Problems with 2004 Jeep Liberty SUSPENSION

Backing out of my mother's driveway and the driver's side front ball bearing broke into. the front of my jeep was damages severely as well as the rim etc. my jeep only has 50,000 miles on it. very upset to read that other's have had this same problem and there is no recall on this vehicle. this is a major problem and chrysler needs to recall this 2004 jeep if it has happened to even one family. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while parking the vehicle, the ball joints failed which made the vehicle un-drivable. the vehicle was towed to a service dealer for repairs. the manufacturer was notified. the contact observed a news report pertaining to the problems with the vehicle and contacted the manufacturer again. the manufacturer offered a reimbursement for the repair costs. updated 09/13/06. *jb

2004 jeep liberty only 43,000. was backing out of driveway, heard loud bang, right front tire fell to ground. could not move vehicle. damage was done to right front fender. car was towed. right front ball joint fell out. was told by dealership that this was not covered under drive train warranty. notified chrysler of incident, was also told by chrysler corp. that this was not covered under drive train warranty. ask about a recall, and was told about a 2002 jeep liberty recall on ball joint but not on 2004 models. found out there is a large number of other 2004 jeep liberty owners having the same type of problem. *nm

My 2004 jeep liberty tire broke off. the mechanic's all said it was a right lower ball joint and cv joint on the passenger side. there was no suspension damage or tire nor wheel damage it has approx. 37,000 miles on it, leaving me with the shop bill of over $600.00. *nm

I was charged for ball joint replacements for my jeep liberty 2004 at 40,000 miles. chrysler is telling me that my suv was not included in the recent "ball joint" recall. therefore no free repalcement. i think the manufactor needs to rethink this policy as i have never heard of ball joints goin out after 2 years.

Previous | next | back to messages call or instant message deletereplyforwardspammove... printable view this message is not flagged. [ flag message - mark as unread ] subject: jeep stuff date: wed, 21 jun 2006 12:47:22 -0400 from: "rastgoufard, shirin" <[email protected]> add to address book add mobile alert to: [email protected] i was leaving a parking lot in my 2004 jeep liberty when i heard a bang, and my car stopped moving. i pushed the accelerator but the car did not move, it only shook and made a loud noise. when i got out of my car i noticed that all the tires were still inflated and that there were little pieces of curled metal underneath my car. the tow truck driver stated that my suspension had broken, and that the tire fell off my car, but was caught by something, hence the curled pieces of metal. the tire finally fell off the car when we towed it to the dealership. the dealership where i had bought the car from sold, and is now under new management. the car could not be fixed at that location because the mechanic was not skilled enough to handle the damage. the car then had to be towed down the street to the dealerships other location. i was told that the left and right ball joints were replaced on the car and that a new wheel was order, but is on back order. the service department stated that even without the new wheel, my car was ready and safe to drive. *nm

In the weeks leading up to the lower ball joint failure, we noticed problematic steering (turning harder) and weird noises coming from the front end. (specifically "creaking" noises while turning the wheel at low speeds) on 6/17/06 we noticed the liberty pulling hard to the right. later there was a loud "clunk" and steering was lost. got vehicle over to the side of the road and got out to inspect, didn't see anything. got back in and turned the wheel to the left and right and the driver's side front wheel fell off of the liberty. this was due to a lower ball joint failure. luckily, no damage was done to the fender. extended warranty (liberty had 44,100 miles at the time of incident) covered ball joint repair. *nm

My husband had been saying that the steering was really tight and when you turned you actually had to turn the wheel to straighten the car back out normally the wheel will come back on its on in all other vehicles that we have had. i was exiting a shopping mall parking lot when all of the sudden it sounded and felt like the bottom had fallen out of my jeep. so i stopped there in the middle of the road. my mother who was with me suggested that she thought i had a flat tire. i got out of the vehicle and did not have a flat tire instead my lower left ball joint had fallen out and was sitting in the inside wheel well on the drivers side. it was towed to the jeep dealership where it was purchased and repaired the following monday. of course it was not covered under the extended warranty that came with my car so i had to pay out of pocket. *nm

