Problems with 2002 Jeep Liberty SUSPENSION

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign id number: 06v288000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph the vehicle started to make a popping sound and the steering wheel began to swerve to the left. in addition, the vehicle dropped to the ground. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the lower ball joint fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 141,000. updated 10/10/12*cn updated 10/15/2012 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while driving approximately 30 mph on an exit ramp, the front passenger's side wheel detached from the vehicle. the engine was turned off and the vehicle was towed to an independent auto shop where the front passenger's side lower ball joint was replaced. two months later, the front driver's side lower ball joint fractured which caused the wheel to detach which was repaired by the contact. the vehicle was also previously repaired in 2007 under the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 06v288000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the failure mileage was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that after receiving notification of nhtsa campaign i.d. 03v460000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint) the contact called a local dealer to have the vehicle serviced. the dealer advised the contact that he parts needed for the recall were not available and could not advise the contact of when the part would become available. the contact called the manufacturer regarding parts for the recall and the manufacturer advised that the parts were not yet available. the failure mileage was 130,000.

Left front tire fell to the side. ball joint was broken. steering was impossible. vehicle contained male and female parents and two young children. they were on a busy freeway in northern ca. when auto repair people looked at it they found no grease in the joint and the ball had rust all over the top. this is a sealed joint that could not be greased. it looked as though is was not properly greased during original installation. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while having a routine wheel alignment, the mechanic advised him the front driver and passenger side lower control arms were worn. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 06v288000 ( suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint) but was advised by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in the recall. the failure mileage was 106,000.

Tl* the contact owns 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that both upper control arms on the front driver and passenger sides fractured at very low speeds. the contact ordered the parts needed for repairs and replaced both upper control arms. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 09v119000 (suspension:front:control arm) but was advised by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. the contact stated that the upper control arm failed due to a ball joint failure. the failure mileage was 73,000.

Chrysler has issued a recall for the 2002 jeep liberty regarding the upper control arm failure. this failure is due to failure of the ball joint seal allowing contaminants to eventually cause the ball joint to fail. the recall notice #j17 recall id# 09v119000 only includes vehicles subject to corrosion from road salts in the northeast. i own a 2002 jeep liberty and have noticed that both the joints on the upper ball joint of the control arm have failed (split) and as result have allowed contaminants to enter the ball joint resulting in its replacement. i feel these vehicles need to be covered under the recall notice #j17 for the same reason. it is a "safety issue" and has nothing to do with being worn. there is a defect in the manufacturing process for if there wasn't the rubber seal around the ball joint would not have split. for the split on the rubber ball joint seal to be noticed, a person has to look really close at it. i noticed mine because i was changing out my front brake pads and did a close up inspection. this is of concern to not only me, but i am sure a lot of the other jeep liberty owners who have had their vehicles front end drop out from under them when they were driving. i live in georgia and do travel to the northeast from time to time and also travel south to florida from time to time. my concern is this: both seals failed on the ball joints. both ball joints are subjected to elements similar to those of the vehicles in the northeast even more so while along the coast of florida. there have been numerous ball joint failures on jeep liberties in georgia and fla for the same reason there have been ball joint failures on jeep liberties in the northeast. a response regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that there was a clunking noise heard when driving over road bumps. in addition, the vehicle would sway back and forth abnormally. the failure occurred when driving at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the upper ball joints needed to be replaced. the contact was also informed that due to the upper ball joint failure, the lower ball joints were also being damaged. in addition, the tie rods were worn. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 03v460000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 09v119000 (suspension:front:control arm). the failure mileage was 123,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that the front driver side tire felt felt abnormal and the vehicle begin jerking violently. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop who diagnosed that the front control arm and the driver side upper bolt joint assembly needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 102,000.

