Problems with 2002 Jeep Liberty ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep liberty. while driving 55 mph, the lights on the dashboard illuminated and a bell rang. the vehicle shut off, but was able to be restarted. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who stated that the engine locked and agreed that this is unusual at 94,000 miles. the vehicle was well maintained. chrysler stated that they were unable to assist him since the warranty expired. the current and failure mileages were 94,000.

Air conditioner would intermittently blow warm air. brought it to the dealership, several times. eventually it was found to be the bearing in the compressor. the bearing would heat up and bind, causing the clutch not to engage. had to replace the whole compressor( $900.00). air conditioner finally blows cold. *jb

2002 jeep liberty. consumer started to smell fumes he pulled over onto the left berm and the vehicle caught on fire. *mc the consumer stated 3 weeks prior he had new brakes and a starter installed. (ohio traffic crash report) *jb

All maintenance done as per jeep's requirements. 3.7 v6 head gasket blew at 128,500 needed to replace engine. *nm

Constant power train problems with vehicle. *tr [e-mail 1-18-08] it is not a powertrain problem. it is really an engine sludging problem. i have researched this problem and have found out this is a common problem for chrysler products such as the intrepid and durango. it is now starting to show up on vehicles like mines, which is a jeep liberty. my vehicle's check engine light came on december 21, 2007 and it has been at the dealership for repairs every since. i was informed it is awaiting a camshaft that is on a nationwide backorder with no eta. in my opinion, it is obvious other vehicles are experiencing similar problems throughout the country. the dealer refuse to replace the engine because i was unable to produce all of my receipts for oil changes. the vehicle currently has 61,000 miles and i was able to come up with receipts from 38,000 up until the current mileage. this vehicle has had numerous problems such as overheating and cylinder head replacement on numerous occasions, 49,622, 51,621, 51,793, 55,182, 57,269 and finally 61,211, all due to engine sludging. i was told all the problems were due to improper oil changes and/or cheep gasoline; however, i have changed the oil in accordance with the manufacturer's suggested intervals and have always used gasoline from distributors such as amoco, exxon and valero. i suspect this in another defective chrysler product that will cost the manufacturer millions if they did the right thing. why is there a shortage of camshafts for this vehicle? why is this part in high demand? hopefully your investigation will reveal what is truly going on. chrysler is trying to make it look like it is the owners who are at fault but in reality, its another defective product they have put on the market. thanks for your response and your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Dt*: the contact stated while applying brake pressure at various speeds, the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle restarted immediately every time stalling occurred. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined the valve train on the fifth cylinder of the engine was defective. the dealer determined the entire engine needed to be replaced to correct the problem. the manufacturer was not contacted.

Speedometer again became erratic and then inop. cruise control inop and engine light came on. took car to dealer and just made it when engine cut out completely sensor replaced again second time was charged $91.44!!!! *nm

Dt*: the contact stated that check engine light was illuminating. the dealers determined that the fuse for the cooling fan burned out which caused the check engine light to illuminate . the dealer replaced the fuses. as contact was leaving the dealers lot, the engine light immediately illuminated. the dealers determined the part used for replacement was defective and that there have been problems with the engine computer module of the year, make and model of the vehicle. the dealers replaced the fuses and the engine computer module. recently, the engine light illuminated and the vehicle was taken dealers who determined that a coupler on the computer module was presenting problems. the vehicle is currently at the dealers being serviced.

I purchased a used 2002 liberty with only 45,000 miles on it, 9 days later it had to be towed back to the dealership where they then had it for 2 weeks replacing the head because the exhaust rocker spit out of place. they also replaced the tensioner, tappets, camshaft and a few minor parts along with those. i had the vehicle back about a week and a half and it was towed to the dealer again for the same problem. i have now been told that they will probably replace the whole engine. *nm

2002 jeep liberty limited 4wd. maintenance kept up. engine has blown up at 85,000 miles. need to replace and cost is $6,400.00. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated without warning, the engine stalled at 55 mph. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop, where it was determined the crankshaft sensor fractured and went into the engine, which caused the engine failure.

