Problems with 2003 Jeep Liberty SUSPENSION

Upper ball joints worn to the point the vehicle was considered unsafe by jeep dealership. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while driving 10 mph in reverse, the contact heard a loud noise and then the front passenger tire collapsed. the dealer stated that the upper ball joints fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was towed to the local repair shop and the upper ball joints are currently being repaired. the manufacturer would not assume financial responsibility for the repair because there were no recalls available. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 57,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while driving 25 to 30 mph, the vehicle veered to the left. the ball joints failed and caused the tires to flatten. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. he filed an incident report with chrysler. he has pictures of the vehicle. the failure and current mileages were 46,000.

Upper ball joint broke while pulling into my drive way. had it broke only minutes earlier it would have lead to a serious accident. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. when the contact took the vehicle to an auto shop for routine maintenance, he was informed that the rubber boots on the upper control arm ball joints were severely torn and needed to be replaced. the dealer recommended that the ball joints be replaced. they also stated recently that the part was on national back order and could not advise him of the date of availability. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were approximately 34,600.

While driving slowly across a bridge, my upper ball joint disconnected causing the passenger side front tire to fall off. no apparent warning that vehicle was in need of repair. no one was injured. had vehicle towed and control arm: upper ball joint replaced. the lower ball joints were replaced on 12/29/2006 due to the recall in 06' of the lower ball joints -- it appears the upper ball joints have the same issue. my concern now is when will the other side go bad? hopefully i won't be traveling at a high rate of speed when the other side goes, because i fear the outcome. it only had 61,000 miles at the time -- can i assume the side that was repaired is safe to drive another 61,000. it's not worth putting my life and/or others in danger. how can chrysler assure me that it is safe? i feel this is a dangerous and premature failure of this part and should be covered by chrysler, just for safety alone. *tr

2003 jeep liberty - lower ball joints replaced on recall notice now i have been advised that the upper ball joint needs replacing. i have read that this is a known problem but no recall has been implemented yet. *tr

On june 19, 2008 i was driving on a major highway when the vehicle started to make a loud noise from the rear and 10-15 minutes later i heard a loud thump and the car stopped, i had to roll to a stop an the side of the hwy...when i looked under the car the rear axle had fallen. the jeep has had a rear noise for sometime now. i took it in and was told that the rear axle needed oil it was completely dried up and the metal has been grinding which is why the noise was there. i asked why was there no oil and everyone looked surprised and did not have an answer. never heard of that, i was told that metal particles where in the oil pan and that the noise will continue but that there was no danger. months later i took the car back to have that same rear axle oil changed and was told that i do not need to do that again. now 6 months later the cars axle falls out. what is up with that. i have been driving for over 30 years and have owned varies vehicle which i have driven over 230,000 miles and never had the oil in the axles replace. why did this happen to my vehicle? what can i do? i am 4 months shy of paying off this vehicle. what a joke. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while driving various speeds, the contact heard noises coming from the front driver's side of the vehicle. the failure began in april of 2008 and occurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to two mechanics and they stated that there were no failures. approximately two months later while driving, the driver's side upper ball joint failed. the lower ball joints were replaced a few years ago. the current mileage was 104,000 and failure mileage was 102,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. the contact received a recall notice for the lower ball joints. she took her vehicle to the dealer for repair and was informed that the upper ball joints also needed to be replaced. since only the lower ball joints were on recall, the dealer would not repair the upper ball joints. the recall number was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 113,987.