The rear of the my 2002 jeep liberty began bouncing so i took it to my mechanic. he said the jeep body had separated in the back and i needed a new ball joint mounting plate and control arm assembly and that the car was unsafe to drive. the ball joint mounting plate and upper control arm assembly were ordered june 16, 2011. mechanic was told the ball joint mounting plate (part #52128586aa) is on "national backorder" and ,as of 7/25/11, there are 66 customers waiting for this part. jeep customer service said on 7/28/11 that they are "trying to find out if this part is being made" because "nobody seems to have this part." so the jeep is unsafe due to rear ball joint failure and i have had no car since june 16, 2011 and it is now july 28, 2011. note: there was a national safety recall for 2002 jeep liberty due to front ball joint failure. *tr

Passenger upper ball joint failure. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph the vehicle began to veer towards the left. at the same time, the passenger side of the vehicle dropped downward. the contact was unable to turn the steering wheel and crashed into a set of trees. a police report was filed. both the driver and passenger were hospitalized as a result of their injuries. the manufacturer investigated the failure and informed the contact that the upper ball joint seperated from the vehicle. the contact was also informed the steering wheel was bent and the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 09v119000 (suspension:front:control arm). the vehicle was towed to a storage yard, but was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 170,000. the vin was unavailable.

Car was taken in for another issue with the jeep vehicle (seems constantly happening). i was told the upper ball joint was failing and car should not be driven. the mechanic called re a possible recall and was informed my vehicle was not in the recall. the date of manufacture was in the required date range but the car was not sold in a "salt belt state". actually the car was in the date range (may 1 was start of manufacture - mine was may 2) this is not acceptable. i was driving a dangerous vehicle on an interstate constantly and in an inspection for a leak in fluids this ball joint failure was found. jeep constantly refuses to pay for issues that are turning out to be excessive repairs for many owners. but an extreme vehicle parts failure such as this is not acceptable and should involve all vehicles - not just those in the so called "salt belt". *tr

I stopped to pick up my daughter's snow pants on the way from school. backing out of the driveway i heard and felt my tire do something. i didn't know what it was, but the car was obviously unable to be driven. when i got out, my passenger side front tire was at angles to the car. the upper and lower ball joints gave out and according to the mechanic, the brake line was basically the only thing holding the tire on. i didn't know there was anything unusual going on up to this point, as any small steering issues i had were mostly when the car had just been started, so were attributed to cold and ice. the car is currently at the dealer waiting to be fixed, so the old parts should be available. *tr

De regreso a casa demi trabajo la llanta del lado derecho de enfrente se poncho y choque con un arbol. mi veiculo fue perdida total. tengo problemas fisicos que desafortunadamente la aseguranza no quiso cubrir. me golpee la cabesa mi mandibula la tengo danada y otras partes demi cuerpo. yo creo que es causa deque la bolsa de aire no esploto por eso me golpee muy fuerte. quiero saber conquien dirigirme para poder obtener algun apoyo. grasias. *tr

I am experiencing a rattling sound when driving uphill or downhill through driveway, traveling 5-20 miles an hour. i took my jeep 2002 liberty 2wd to get serviced and received recommended repairs: prosteer control arm with ball joint upper center, remove and install propeller shaft to replace universal joints on both ends, rear wheel bearings, tail pipe is welded to muffler, muffler does not meet design specifications and should be replaced due to exhaust leak as well, remove rack and pinion, complete rack as does not meet design specifications and is leaking. i was driving about 25 mph and my rear right side tire was smoking profusely. i pulled over and noticed the gray smoke from my tire. i took the car to check the rear breaks. they were fine but was told that i had a leak from the exhaust pipe which dripped on to that area. the car has 75,806 miles. i was told that i could loose control of vehicle and entire area can collapse during traffic due to these issues. aside from these issues, i am experiencing a whistling sound, problems with rear drivers side passenger power window regulator which produces grind-like sound. the window came off and i was told that i needed a new regulator for the window. i'm also experiencing a red stain in engine oil drippage on ground. finally, strange odor from car -odor continues to be present whether i wash the carpets and seats (smells like mold/mildew or skunk). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty limited. the contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the passengers side lower control arm fractured and caused the contact to lose control of the vehicle. the contact was unable to maneuver the vehicle as it crashed into a guardrail. the contact sustained moderate injuries. a police report was available. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. although the contact was able to locate two recalls pertaining to the failure (nhtsa campaign id numbers: 06v288000 & 03v460000: suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint), the contacts vin was not included in either recall. the current and failure mileage was approximately 140,000. updated 11/11/10 *bf the consumer stated all of the complaint information was accurate. updated 11/17/10 updated 11/19/10. *lj updated 12/02/10*jb