Rocker arm came off #4 exhaust valve ....dealership found defective valve...car has continued to have major engine issues. *tr

2002 jeep liberty, with 40,000 miles, a/c compressor is out and apparently not covered under warranty. this is a premature breakdown of this item. we are being told the repairs would exceed $800.00, which in itself is excessive.

While driving check engine light illuminated. vehicle completely shut down. the odometer stopped working. consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told the o-2 sensor had to be replaced, and they replaced them, which did not fix the problem. consumer took the vehicle back, dealer then replaced the computer. however, the problem recurred. *ak

I was driving down the freeway at 75 when i started hearing a loud grinding noise. i got off the freeway and made it home . as soon as i turned the last corner the steering locked to the left and made a huge grinding noise this time. i stopped in front of the house, and when i got out there was steering fluid everywhere! i pulled the belt off, and the pulley was extremely easy to move all around. i have found that many more people than just me have also had this problem and if it were to have happened on the freeway i could have easily crashed at 75! i called chrysler and they told me "they won't do anything becuase its not a saftey problem, and i am the 3rd owner of the vehicle" how that has anything to do with it i dont know. i have to special order the part from jeep because nobody carrys it. i will fix it myself once the part comes in and refuse to pay $400 for something they(jeep) should replace for free. they will not recieve and business from me. they are extremly lucky no one was injured and there isnt a lawsuit against them.*ak

Ltr re recalls on her daimler chrysler purchased back in august 13, 2001. *kb the consumer stated the vehicle has been recalled more than 3 times and supposedly fixed over 6 times regarding the ball joints. the consumer had an accident. the ball joint broke while the consumer was attempting to park. the radiator was leaking at the seam. the right front hub bearing was noisy. the cd changer would skip after a few songs. the dealer found an internal fault. there was a heavy crunchy noise when driving, stopping and making turns. the front stabilizer/sway bar was replaced. the rack and pinion was leaking. *jb

Consumer has had to replace shocks, drive shaft, brakes and all four tires since purchase. the tires were worn and the noisy were struts, a constant thumping sound was heard when the vehicle was in motion, creaking noise were coming from the front of the vehicle when going over bumps due to the front sway bar bushings, the regulator on the passenger door was noisy, the handle on the passenger door was loose, grinding noise on the front passenger side, the passenger front door's weather strip was coming off, loud noise coming from the rear differential bearings, excessive play in the front tie ends, water under the driver's side carpet, rattling in the speaker on the passenger side, when in 4th high and 4th low, the vehicle felt as if it were in neutral, the cigarette lighter was inoperative, the was a squeak in the steering wheel when turning, the engine idled loud, the vehicle would jump when shifting into gear, there was a delay when braking, the axle boot was leaking. *sc

While driving between 35 to 40 mph, the vehicle stalled, this caused lost of the steering and brakes. *jb

Lower all joint recall in jan.04. sept 04 i have it in the shop again for ball joint problem.also had the a/c tensioner fixed twice.this is an 02 jeep liberty sport.

The first incident happened back when i first got my jeep right before the warranty was about to expire. it was running fine and had no indication that anything was wrong. it was around the 35,000 mile mark. i was driving to work and my jeep just stalled on me. i pulled off to the side of the road, tried to start it again, and nothing. so i called the dealership who told me to call the 800# for the tow truck (which took 2 hours at 20 degrees....no heat...not good). i found out that was actually a piston and a rocker-arm along with many other little parts that needed to be fixed in the engine.......so major engine repair. the jeep was in the shop for a couple of weeks. after it was fixed all was well.....until the breakdown from the recall....that is my next complaint....stay tuned!!! :) *tr

The air condition (a/c) hose broke and squirted oil on the serpentine belt, causing it to deteriorate and break. the hose appeared to be cut, which leads me to believe that a strand of the belt had broken and, by constantly whipping the hose, which is much too close to the belt, eventually wore through the hose. i lost both power steering and power brakes in the middle of the freeway at 60mph. *la

Check engine light keeps coming back on after repair. has been repaired 3 times over the past few months and it came back on again 2 days after it had been repaired the last time. each and every time the causal part is diagnosed as an o2 sensor, and yet replacing them does not seem to solve the problem for more than a few days. *nlm