We purchased a 2003 jeep liberty on december 4, 2002, in kent, ohio, that was manufactured in november 2002. we have lived in akron, ohio, continuously since 2002. we drive the jeep in the eastern suburbs of cleveland, ohio, very frequently to visit family and to take our son to school. ohio is a salt belt state, and akron and the eastern suburbs of cleveland experience significantly more snowfall during the winter than other areas of ohio due to lake effect. the right front upper control arm assembly became loose, almost to the point of failure, and was replaced on april 26, 2008, at our cost of $597.87. on december 17, 2007 nhtsa opened preliminary evaluation pe07-q62 for 2002 -2003 jeep libertys based on complaints of front suspension upper ball joint separation. on april 7, 2009, chrysler notified the nhtsa that '[t]he front suspension upper control arm ball joint [of 2003 jeep libertys] may experience a loss of lubrication which can lead to corrosion, accelerated wear, and possible separation while driving[,]' and agreed to 'conduct a safety recall to replace the front upper control arm assemblies on all affected vehicles.' additionally, chrysler stated that '[t]he vast majority of these alleged separations occurred in salt belt states. a review of some returned parts indicated compromised sealing, loss of lubrication which resulted in corrosion, accelerated wear and separation.' however, chrysler has refused to reimburse us for replacement of the failed front upper control arm assembly because it was manufactured in november 2002 and not between may 2002 and september 30, 2002, even though it is the same part, manufactured on the same assembly line with the same materials, and chrysler admitted that '[n]o root cause for this increase in the rate of separation during this five month build window in 2002 has been determined.' we request that the recall be expanded to include jeep libertys manufactured in november 2002. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. a couple of weeks after purchasing the vehicle, the contact heard a screeching noise coming from the front passenger side tire. the dealer stated that there were other matters that needed to be taken care of first. on april 18, 2008, while making a left turn at 5 mph, the contact heard a loud screeching noise. the front driver side of the undercarriage fell to the ground. the front driver side tire detached and was resting beside the vehicle, hanging on by a thread. the front fender, bumper, and wheel covering all detached from the vehicle and were damaged. the vehicle is currently with a mechanic. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number 03v460000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint); however, she never received a safety recall notice. the dealer stated that the front ball joints failed and needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 78,000. updated 05/19/08. *lj updated 05/19/08. *jb

While driving slowly out of my driveway, my upper ball joint disconnected causing the passenger side front tire to fall off. i did have my children with me however no one was injured. the apparent recall in 06 of the lower ball joints was unknown to me at the time. chrysler did replace the upper and lower ball joints. i was charged a $150. deductible which i feel is very unfair considering the investigation revolving around the upper ball joints and obvious concerns about the lower ball joints. my concern now is when will it happen again, it only had 50,000 miles at the time and can i assume it's safe to drive another 50,000. it's not worth putting my kids in danger. how can chrysler assure me that it is fixed! *tr

While driving my 2003 jeep liberty the front passenger wheel snapped off. the date was 3/9/08. i was turning a corner and felt a sharp snap and the front end dove toward the ground. i had the vehicle towed and it was repaired at a cost of approx $400 plus $60 for towing. the description on the repair bill is "ball joint came out of upper control arm. replaced rt front upper control arm assembly." i tried calling jeep's corporate office (3/14/08 at 10:45am) per the dealer recommendation. the corporate person said it was out of warranty, she very rude and refused to do anything to assist. when i asked to speak to the person's supervisor she refused saying they she was authorized to make these decisions. my greatest fear is that if i was on my normal daily commute of 70 miles on the freeway and the wheel snapped off, then i probably would not be typing this message today. the car would have easily flipped. i have the old part and it is available for review. i wish jeep corporation was more responsible to recognize the seriousness of this failure. of note, is that there was a recall on the vehicle in 2006 for the ball joints causing loss of steering control. i had that repair completed in 2006. however it certainly did not prevent me from losing control of the vehicle during this incident. *tr

The passenger side upper ball joint broke. the steering became erratic, it began pulling to the left. when i took it in for a front end alignment i learned that the passenger side upper ball joint was broken. i will replace the broken ball joint and will make the old part available for inspection. *tr

Front left wheel fell of my jeep liberty 2003, cause a head on collision, with a serious injury. *tr