2004 jeep liberty sport 2wd - front right ball joint broken 1) regular driving with nothing out of the ordinary other than creaking from the front axle. only 38,000 miles on the vehicle. we took a turn in a residential area at about 10 mph when a loud pop sound occurred and the vehicle skidded to a halt as the front right tire was lodged by the failing components. 2) right front ball joint failure. car was rendered inoperable and had to be towed. if this had happened when we had been on the highway, it would have caused a (potentially fatal) crash. the car skidded to a halt at 10 mph, and it was luck alone that had us on a residential street rather than a highway at the time we were driving. 3) we had the vehicle towed to the dealer service location (klaben chrysler, kent, oh) and are awaiting service. this issue seems very frequent after having researched on the internet! chrysler/jeep needs to be held accountable! *jb

2004 jeep liberty sport with only 37k miles. driver's side ball joint fell off while driving. subsequent hole in wheel caused blowout & had to be towed. fortunately vehicle was going only 30 mph and traveling straight, otherwise, serious injury or death could have resulted. *jb

2004 jeep liberty - lower passenger side ball joint broke while in motion. this caused a considerable amount of damage and repair of the vehicle and nearly caused my death. *nm

I was backing out of a parking spot, and the lower ball joint gave way. from this the inside wheel was scored, the lower control arm scraped the ground, the axle came free from the drive, leaking fluid, and damaging the boot. *nm

A wobbling sound heard in front of vehicle while driving, along with noticeable wear on the inner portion of the front tires at 35,000 miles (or less), as well as the car pulling to the right, led me to bring the car into the dealership for servicing at which point they replaced the lower ball joints for both front tires. wobbling still exists as an alignment or replacement of worn tires was not performed under warranty. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle was taken to the service dealer about a year ago because there was a slight vibration in the front end. the dealer inspected the vehicle and determined the tires needed to be rotated. the vibration continued and progressively became worse. today, while driving 30 mph the contact heard a loud grinding sound followed by the vehicle's failure to move forward. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but has not been inspected. upon visual inspection, the contact noticed the lower ball joint was separated on the passenger side. updated 7/3/2006 - the driver's side windshield wiper arm came loose twice. the wiper arm was realigned to factory specs and tightened to the correct torque setting. when the consumer used the turn signals while the headlights were on the headlights flickered. this is an intermittent occurrence. on another occasions the headlights remained on although the switch was turned off. *nm

My 2004 jeep liberty, with 37,000 miles, failed when the front ball joint snapped, sending the undercarriage into the concrete. upon inspection, it was found the other ball joint was ready to snap as well. i understand this is a common liberty problem. i have been in contact with chrysler and my lawyer. had i been going faster than 10 mph, i could have been killed. i would hope chrysler will have some compassion for their customers and fix this problem before someone dies. they should also repair, at no charge, this defect immediately. *jb

The front suspension lower ball joint separation while driving,the arm came down onto the rim of the car, causing the rim to shread,my husband turn the wheel and the car veered to the left hitting the curb, and the left tire blew out,have asked the dealer before if there was any recalls on this car and the answer was no. *jb

Tl* - contact has a 2004 jeep liberty . the contact received recall 06v288000 regarding the ball joint recall. the contact has called a dealership in her area, and they stated that they did know how long it will take to service her vehicle. the contact has had to replace the lower ball joint before on may 06 and was concerned that it ccould malfunction again. *ak updated 03/07/07. *jb

The front suspension ball joints fell out while driving. although the car was stopped immediately, damage was done to one wheel as well. the tow driver had to perform some service in order to tow the vehicle to the dealer service center. once there, both ball joints and wheel were replaced. *nm

I was driving along approaching a stop sign when suddenly the car lurched and stopped. when i turned the wheel to move out of the center lane, the ball joint fell out of the wheel and the control arm fell to the pavement. *jb

