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Jeep Liberty: Steering Stability and Suspension

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Comments

  • eatplaysleepeatplaysleep Member Posts: 1
    Hey joe...
    I know it's been two years since you originally posted this, but I recently purchased a 2002 Jeep Liberty and I am experiencing this exact same problem. I was wondering if you ever happened to figure out what was wrong? I'd really appreciate any help.
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    Ordered a set of bilstein shocks for my 03 Liberty. Anyone done that swap yet? Got a great deal on the shocks ---$237 for all 4 -- free shipping. Will cost $170 to install and a wheel alignment for $60. Will post after I have them to see if I wasted my money or if the results are dramatic.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    Hi jayrider,
    How many miles do you have on the Jeep now?
    Mechanically speaking, mine is still like new after 90,000 miles. It has a few dents but not much play in the transmission. Rear brakes are still perfect and moan when the temperature is cool and damp. I don't need wheel alignment yet, but why is it offered to you?
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    Only have 25k miles on my Ltd. Just looking to upgrade the handling/ride a bit. The strut replacements on the front make alignment a good idea. No problems with my liberty either. Ride is a bit jittery/choppy so i'm giving the bilsteins a try. Some say the improvement is dramatic and some say they don't make much difference. I figure I've got 14 more years to reach 90,000 miles -- just looking for a change.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    Before you change your shock absorbers, you can have the present ones evaluated. Worn shocks tend to elongate, so the vehicle shows more clearance between the wheel pit and the top of the tire. Tire wear is also a good indicator.
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    Good advice caribou1, but I'm replacing the shocks regardless of whether they are worn or not. I'm upgrading from the original shocks to a premium set to upgrade the ride and handling. As I said, don't know if I'm wasting my money or not but the shocks are on their way from the retailer. I'll let you know if they really make a difference.
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    The improvement in ride is absolutely dramatic. The jiggling, jouncy ride has been replaced by a much smoother controlled feeling. I was afraid they would make the ride stiffer but it is a beautiful balance between firmness and comfort. The car corners and cruises like a different vehicle. To be honest, i didn't expect a lot because my truck only has 25k miles and the shocks should be like new. Either those old pogos were shot or they were poorly designed in the first place.
    If anyone is interested the part numbers are BE5-D916-HO and BE5-D917. Bilstein is running a buy three-get the fourth one free this month. $250 free shipping which is cheaper than most OEM replacements. Caribou 1-- if you plan on keeping your jeep for a while --get a set and enjoy!!
    PS --I don't own any stoc in bilstein. Actually I don't own any stock at all. Lucky me.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    Jayrider,
    I have to bring the Jeep for technical inspection this summer; if I need to change the shocks, I will follow your advice.
    I think you are driving on a different type of pavement and you may not have BFG T/A tires. So far, this is the best vehicle I've had in 40 years. It has a weakness in the way the ball joints were mounted on the front suspension and I know one day I may dive into the pavement if I don't keep an eye on these things :cry:
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    Just because your shocks are technically ok doesn't mean you won't benefit from a set of bilsteins on / off road. Trust me, if you can afford the change, you won't be sorry. My wife was also surprised at the ride improvement -- the jeep suspension is now more euro import than american truck. I test drove some new vw's and it has similar characteristics. I'd like to compare it to a bmw X3 or mercedes ml 350 just for fun. I have a set of firestone destination LE's on the jeep -- just changed out the original set because they offered very poor traction. I'm very happy with that choice as well. If you have time, I'd be curious what the cost of the shocks are in Europe where they are manufactured.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    The following link indicates 157 Euros per unit (Vendu a la piece), not one pair.
    http://www.jtts4x4.com/boutique/fiche_produit.cfm?ref=XXX310&type=879&code_lg=lg- - _fr&num=830

    This is another absurdity of the EU market. No we can't :sick:
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    you can buy them in the u.s. at shox.com. They will ship for $80 us which means you would pay about $330 for four to Paris[don't know where you live] -- Now with the euro-dollar exchange rate it might be a better deal. You could install the rears yourself but the fronts are more of a challenge. What would $330 u.s. be in euros and is that a bargain for you from what you would pay there. If you order and say you got a competing price from another site with 5% off they will match the discount.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    Jayrider,
    I'm coming over in June and I intend to do some serious shopping... :blush:
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    You euro bargain hunters might save our economy if you buy enough. Have fun!
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    Jayrider,
    I chose to come (on two wheels) and spend rather than buying cheap 'Jeep' labeled products that are sold in popular department stores. I'm wondering how Bilstein can propose such low priced shock absorbers? You have to cut salaries and lay off personnel to do that. So where's the trick?