I have a safety recall on my 2002 jeep liberty (safety recall j17 front suspension upper ball joints). when i called jeff wyler dodge/jeep in ft. thomas ky, i was told that they were receiving only one recall repair kit per week and that i would be # 30 on the list. that means that my son has to drive the car for over four months on a recalled part. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty limited. while driving at low speeds of 5 mph into a parking lot, the drivers side upper control arm fractured from its socket and caused the tire to collapse outward. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where the mechanic replaced the upper control arm and realigned the front end. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 09v119000 (suspension: front: control arm) but was unable to confirm if her vehicle was included with the recall. the failure mileage was 95,676 and the current was 95,776.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while having inspection done on his vehicle, he was notified that both front control arms were separating. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 142,000. *tr

While inspecting front brake pads noticed rubber boots on lower and upper ball joints were completely deteriorated (dry rotted). this is a 2002 liberty 4x4 renegade with 37000 miles highway driving only. lower ball joint was covered by recall at dealer . upper control arm /ball joint (assembly) is covered in so called salt belt states ,but not here in texas . the rubber boots (seals) appear to be made with defective material that cannot withstand any environment. apr 09,2009/recall id#65314 should cover all jeep liberty vehicles in all states. this is truly a dangerous life threatening defect that needs to be fixed by jeep dealers at company cost immediately to save lives. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact received a recall notice for recall 09v119000 (suspension: front: control arm) on april 22, 2010 so she called the dealer. the dealer stated that he could not schedule an appointment before six months to repair the vehicle. the contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint; the manufacturer stated that they were only supplying the dealerships with one part per week and she had to wait. the current and failure mileages were approximately 103,000

Tl*the contact owns a jeep liberty. the contact received a recall notice for recall 09v119000 (suspension: front: control arm). the contact called an authorized dealership on 04/19/10 and made an appointment for 04/26/10. when she arrived at the dealership, she was informed that the part for repair had not arrive and they were not sure when the parts would arrive. the contact stated that her husband told the dealer that she was speaking with nhtsa and the dealer agreed to perform the repair. the contact had not experienced any failures at the time of the complaint. the current mileage was approximately 65,000.

Received safety recall notice on april 20, 2010, and dealer is unable to get parts to fix the problem until july or august. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact received a recall notice for recall 09v119000 (suspension: front: control arm). the contact called the authorized dealership but the dealer stated that the parts were unavailable. the contact had not experienced any failures at the time of the complaint. the current mileage was approximately 81,000.

I received a recall notice from chrysler (safety recall j17) a few weeks ago. i called my dealer to have it repaired, and he told me that chrysler was only permitting them to have one recall kit installed per week, and that there was a waiting list. i am still waiting. why did chrysler issue a recall if they are not willing to fix it in a timely manner? *tr

