Problems with 2003 Jeep Liberty SUSPENSION

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, there was excessive play in the steering wheel. there was a nhtsa recall, # 03v46000, regarding the front suspension. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. although the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer, the manufacturer was alerted. updated 09/13/06. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 3 mph, the steering wheel was turned and a loud bang was heard. the vehicle would not move forward or backward. a private mechanic was consulted, who determined the front left wheel had detached due to a separation of the front left ball joint. the vehicle was then towed to a service dealer. there was a nhtsa recall # 03v460000 which pertained to the lower ball joint. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. updated 9/5/2006 - *nm

On august 11, 2006 while driving home from work, my jeep liberty began to sway. i proceeded to slow when my rear axle including wheels fell off. no warning, the entire rear axle disassembled. the conditions that night were wet, however there was nothing more than that. i had my vehicle towed to an authorized chrysler mechanic. i inquired to what would cause the rear axle to just fall apart this way. i was informed it was because of the impact? there was no impact which was evident by the condition of my vehicle. my vehicle had to be repaired. the left rear control arm and driveshaft had to be repaired and reinstalled in addition to the rear end asm and left wheel and tire replaced. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the front end was pulling and swaying badly to the right and the left at various speeds. twice the lower ball joints was replaced. the first time was in november 2004 under recall # 03v460000; suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint. the second time was in june 2005. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a routine brake inspection and the mechanic determined the ball joints were so bad the vehicle could not be driven until the ball joints were replaced. the vehicle began pulling and swaying to the right and left at various speeds for the third time. the dealership directed the contact to bring the vehicle in for inspection.

Both front lower ball joints show excessive wear and "play" to the point where the authorized jeep dealership indicated they need to be replaced as soon as possible. *jb

2003 jeep liberty, left lower ball joint separated causing wheel to nearly separate from vehicle. vehicle repaired by chrysler. since repair there has been loud noise when steering wheel is turned. brought back to repair facility to be inspected. informed that the lower control arm bushings cracked causing failure. this seems to be related to another material defect as the control arm sleeves are pressed as were the ball joints. i contacted chrysler and they stated there is no recall at this time. the vehicle is three years old and for two major material failures at the same time seems to be a serious problem. is there any others who have complained of this problem? *jb

While driving down a road, the ball joint on the front driver's side broke making the vehicle undriveable and tearing up my wheel. luckily, my son was able to get the vehicle off the main road and call for help. this vehicle was a 2003 jeep liberty sport which i bought in october, 2005. this incident left me without transportation to work due to the uncooperative staff at the dealership and the main jeep consumer office. the garage hauled the vehicle to repair but insisted only repairing the joint that had broke. when i asked for a number to contact the main jeep company, i was told this dealership had no such number. i feel this was a lie because the next day i was able to acquire a number from another dealership in our area. i have requested both bottom ball joints be replaced but so far have been denied. i am trying to protect my family from having a serious accident and feel extremely fortunate that it has not already happened. *nm

I was making a left turn in a parking lot at approx 5 mph when the driver's side lower ball joint separated. at this point i was unable to steer the vehicle, and was forced to stop in the lot entrance. the vehicle was towed to a chrysler dealership and repaired. the vehicle had previously had the ball joint recall work performed. *nm

As i made a right turn at 5 mph, i heard a loud bang and the driver side front wheel locked up. it was impossible to steer or drive the car. if i had been driving at highway speeds, i probably would have crashed. the lower ball joint had failed, digging into the wheel. the wheel actually separated from the car as we were removing the car from the tow truck. there was a recall for this problem 2 or 3 years ago, and i had the recall work done at that time. however, it still failed so the recall work was ineffective. the damage was repaired under warranty, but the dealer has been unable to assure me that the repair will prevent the problem from happening again. according to discussions at jeepsunlimited.com, others have had this same failure even after having the recall work done. *jb

After purchasing the 03 jeep liberty 4x4. i was made aware of the lower ball joint failure. i just had mine checked because i purchased this vehicle used. with 27,000 miles on it, it had already had new ball joints added to it. this make me nervous driving this vehicle. i heard they go out easily and you must check these lower ball joints often. this is just poor engineering, and for my family, just makes for an uneasy, sort of a hostile driving environment, due to constant nervousness. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated that a recall letter was received in regards to the lower front ball joints. the dealer replaced the part with another defective part. the vehicle soon experienced the same problems when the ball joints failed causing damage to the axle while traveling 40 mph. the manufacturer was contacted and an investigator was sent to examine the vehicle. the investigator determined that the manufacturer would only cover the recall repairs for the ball joints but no damages that were caused by the defect.