    The answer could be here:
    http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/defective-bilstein-wwwbilsteincom-c974- - 67.html

    I hope you will not need to join the group mentioned above ;)
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    Don't know about the china bilstein stuff, but my shocks were made in germany. I think the 25% discount off retail would likely reflect an oversupply of these units. With the economy in the dumps, fewer people are spending money on non-essentials. Premium shocks would fall in this catagory. Even at 25% off retail, I'm sure they are still making a profit but who knows. At any rate, I am pleased with my shocks but just in case, I plan on installing a small religious icon on the dashboard as an additional safeguard against defects. Wish me well.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    Jayrider,
    You may need to burn incense to receive the proper assurance against defects :shades:
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    Been doing that since I had the shocks installed to mask the sauerkraut odor coming from under the vehicle. Way ahead of you Caribou1.
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    After a couple hundred miles on these bilsteins, I have come to appreciate them even more. My liberty has been transformed on the road. Best money I've spent on any car I've ever owned.
  • bamahondafanbamahondafan Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 Jeep Liberty with 83K miles and just recently the vehicle has demonstrated a steering/suspension problem. It has fairly new Bridgestone radials with about 10K of mileage. When the vehicle has been driven for 10 miles or so and and more than 65 mph, it begins to wander and feel unstable. It almost feels as if it hydroplanes slightly or your sliding on ice for a split second. It seems to be a little worse on concrete surfaces than asphalt.

    I have taken the vehicle in for inspection to a reputable (and often used) tire and brake shop and they did a front end re-alighnment (actually twice), but could find nothing wrong with the suspension.

    The vehicle has the original shocks and springs.

    NOTE: The lower ball joint recall (replacement) had been completed last year.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Usually one first suspects the tires in any "tramlining" complaint, especially if you have gone to a lower profile tire or if you have purchased larger wheels than stock.

    You might try rotating tires front to back to see what happens.

    From there, after tires or wheels have been eliminated, we go to suspension items, such as control arm bushings, ball joints and weak shocks. Certainly at 83K you could have weak suspension.
  • mastiedmastied Member Posts: 2
    I have an 03 Liberty Sport 3.7. I've been reading a lot on this forum. I wasn't aware of any type of recall on lower ball joints. I just started to hear a squeeking type noise coming from the front. To try and pin point where the noise is coming from, I put the car in netural, I slowly turned the wheels. The noise is most prominant when the wheels are almost all the way to the left, turning to the right doesn't seem to make the noise. It sound like a rubber screeching sound, it is definintly coming from up front. the car has 130K on it, just had front brakes redone about 2months ago. Any ideas out there? I've been reading here a lot about problems with ball joints and control arm/bushing problems. Would I still be able to get the ball joints replace under the recall even if was seveal year ago?
  • dubnigeldubnigel Member Posts: 1
    I have the same issues with my 2003 Liberty Renegade. I bought it with non standard springs and shocks which have all now been replaced. It feels as if the rear end is doing a shimmy all the time on the road and the rear end of the car rocks quite severely over speed bumps (of which we have a lot). When the car had oversize springs it seemed to sit down to one side and there is still a hint of lopsidedness. The universal bush over the rear axle has also been replaced. Assuming the components that have been replaced are not faulty, my suspicion is with the bearings of the rear axle. I haven't tried jacking it up but there seems to be a little play. Common lore is that bearings will start making noise before they affect handling. Could this be something that doesn't apply to Jeeps?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    There are a few recalls involving ball joints. You might be eligible, depending on your build date.

    one of them covers this:

    Dealers will replace the front lower control arm ball joints with modified assemblies and heat shields on vehicles built between January 2, 2001 and October 4, 2002. On vehicles built between October 5, 2002 and March 26, 2003, dealers will inspect the ball joint assemblies (and replace them as necessary) and install heat shields. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners may contact DaimlerChrysler at 1-800-992-1997.

    There's another recall for upper control arms involving only these vehicles:

    NOTE : This recall applies only to the above vehicles built from May 1, 2002 through September 30, 2002 (MDH 050100 through 093023).
    IMPORTANT : Only the above vehicles sold or currently registered in "salt belt" states (where large amounts of road salt are used for snow and ice removal) are involved. See "Owner Notification and Service Scheduling" section for a list of salt belt states.
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