, but the problem just went away. I've driven a few times and it is just gone. Would some transmission codes just reset themselves after a period of time? Should I be concerned or relieved?

jeepguyfl · July 2005

I leased a new Liberty Renegade in June and just rolled over 1400 miles this morning. Has anyone experienced a vibration in the steering wheel? I have just noticed it and was wondering if it was just mine. Love the car otherwise.

candy3 · July 2005

SKUNK SMELL SOLVED!!! The alternator and belt were causing the smell. Service department replaced both. As of today, no smell. YEAH!!!

taxmancometh · July 2005

The dome lights pop on whenever it wants. It will
go off when you jiggle the lever. The radio shuts off (including the cd player) when it is supposed to be operating. It comes back on after a few seconds,long enough that the cd restarts. Does anyone have any idea what is causing this?

webchick89 · July 2005

I have a 2004 Jeep Liberty and am about to replace my 2nd windshield.
I had a small rock hit and & put 2 chips in it.
I also owned a 2002 Jeep Liberty & had the same problem with that windshield.

webchick89 · July 2005

1. Hard Shifting Transmission when coming to a stop
2. Cracked windshield(s) after small rock hits it
3. Broken ball joint

I owned a 2002 Liberty before this one and didn't have any problems. Now I have this one and am having these problems. I started doing research and came across this board and decided I needed to share this info. The dealer says there has been no complaints on any of this. I find it hard to believe after reading the forums. I will take printouts to them so they can read them. The ball joint concerns me after find out that over 400,00 2003 Liberty's were recalled. Oh - they didn't mention that to me either.

si001 · July 2005

I took my Jeep Renegade 2003 -45K-km -for an oil change which cost me 1300 CAD. Includes: oil change , tire rotation, 4x4WD service, changing brakes because of the vibration in the steering wheel , rotors, pads. And this is just the service for between 40 ad 45k. AC is slowing down my engine and not cooling well but this should be under warranty. This is getting way to expensive. Any suggestion of how to maintain this car and still have warranty? Or is warranty worth if I pay over 1000 $ every 3 months? Please help.. Any suggestion is much appreciated.

ree691 · July 2005

I have a 2004 Liberty, I haven't had the dome light problem yet. 2 weeks ago on our way home from vacation, the CD player went, also the radio went, and the air conditioner went at the same time. When we went to get it serviced, everything was back up and running. It really puzzled the service man. We have no clue why it does this. The radio has gone out several times and after awhile it comes back on. :confuse:

Jeep Liberty: Problems & Solutions

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Jeep Liberty: Problems &amp; Solutions

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Jeep Liberty: Problems & Solutions