Chrysler has taken over a month and still does not have my recall part that can cause the ball joints to separate while driving. the parts may be at the dealership by mid june. i am 6 months pregnant and am very concerned about driving this vehicle. i called customer service and they had no answer and no sympathy. i originally took my car to dealer in mid april. i think an expectant mother should be priority. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while driving at 30 mph, the contact noticed that the front end of the vehicle was shaking. the contact received a recall notice for recall 09v119000 (suspension: front: control arm) but the dealer stated that the parts were unavailable and they were not sure when they would be available. the current mileage was 100,492.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact stated that he received notification of nhtsa campaign id number: 06v288000 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint) in april 2010. the contact secured an appointment with the dealer for april 20, 2010. the vehicle was taken to the dealer early the morning of april 20th and when he returned to take possession of the vehicle, the dealer informed him that the parts needed for the recall repair were not available. the manufacturer confirmed this information and advised the contact that he would be notified when the parts became available. most recently, the contact still was not notified and when contacting the manufacturer a second time, they would not provide any assistance. the failure and current mileage were approximately 43,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign id number: 03v460000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint) and took the vehicle to the dealer where the lower ball joint was replaced. the contact stated that the lower ball joint fractured and had to be replaced two times after the initial recall repair was performed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, no assistance was provided because the recall repair had already been performed. the current mileage was 131,000. the failure mileage was 106,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while driving at 4 mph, the driver turned the steering wheel and the entire control upper arm collapsed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but no repairs had been made at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 57,000.

The front suspension upper control arms ball joint seal has experienced damage in both sides. the loss of lubrication has lead to corrosion, and accelerated wear. no incident has occurred yet, and the situation was found during an inspection of the front suspension. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact was driving approximately between 60-70 on normal road conditions. the steering system failed to operate properly and began to wobble. the driver continued in operation. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number 09v119000 (suspension:front:control arm). however, the vin was excluded from the recall defect. the vehicle is in the process of being repaired for the malfunction. the failure mileage was 100,000. updated 3/24/10 *cn updated 06/01/10.*jb

2002 jeep liberty upper control arm ball joint broke while backing out of driveway. vehicle was not drivable. vehicle is currently at the dealership awaiting repairs. this vehicle has been recalled per chrylser recall f23, but not for the latest chrysler recall j17 and the local dealership claimed they knew nothing about recall j17. need help as j17 seems applicable in this situation. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. she stated that while driving in reverse, the lower front control arm ball joint broke and the vehicle collapsed. the vehicle was towed to a jeep dealer. the dealer stated that there was a recall 09v119000 for the suspension, front control arm; however, her vin was not included. the failure was identical to the recall. the vehicle was repaired at the owners expense for $2,148.87. the failure mileage was 80000 and the current mileage was 85000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the vehicle failed state inspection because the front suspension upper control arm ball joint experienced a loss of lubrication. his vehicle identification number was excluded from recall nhtsa campaign id number 09v119000 (suspension:front:control arm). all repairs would have to be made at the owner's expense. no repairs were made. the failure mileage was 105,000. the current was 110,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while driving 25 mph the vehicle began to shimmy. after driving the vehicle to the side of the road the front passenger side ball joint had fractured, and then the tire separated from the vehicle. two years prior an identical failure occurred on the driver-side. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership. the current and failure mileages were 106000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while the contact was making a left hand turn at a low speed she noticed that the front driver side tire suddenly broke away from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the control arm ball joint needed to be replaced. prior to the failure, the contact heard a knocking noise in the front end of the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 100324.

Recall #009v119000 dated apr 09, 2009 expected to begin october 2009 covering 2002 jeep liberties excludes the state of louisiana - condition described in the recall exactly describes the problem with my vehicle. since chrysler is aware that this condition does exist, why does it exclude the state of louisiana. "the front suspension upper control arm ball joint may experience a loss of lubrication which could lead to corrosion, accelerated wear & possible separation while driving. consequence: failure of the ball joint could result in a loss of steering capability, increasing the risk of a crash." previous recall on lower ball joint has been taken care of. *tr

I left my house to go to work and started to pull away when i heard a clunk and then a terrible grinding noise - i tried to back up and the upper ball joint in my jeep snapped and took the brake line with it. i got out and the wheel/tire was hanging sideways on the vehicle. thank god i was not driving on the highway at the time. chrysler says this is not a recall and will not consider fixing it. i am very disgusted as this is a safety issue and the lower ball joints had been recalled previously and there is a bulletin now out about the upper. because there is no recall connected to my vin they will not consider it however. i will be fighting this. *tr