I own a 2004 jeep liberty. on may 6th while driving at 15 mph the front passenger wheel fell off and car was towed to dealer. the ball joint had broken and dealer wished to replace both ball joints. since the car was no longer under warranty i would have to pay. after researching this problem, i found that there have many many complaints and occurrences of this happening to other jeep liberty owners. the 2002 and 2003 jeep liberties have been recalled for the exact same problem. chrysler said they would not pay for the repair as the car was not under warranty. my argument is that this is a safety issue and the ball joints are defective and it is dangerous to drive this car and the car will eventually be recalled. i am very unhappy with their response. if i had been traveling at a high speed and this happened there would have been a serious accident. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 10 mph the vehicle felt as though the front passenger tire was flat and a grinding noise was heard. the vehicle was towed to the dealership where it was determined the front passenger side lower ball joint fractured and needed to be replaced. updated 5/23/2006 - *nm

2004 jeep liberty lower ball joint failure. *nm

Hi, i was driving on i405 north next to right most lane on 28th april in a 2004 jeep liberty sport and lost control because of the steering problem, when i tried to gain control the steering wheel became jammed and i wasn't able to gain control and hit the concrete divider after crossing all the lanes . i came to know the ball joint defect after reading the recall news of jeep liberty vehicles. i put forward 3 theories behind the accident to the insurance company. i clearly mentioned them the steering wheel was jammed so i didn't able to steer. the police cruiser pushed my vehicle to the break down lane. the vehicle was a total loss. the vehicle is with the century 21 insurance company. the 3 theories i put i) steering failure. ii) tire burst iii) hit and run by some other vehicle. the insurance company is still investigating the accident. i got a report from them where they mentioned nothing wrong with the tires. the third option police report tells nothing. i told the insurance company to look in to steering failure as the vehicle still with them. i have not heard the investigation result from them yet. when i read the news article today, which confirms my first theory. my jeep was a 2004 model and has 26,470 miles at the time of accident. i can provide the jeep company any information they need. *jb

Wife was backing into our driveway, when she heard a sharp crack and then a grinding sound. when i got home to inspect, the right lower ball joint had broken and the control arm was grinding against the wheel. called dealer but they had to toe the line and say "not under warranty" because liberty had 49000 miles. called dc and they were very nice and said they would take care of it. this failure would have been catastrophic if it broke during my wifes commute. she travels 40 highway miles one way. *nm

I am very concerned about the upper and lower ball joints on my 2003 jeep liberty. i have 26, 000 miles on this vehicle and the ball joints seem to have failed. i am choosing to replace them with what i hope will be a better quality product. *nm

2004 jeep liberty lower ball joint failure. i had to replace (at my cost) the lower ball joints at approximately 40,237 miles. i believe the oem part is defective because failure was such low mileage. original unservicealbe ball joints are in my possession. *nm

2004 jeep liberty at approximately 40,000 miles has the front ball joint rusting off and wheel dropping completely down. as my daughter backed from parking spot the front right wheel fell off. the jeep was fixed by dealership at no cost, however, the dealership has seen 10-12 jeeps with the ball joint rusting off since jeep no longer has greased fittings. both ball joints replaced, wheel replaced and wheel flare..............my daughter commutes to school and i think how terrible this could have been driving at 65 mph...............*nm

2004 jeep liberty, ball joint broke, wheel fell off,had to replace front lower ball joint, wheel, & right axle shaft. only had 52,000 miles. the factory did pay 50% of repair. i had complained to dealer during warranty period that i heard a noise when going over speed bumps in the front right passenger side and that the vehicle veered to the right. after repair i no longer hear the noise and the vehicle does not veer to the right. *nm

My wifes car is a 2004 jeep liberty sport [xxx], and she is the main driver of this vehicle. on march 31st 2006 i decided to take her car to michigan that day. when i got in it i noticed that the steering was not right. the problem was that it seemed like you really had to work at keeping it going straight down the road. when turning the vehicle it didn't want to straighten back out like most cars do. you actually had to turn the wheel to get it going back in a straight direction again. i decided i needed to stop and have a trained service technician look at the vehicle that morning. when i got there and explained the problem to the maintenance man he said lets take it for a test drive. he stated that he didn't see a problem with the vehicle going down the road but did notice it was a little hard to turn. he stated that they couldn't look at it that day, so he scheduled for me to bring it by on wednesday april 5th which was 5 days after i had taken it by. he assured me everything was okay and that it was alright to drive. on april 4, 2006 my wife called me at 9:05 a.m. to let me know that the car had broken down. i asked her what was wrong, and she stated that she barely got it into the ymca parking lot where she was dropping off my 3 year old for preschool. when it broke my wife said the vehicle dropped like she had a blow out. the wrecker stated that it was a broken ball joint and could not believe this since there is only 24,000 miles on the vehicle. thank god this happened at a slow rate of speed instead of going down the highway at 65 mph with my three year old and seven year old sons in the car. they could very well put another defective part on this vehicle, and i am terrified to put my family back into this car since there has been no recall or retro fit. the next time could cost my family their lives. i hope this issue can be resolved safely before someone gets ...