2003 liberty ball joint broke while out of town. *ts one year prior to this failure a ball joint broke on the driver's side. *nm

I noticed a grinding noise in the front of my 2003 jeep liberty limited 4wd on friday, july 7, 2006. i drove the next day to a friend's house, july 8. as i was back up to park the car stalled a little and began a grinding noise. as i pulled back the left wheel popped out. *jb

At 20000 miles a recall replacement was performed on our 2003 jeep liberty. at 53000 miles we had the dealer inspect the front end of the jeep and proclaim it was within specification. at 54000 miles, wile turning in to my drive at 5 mph. the lower left ball joint popped out and jammed into the back of the wheel. the dealer replaced the ball joints under the recall. in approximately 500 miles the joint went from sound to so bad it popped out! at higher speeds this failure could have been catastrophic. *jb

1. really nothing lead up to failure, it was a catastrophic failure of my lower ball joints. thank god we were backing out of a parking spot when the incident happened and not at 70 mph. 2. basically my left front tire collapsed, causing me to call flatbed tow truck, front wheel fender damage and over $500 in repairs to just the lower ball joint. 3. chrysler will not do an investigation, because repairs were done. i was stranded in the middle of n.d. they said they would cover the ball joint replacement. i have the old ball joints, one exhibits catastrophic failure and the other has the tell-tale lubricant loss described in the report. note--i took the vehicle in for the recall and had work done. evidently the ball joints were not replaced, but the heat shield was installed. *jb

I purchased my 2003 jeep liberty from central florida chrysler/jeep in january of 2004. i never received a recall letter and the dealer did not fix the ball joints before he sold the vehicle to me. if it is true that a recall took place in 2003 i would assume this matter would have been taken care of. however, on the night of july 1, at 1am i was making a right turn in the jeep liberty, and proceeding at about 25 mph when the front of the vehicle dropped and the steering went crazy. the liberty veered to the right and hit an electrical pole and continued into a fence. the jeep liberty was totaled, fortunately there were no serious injuries. at the time i had no idea what the hell had happened. now i know. *nm

2003 jeep liberty sport - lower ball joint separated from knuckle while driving on 6/24/06. note: recall notice on lower ball joints received june 2004 and repair/inspection in response to recall notice was completed 6/30/04 (lower ball joints replaced and heat shield installed) at cross chrysler jeep in louisville, ky. failure still occurred after recall repair. new repairs completed on 6/30/06 at neil huffman chrysler/dodge jeep in louisville, ky- lower ball joints replaced again. one (1) wheel and one (1) axle also replaced due to significant damage as a result of lower ball joint failure. *jb

On 6/22/06 my 2003 jeep liberty renegade was diagnosed with lower ball joint failure on both sides. dealer is replacing them under warranty. i have approximately 54,000 miles on the vehicle. these lower ball joints were replaced under a recall shortly after i purchased the vehicle new. this is an ongoing problem with jeep liberty's (see www.lostkjs.com for many failure reports). *jb

While turning right at an intersection at about 5 miles per hour in my 2003 jeep liberty, i experienced a catastrophic failure of the lower ball joint on the right side. the ball joint dropped and the bolt at the bottom of the ball joint struck and severely dug into the alloy wheel. this all took place at traveling about 5 miles per hour and traveling only about 20 feet. i just had the vehicle towed to a local repair facility for repair. no repairs have yet been made. *nm

I have experienced the same problem with my 2003 jeep liberty as described in ea06008. the front right ball joint was repaired pursuant to the recall in 2004 (03v-460). shortly after the recall i observed unusual noises and grinding sensations in the front suspension, so i returned the vehicle to the authorized dealer that had conducted the recall repair. they determined that a heat shield had been installed incorrectly, and adjusted it. approximately 6 months later (august 2004) the noises returned more severely, and a different authorized jeep dealer determined that the front right ball joint had to be replaced, at significant cost to me. most recently, the right front ball joint completely failed just a couple weeks ago (june 2006). this time the right front wheel became completely detached from the steering control bar, resulting in over $3000 in repair costs. luckily, my pregnant wife was driving only 3 mph in a small alley when this occurred. had it occurred at higher speeds, there surely could have been far more tragic consequences. *jb

Lower ball joint failed while i was in williamsburg. broken ball joint also punctured the driver's side tire while resting up against it. had to have my jeep liberty towed to the dealership and then had to pay to be transported to the richmond airport to rent a car since everything was closed in williamsburg at 3:30 on a saturday afternoon. jeep was repaired the following week with a suggestion to fix the upper ball joint soon since it also had some 'play' in it. while having the upper ball joint replaced locally, mechanic had to replace the upper ball joint on the passenger side as well since it looked just as bad. he suggested replacing the lower ball joint on the passenger side as well within the next month to avoid an accident. both upper ball joints were left to me. the lower ball joint that had failed on the driver's side was retained by the chrysler dealership in williamsburg, virginia. *nm