The upper ball joint of the front passenger side wheel failed while turning in a mcdonald's drive through. the ball joint was rusted. there is no way to maintain this joint, as it is a sealed bearing. the lower ball joint was repaired in an earlier recall last year. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while turning right or left at any speed, the contact heard a popping sound coming from the floor of the vehicle. the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer, but the failure still persists. the current mileage was 86,000 and failure mileage was 75,000. updated 05/07/08 *bf the dealer stated the upper ball joint was bad. the lower ball joints had been replaced 3 times. updated 05/07/08. *ub

I received the recall letter in the mail regarding the ball joints and i took my car to lynch chrysler in chicago for repairs back in 2003 or 2004. i thought that took care of the problem, but in november of 2007 i was parking my jeep liberty and when i cut the wheel the wheel just fell off. i didn't have an accident or injuries, but i did have to report the incident to my insurance company because the damages to my car were over $1,700. *tr

Backing out of a parking spot, heard a clunking noise. put in drive, turned the wheel and the vehicle tilted to the drivers side. exited the vehicle to find the drivers side tire inverted and almost parallel to the ground. when tow truck lifted the vehicle, the front passenger tire also collapsed. had vehicle fixed today. had to replace both upper ball joints, and arms. vehicle is only 5 years old, had never been off road and only had 59,000 miles. repair shop owner said he has never seen both ball joints collapse and there is no reason why they should have, except for faulty parts. *tr

I am on my 2nd repair of ball joints with my 2003 jeep liberty, i have also had a repair when water gathered and caused my front passenger side carpet to get soaked with water. my issue is related to my tires, i have had rubbing and veering to the right problems since i purchased my car a few years ago. i have taken it in questioning alignment and was told i needed to rotate every oil change which i due but the premature wear on my tires is bad. i believe it is caused from the upper and lower ball joint problems and feel my tires need to be replaced by the dealer at no charge to me. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while driving 2 mph, the contact heard a loud snap coming from the vehicle. the vehicle was towed. the dealer stated that the driver side upper ball joint snapped. the contact received and the vehicle was serviced for recall notice number 03v460000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the current and failure mileages were 56,000. updated 09/18/07 *tr received 12/12/07 *lj updated 12/12/07 *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while making a turn at 15 mph, the front driver side wheel detached from the vehicle. the contact felt that the failure could have been avoided if the wait time for the lower ball joint repair had been shorter. the vehicle was towed to the repair shop. the vin and engine size were unavailable. the current and failure mileages were 18,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. the contact received a recall notice concerning the lower ball joints. the dealer stated that the parts for the recall repair were unavailable. there had been no failure to date. the recall number was unknown. the current mileage was 30,000.

While driving at approximately 30/35 miles an hour, i hit a dip in a road ,my front passenger tire with swing arm collapsed outward. i have a jeep liberty sport. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. the dealer stated that the front lower ball joints could damage the front suspension and cause a loss of steering. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 66,139.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. there is a recall for the lower ball joint (nhtsa campaign#06v288000). the dealer stated that they received three parts per month and would be unable to say how it would take to perform recall work. the current mileage was 58,000. there had been no failure to date.

I have a 2003 jeep liberty with 87,000 miles on it and the upper ball joint on the driver's side broke in half today while i was slowly making a turn into my office. the tow truck operator said this should not have happened. i was lucky that i was only going so slow hour when it broke because if i had been going faster, i would have wrecked the vehicle. my jeep has never been off-road since i have owned it. jeep does currently have a recall in place for the lower ball joints which they say get corroded and separate from the control arm. the upper ball joint did the same exact thing but does not appear to be included in the recall. i could have been killed or maybe even injured someone else had this happened on the highway. since the recall is only for the lower ball joint the dealership would not help with the cost. the damage was not just to the upper ball joint but to the rotor and the break line and the front axle. i called chrysler corporate services and basically they told me to pound salt. i also see that others have had similar experience. *tr

2003 jeep liberty with lower ball joint problems. customer states that she never received the recall for the lower ball joint repair. she ended up breaking down on the road, and chrysler will not refund her. *kb the consumer stated while driving, the left front wheel became loose and fell of the vehicle. the manufacturer stated the way the consumer went about having the vehicle repaired negated any reason for them to consider reimbursement. the dealer also found play in the left front outer tie rod and left front axle boot. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. the vehicle was repaired for nhtsa campaign number 06v288000 (lower ball joint). the contact was charged a labor fee for a stripped cap screw. the current mileage was 56,667. there was no failure.