While driving the car the lower ball joint in the front suspension seperated. *nm

I was entering the interstate from an entrance ramp. at the top of the ramp, i heard a loud pop & steering became difficult. i pulled out of traffic next to a concrete wall and stopped to check if i had a tire blow-out. upon seeing the tires were okay, my husband got into the vehicle, put it into gear and began to drive it. within 3 feet, the ball joint assembly apparently gave way & the left front of the vehicle fell, resting on the top of the tire. we were stranded for about an hour at the entrance ramp/interstate connection in a severe thunderstorm, praying for our lives. i am diabetic, and the stress caused my blood sugar to rise and i went into tachycardia. fortunately, i had medication with me and did not have to go to a hospital. aaa sent a flatbed wrecker to take the vehicle to a nearby dealer who, after jeep refused to replace the parts at their expense, repaired the jeep using our previously purchased extended warranty. i do not know if the old parts are available. *jb

Driving to my child's school when i heard a grinding noise, stopped the car and found the left front wheel collapsed and turned in. it was towed to by aaa to perkins in crestwwood ky. ( a jeep dealer) left ball joint separated causing the collapse was reported to me and supposedly fixed. a couple of days after picking up my car i heard a rattling noise from the front of the car and took it back to the dealer. they found nothing. on march 24 2006 i heard a popping noise while driving and decided to take the jeep in to the nearest dealer who was neil huffman in louisville .the mechanic reported that the right lower ball joint was loose and it needed to be tightened. i left the car with them so the could fix the problem. on march 30,2006 i was pulling out of a parking lot and turned my car when i heard a grinding noise then a pop. i got out of my car and found the right front wheel collapsed and towed it in to by aaa to neil huffman jeep dealer wear they found the right ball joint collapsed. i did not have to pay for this job since i just had it in . the 2001,2002,and 2003 jeep liberty's were recalled for faulty ball joints. the 2004's have not been yet. maybe this is a design problem! *jb

Ball joint failure. vehicle pulling to the right. squeaking/squealing noises. took vehicle for wheel alignment and found out that the ball joints were bad. black soot substance continually coating hub cab of front passenger side wheel. *jb

This 2004 jeep liberty sport was moving less than 5 mph in a parking lot when the left front ball joint fell apart, damaging the axle and pushing the left front tire into the wheel well at an angle. the failure resulted in driver having no steering control and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. front left ball joint and axle replaced under drive train warranty with $50 deductible. this problem in this model is under nhtsa investigation and we think a recall is needed.*jb

While driving into a gas station (before entering the expressway) my wheel came off on the front passenger's side of the vehicle. the vehicle lunged forward, the wheel fell off and fluids leaked out of the vehicle. luckily this didn't happen on the expressway. reliable? *nm

The driver side front lower ball joint failed on my 2004 jeep liberty. the vehicle has 29,000 miles on it. there was a loud pop while revising into a parking spot. i got out to investigate to find that the driver side front lower ball joint failed and was now sitting on the inside rim of the tire. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for repairs. *jb