At the end of the 2001 i bought a 2002 jeep liberty sport with service contract. minor problem have occurred in the first year. in the 16th month of ownership the vehicle engine failed while i was making a trip to las vegas, nevada. my family and i almost got into an accident because while the car was in motion it suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. i called chrysler and had it towed to tobin jeep in las vegas, nevada. the dealer indicated that the engine had failed and they need to replace the bottom half of the engine. chrysler promised that the new engine would arrive by may 5, 2003 since the vehicle was towed on april 30, 2003. i decided to buy a max care because i planned on keeping this car for a long time. tobin the dealership did loan me a car while i was driving it in nevada. i was not allowed to drive it back to california where my job and my residence are. it was extremely inconvenient for me because have to take the greyhound bus back to california or loose my job. chrysler has given me $30.00 a day for maximum of five days charged to my credit card and chrysler promised to reimburse. i now use public transportation. i?ve been late for work the last 3 weeks and i?m starting to have trouble with my boss. on may 28,2003 at 9:00 pm i called tobin jeep the dealer indicated that the vehicle in done and it just needed to be test driven. the next day the may 29,2003 i was getting ready to take greyhound bus after work at 11:00 p.m. back to nevada to pick up my jeep liberty. i called to confirm to make sure the car is fixed. tobin jeep indicated that the engine had failed again for the 2nd time. before the engine block was the problem and now the engine valve head is the problem. i called again on june 10, 2003. tobin the dealer indicates that the valve spring needs to be replaced and the engine failed for the 3rd time. the vehicle is now 40 days and counting in the shop at tobin jeep in las vegas nevada. emmanuel lapena 408-296-3055

Upon making a slight lane correction at approx. 60 mph, my daughter's 2002 jeep libety began swerving uncontrollably. she felt no resistance to the steering wheel as she tried to stop the swerving. at no time did she apply the brakes. witnesses said it appeared she had a flat tire. eventually, the vehicle entered the grass median and rolled 2.5 or 3.5 times coming to rest on the roof facing on-coming traffic. the complete rear end(tires and differential) separated and ended up approx. 75 feet from the vehicle. the right front axle or cv joint was broken. neither her passenger or her air bags deployed. the driver's seat belt was broken at the end of the motion of the rolling. both occupants were bruised and cut. we believe the axle failed and caused this potentially fatal accident. this vehicle had approx. 3000 miles on it. at 1800 miles the engine had thrown a rod and the engine was replaced completely. the jeep liberty is structurally unsound and of poor design particularly in the area of the rear suspension. daimler-chysler has lowered the suspension in obvious response to roll over incidents.*jb..*ak

I had been driving for less than 5 minutes after leaving an appointment. i was stopped in a left turn pocket on torrance blvd @ hawthorne blvd when i saw the oil pressure light, hear a chirp and the engine stalled. i was able to restart the engine and drive to the unocal station, get gasoline and i called the long beach chrysler jeep, the dealership where the solenoid pack was replaced the week before. i was told to get my vehicle to the closest dealership. i delivered the vehicle to south bay chrysler & jeep about 4:00 p.m. on 8/8/03. they test drove the vehicle, performed some diagnostic tests, however, could not explain the propblem and returned my vehicle to me. went to the week before because they replaced a solenoid pack tation at the corner of hawthorne blvd @ torrance blvd,*ak

While traveling on highway vehicle shutdown without prior warning. brake rotors squeak. also, air conditioner blows out hot air. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

When the vehicle was in park or idling, it would start to rev up to high rpms. when shifting into reverse, the back tires would spin. the vehicle had been to the dealers several times. mechanic would state the problem could not be duplicated. ts *jg *jb jg

2002 jeep liberty limited. i have replaced the engine, rebuilt the 4 -wheel drive shaft, replaced the a/c condenser and coil, and now the radio, dome lights, power locks are broken. the blower motor resistor has been replaced but now the blower motor is broken. what a lemon from day one. latches on hatch not working correctly, mold smell from a/c. it is something all the time with this vehicle. *tr

Recall 01v31100; consumer recieved recall letter concerning knee blocker trim panel approximately four months ago, dealer has been contacted, but had no parts available to correct recall problem. *ak