Never received a recall notice for anything about the jeep now. while driving the front left wheel feel off the ball joint snapped. *ak

2003 jeep liberty with lower ball joint problems customer states that he was not notified about the recall and wants to know who notify the consumer**cc the consumer stated while driving the lower ball joint broke, after much discussion the ball joint was repaired. the consumer stated the recall notices were sent out 3 days prior to purchasing the vehicle and was never informed of the recall. the consumer stated that the dealer never informed her of the recall and stated was not responsible to inform the consumer of the recall but the consumer wants to know who was supposed to inform her of the recall and what the procedures are for notifying consumers? *tr *updated 12/12/07 *bf updated

While driving at low speed the front right ball joint of 2003 jeep liberty failed causing the tire to fall onto its side. minimal damage to the car as i was just beginning to drive away from my house. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while driving approximately 55 mph, the contacts grandson heard a loud breaking noise and the steering immediately locked, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. the rear passenger side tire detached from the vehicle; however, he was able to avoid a crash and successfully stop the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a local garage. a police report was filed. a professional technician inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front and rear axles were corroded for a very long time, which caused them to fail. the insurance company stated that the vehicle was completely destroyed. the dealer did not provide any assistance. the manufacturer stated that the vin was included in nhtsa campaign id number 06v288000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint), but the contact never received a recall notice. the manufacturer sent an investigator to inspect the vehicle and it was discovered that there was no correlation between the failure and the recall. the manufacturer is refusing to assume any liability for any of the damaged components caused by the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired and the contact has pictures of the failed component. the failure and current mileages were 61,000. updated 05/06/08 *bf the consumer had brusing on his shoulder. updated 04/01/11

Tl*-the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while driving 25 mph he lost control of the vehicle. he hit a bolder on the road. road conditions were somewhat rainy. the vehicle was at the body shop and they are repairing the front suspension of the vehicle. the current and failure mileage were 93,000. the consumer provided a copy of the recall notice, insurance information, philadelphia non reportable accident report and estimate of repairs stating the vehicle is a total loss. updated 09/04/07 *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. she stated that she would occasionally hear a grinding noise in the front of the vehicle. there was a recall for the front lower ball joints (nhtsa campaign # 06v288000) however; the dealer stated that the parts were on backorder. the failure mileage was 48,000 and the current mileage was 51,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. the contact noticed failure with the front suspension while making left turns. when he drives over a bump in the road, it sounds as if something is loose in the suspension. he took the vehicle to a local mechanic for an oil change and asked if they could examine the front suspension. the mechanic informed him that the upper ball joints needed to be replaced, and also informed him of the tsb related to his vehicle's upper ball joints. the contact called the dealer to inquire about a recall related to the upper ball joints and was informed that there were no recalls. the repairs would cost approximately $900. the failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 40,246. updated 06/10/08. *lj