With no warning whatsoever, the left front lower ball joint on my vehicle broke while i was backing out of a parking space. the vehicle did not make any unusual noises nor were there any noticeable problems prior to the part breaking. when the ball joint broke, the wheel was also damaged. when i had the vehicle towed into a jeep dealer, i was informed that there was a recall on 2003 jeep liberty's for this problem, but no recall had been issued on the 2004 model. the mechanics at the dealership told me that this part should be expected to last much more than the 1 year, 9 months & 40,000 miles of my vehicle life. my extended warranty covered the cost of replacing both front ball joints (except for a $100 deductible) and i had to pay to replace the damaged wheel. ($317.55). we were away from home and had stopped for something to eat at the time this happened. just think of the possibilities if we were enroute or returning via the expressways at speeds between 55 and 70 mph. i have contacted daimler/chrysler customer care and they seem unwilling to discuss this possible defect on this vehicle. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the front driver's side of the vehicle fell on the ground while backing out a parking space. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop, where it was determined the driver's side lower ball joint needed to be replaced. there is nhtsa recall, # 03v460000, regarding the lower ball joints. the vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however, it is not included in the recall due to the vin. the contact indicated that it was the front driver's side lower ball joint that broke apart. however, he replaced both the driver's side and passenger's side ball joints because he believed that the passenger's side would also break apart. *ak

I had about 35,000 miles on my 2004 jeep liberty when i heard about a lower ball joint issue affecting newer liberties. i had my lower ball joints inspected and found that they each had about half an inch of play. after taking the car over to the jeep dealership they replaced the units under warranty. however, they stated that they replaced the units with the same model as what was on the jeep before. so i guess in another 35,000 miles i'll be looking at replacing these again. *jb

On march 11, 2006, i was driving my 2004 jeep, liberty into the driveway of my home. as i crossed the threshold of the driveway i heard a loud pop. i parked my vehicle and inspected the passenger side of the vehicle. i saw the suspension system on the ground and the tire turned outward. i called for a wrecker and when the vehicle was moved we could see that the suspension separated at the ball of the joint. on the ground along the path that the vehicle traveled was small metal shavings. i took photographs of the vehicle and collected the shavings. *jb

2004 liberty steering problems. *ts the consumer was informed by his mechanic that the lower ball joint had developed an unusual amount of slack. when the consumer took the vehicle to a dealer, they stated the vehicle was in good condition. *jb the vehicle would not maintain an alignment after 30,000 miles. updated 07/14/06. *jb

The consumer had a problem with the steering and handling of his 1997 jeep grand cherokee. *nm the vehicle had a front end alignment but it never remained aligned as long as expected. the consumer had the tires balanced, rotated and alignment performed on 3/9/06. the lower ball joint developed an unusual amount of slack. *nm

Both ball joints on my 2004 jeep liberty failed. suv had less than 40000 miles. *nm

The ball joint of my left front wheel of my 2004 jeep liberty cracked causing the vehicle to collapse to the left front. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the driver side front ball joint fractured and broke. the vehicle was found sitting on the tire on the driver's side. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for repairs.

The driver side front lower ball joint failed on my 2004 jeep liberty columbia edition. the vehicle has 67,000 miles on it. failure occurred while making a low speed left turn pulling out from a parking spot. vehicle was left stranded in the middle off the road with the suspension bearing its full weight on the driver side inner cv joint. *jb

Purchased 2004 jeep liberty in march 2005 (liberty has a build date of 01-04) and after alignment it has progressively gotten harder to control on the highway, changed tires, checked alignment. found out that the ball joints are worn and one is worn almost to separation. fortunately i found this before it separated. i have been told by jeep that they have never seen this problem, the jeep now has 49000 miles and of course is out of factory warranty and they act as though it has "high mileage" causing this problem. upon investigation i found that i'm not the only 2004 liberty with this problem, appears that the 02-04 all have the same problem. *nm

Lower right ball joint separated leading to loss of control. *nm

At a recent visit to the chrysler/jeep dealership, (16021 miles on the odometer) i had them inspect the lower ball joints on my 2004 jeep liberty. they told me that they were leaking fluid and would replace them under warranty, which they did. they explained that there was no chance of failure, but felt it was better to replace them. *jb

While exiting rt 2 off the exit ramp the ball joint in my front left tire separated. luckily i was preparing to stop at a light and had slowed to about 10 mph when this occurred. upon examination it was found that the right front ball joint is also in need of repair, however the part was back ordered by two weeks. *jb