I was pulling out of my driveway last night and the front drivers wheel fell off. the upper control arm with the ball joint snapped in half. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while driving approximately 10 mph making a right turn, the vehicle made a grinding noise, lunged forward, and stopped in the middle of an intersection. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the ball joints on the front passenger side failed and damaged the front passenger side tire. the vehicle was repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 06v288000 (suspension), 12v527000 (air bags) and 15v046000 (air bags); however, the parts needed to do the repairs were unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000. ma 10/5 *cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. the contact took her vehicle to the repair shop and was informed that the front suspension control arm needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $400. the contact called the dealer to check for any recalls and was informed that her vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 09v119000 (suspension:front:control arm). the failure mileage was 90,000.

2002 jeep liberty-driving 30mph in residential neighborhood front driver's side dropped to street and car immediately went right up on the curb and missing a tree by inches. the front upper ball joint had separated and the tire was on its side under the front end. the joint was bone dry. husband bought parts and fixed the vehicle. *tr

Was turning right onto a busy road when the front upper ball joint failed. managed to get to the side of the road. was told by a local dealer that chrysler would not do anything for this, regardless of the numerous complaints i've read about online. i replaced the upper control arm myself. $226.00 in parts. *tr

I had just backed out of a parking space in a busy parking lot, drove forward about 20 feet going no more than 7-10 mph, then made a left - still within the parking lot. when turning, i heard a grinding noise, then suddenly, the front end of my 2002 jeep liberty renegade collapsed onto the front tire of the driver's side. the upper ball joint of the vehicle had completely separated, knocking the wheel off in the process. this incident occurred in the late afternoon on a sunday (when mechanics are not open). aaa towed the jeep to a local garage nearby; however, on monday morning, i called chrysler to file a complaint about what had happened. my call was picked up by an overseas customer service rep. he told me that if i could have the car towed to a chrysler dealer, they would see what they could do about covering the repair, but to call back after they'd spoken with the dealer. later that afternoon, i called back. long story short, my call was escalated to a guy in detroit, who at first said that the call center rep had no business suggesting that my repair would be covered. when i told him i have photos of what happened to the car, he authorized the repair. the dealer had to replace the upper control arm and ball joint, and the brake line which was severed when the front end collapsed! i asked the dealer for the defective parts. he said chrysler would want them because they were covering it "under warranty." this is a major defect and safety issue - one of many in the 2002 jeep liberty. i shudder to think what would have happened if i had pulled out onto the busy highway! while i was happy that chrysler covered this cost, the car needed further adjustments when it was returned to me as the suspension felt loose and the vehicle was pulling to the left and shaking. the dealer said these were all unrelated (?!), and charged me for those repairs. *tr

Failure of upper ball joint let side on 2-27-09, two days after the lower ball joint on same side was replaced as per recall. the replacement of the lower ball joint was the fourth such replacement. i initiated the repair two days earlier after the vehicle began to make a grinding noise. the lower ball joint failed a couple of years ago while the vehicle was traveling in reverse at low speed while backing out of a parking space. the failure of the upper ball joint happened about five minutes after traveling at 70 mph down an interstate. after exiting the freeway, i pulled the jeep into a parking lot of a convenience to check directions and then pulled out at low speed - less than 10 mph. it failed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle began to shake and vibrate through the steering wheel. the contact heard a lot of noise in the vehicle. through online research, the dealer found nhtsa campaign id number 09v119000, nhtsa action number ea08008 (suspension:front:control arm). the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in the recall, although the failures were identical. the failure mileage was 110,000 and current mileage was 120,000. updated 09/14/09. *lj updated 09/15/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while driving 5 mph in reverse out of a parking space he attempted to move forward and the front of the vehicle collapsed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the failure was located at the front upper ball joint. the estimated cost for repair was $1,000.00. the vehicle was not repaired. he will contact the manufacturer. the current and the failure mileage were 90,000.

Jeep liberty 2002- had the ball joints replaced as part of the recall, 2 years later replacement is now defective. jeep replaced again. *tr