I have a 2003 jeep liberty with 95,000 miles on it and the upper ball joint on the passenger side broke in half today while i was pulling out of a filling station. the tow truck operator who also owns a garage stated that he had never seen one of these break like this one did. i was lucky that i was only going 2 miles an hour when it broke because if i had been going faster, i would have wrecked the vehicle. my jeep has never been off-road since i have owned it. jeep does currently have a recall in place for the lower ball joints which they say get corroded and separate from the control arm. the upper ball joint did the same exact thing but does not appear to be included in the recall. i could have been killed or maybe even injured someone else had this happened on the highway. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while turning into the driveway at 15 mph the vehicle produced a loud noise. the contact lost control of the vehicle and struck the side of a curb. the contacts head struck the dashboard. while attempting to drive the vehicle after the crash the contact was not aware that the tire detached from the vehicle, and noticed that it had flattened and the axle failed. in december 2006 the contact received recall notice # 03v460000 for the repair of the lower ball joints, and was currently on the dealers waiting list. the failure mileage was 61,215.*ak the consumer has provided pictures of the vehicle and the invoices for repair. updated 06/14/07 *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. the contact received recall notice#06v288000: suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint in february. the mechanic stated that there was damage to the tie rod and steering knuckle. the dealer stated that they would repair the vehicle at no charge; however, they advised her at the appointment that she was responsible for paying $600 to repair it. the dealer also stated that the recall repairs are only related to the lower ball joints. the failure mileage was 77,000 and the current mileage was 77,310. the dealer stated replaced left outer tie rod, left knuckle, wheel speed sensor, and fixed hub assembly. the consumer provided invoices of repairs for vehicle. updated 07/05/07 *tr

Don hill pontiac jeep ,2523 e,stone drive, kingsport, tn stated they do not have the parts to replacesafety recall f2 concerning ) lower ball joints on my 2003 jeep liberty. *ak

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. the contact has been waiting to have the lower ball joints repaired. the nhtsa campaign id number is 06v288000. since november, the dealer in her area stated that they don't know how soon they'll receive the parts. the current and failure mileage were 55,000.

2003 jeep liberty upper ball joint failure (passenger side) - ball joint corroded and the ball pulled out of the socket during a left turn - wheel fell outward and laid down with vehicle resting on the tire vehicle is at dealer - awaiting word on proposed remedy this failure is exactly as described on a recall for the lower ball joints!

We have a 2003 jeep liberty that has been recalled due to problems with the ball joints. the dealership is informing her that they do not have the parts in stock. the dealership informed the contact that the parts are in back order. it has been 3 months since the client has heard from the dealership. also got hit with an extensive repair bill on the brake system due to corrosion - vehicle has only 32,000 miles on it. *jb

Back in march, i received a recall notice from daimler chrysler regarding the lower ball joints in my jeep. steering can fail causing a crash. i called my local dealer and was told i was 80th on their waiting list. i called in may and was told they would get to me sometime in july!! today is august 1 and my recall is still not fixed. they blame the jeep corp for not providing enough parts to fix all the problems. *jb

Tl* - the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. while driving at 10 mph and making a turn there was a grinding sound. the contact was informed by the dealer that they were in the 20% range on the waiting list. the grinding sound occurred for a couple of months. the contact was aware of the safety risk involved due to recall# 06v288000. the current mileage was 30,251. *ak

Daimler chrysler has not fixed the safety recall f23 - lower ball joints problem on our 2003 jeep liberty vehicle. the dealer they referred us to never contacted us to let us know the parts had arrived and that we could bring the vehicle in for repair. the dealer has now moved or gone out of business. we are worried that the suv will malfunction and crash without the repairs. *jb

Tl* - the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty. the contact was concerned that she received more than one recall for the same failure. the first safety recall was 03v460000, and the second one was 06v288000. *ak

'03 jeep liberty - left lower front ball joint failed and separated while the vehicle was in motion at low speed during a turn (left upper ball joint failed previously ref. complaint confirmation #1019828). lower ball joints were replaced twice before under recall #c36. the service dealer replaced the both the right and left lower control arm ball joints under recall #f23, along with the axle half shaft, axle drive shaft seal, axle shaft seal housing, tire and wheel. *jb

Tl* - the contact owns a 2003 jeep liberty sport. the contact stated that the problem was with daimler chrysler and the length of time that it was taking them to make the safety repairs on the lower ball joints. the contact stated that they have been waiting since november. she asked for a rental car while waiting for the repairs to be made, and was denied, and did not believe that was fair. the contact heard noises coming from the lower ball joints. the weather conditions were poor, it was wet. have been wet. the current mileage was 67250. there had been no failures to date.*ak