1, i had my 2003 jeep liberty inspected for steering tightness and noise on 05/24/06 and inquired about the lower ball joint and control arm recall. mann chryser dodge jeep did the inspection and said the recall had been performed prior to me owning (i was 1st owner, demo vehicle) and couldn't find any problem with the steering. 2, i was pulling out of my driveway onto the street on 06/17/06 and the lower right ball joint broke and the wheel fell off the vehicle. 3, the jeep was towed back to mann chrysler that day and they acknowledged the failure was due to the recall. the lower ball "joints" where replaced along with the right front wheel (damaged when it came loose) and also repaired some minor damage to the right front fender molding at no charge. *jb

Front end felt loose on the right side and when braking there was heavy clunking noise. found a recall notice online and called my dealer. i was told to bring it in and have it checked. the dealer replaced the lower ball joints on both side stating that the right side was ready to break at any moment. the dealer also installed a heat shield between the front rotors and the ball joints. this was at approximately 32,000 miles. steering felt tight again and the clunk noise was gone. then at approximately 43,000 miles, the noise returned and again the steering felt loose on the right side. this time i bought an after market replacement part that is sold as a problem solver to replace the defective ball joint. these were installed by a non-dealer shop at approximately 45,000 miles. noise and loose feeling in the steering has went away. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while getting new tires the tire dealer noticed the lower ball joints needed to be replaced. the dealer was alerted. there is a nhtsa recall, # 03v460000, regarding the front lower ball joint. the vin was not included in the recall.

Tl* - the contact received a recall letter (f23) for his 200s jeep liberty. he called the dealership and was told that they only get 3 replacement parts a day and that there are 30 people ahead of him. when asked if he has experienced any failures, he stated that the tire fell off back in june. he was going 5 mph as he was exiting the interstate. the dealership replaced tire free of charge. he does not have repair order

2003 liberty ball joint separated. *ts the lower ball joints were replaced previously at 16,000. the upper ball joints also needed to be replaced. *jb

I've been having my dealership check the lower ball joints when it gets serviced. at my 60k service they let me know my lbj's will need to be replaced. after talking with them and jeep through the 800 number, daimler-chrysler will not cover it under warranty. it was built six days after the cut off for the recall and it's past it's 36k miles and not included under warranty. seems like if older and newer kj's are still having the same part fail, they should be responsible and cover the repair. i believe they are not going to really correct this until someone gets killed and they are forced to for publicity and legal reasons. *nm

Driving in far left hand lane on nj tpke at 65 mph. suddenly felt car lurch forward to the right, hit the ground, tire blew out & began to fight to maintain control of vehicle. traffic was incredibly heavy, due to mother's day weekend. because of my training as a police officer for the past 28 years, i took my foot off the accelerator, held the wheel tightly and was able to keep control of the vehicle and skid for approx. 1/4 mile across 3 lanes to the roadside. the vehicle was spewing sparks, which caused others to slow behind us and avoid a collision. i still cannot believe the vehicle did not flip & kill both of us. according to the dealership where it was towed, i suffered total ball joint failure on the right front & near failure of the left ball joint. fyi, the tires were fairly new--michelin tires with 8,000 miles on them. the vehicle is still under review to see if repair is possible due to the extensive damage. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated recall #03v460000 concerning the lower ball joint was performed on the vehicle on 01/14/04. yesterday while pulling into the garage, the contact heard a popping sound. the contact exited the vehicle and noticed the upper ball joint was detached. there are several complaints noted on the internet regarding problems with the upper ball joints. there were no problems with the vehicle prior to the incident. the vehicle was towed to the nearest service dealership where the vehicle is awaiting inspection. updated 7/3/2006 - *nm

On 5/5/06 i had a lower left ball joint separate from my 2003 jeep liberty renegade. thankfully this happened while making a left turn into my parking lot at work after lunch. had it happened anywhere else i would not be here today to write this complaint. i have been made aware of a recall for 2002 - 2003 liberties and i understand that the recall dates ended two weeks before my build date. i am getting no support what-so-ever from chrysler even though it is perfectly obvious this is a major fault of theirs. *nm

2003 jeep liberty ball joint broke and the wheel fell off while driving. recall on the ball joints was issued and dealer refuses to help the consumer. *kb the consumer stated she never received a recall notice. *jb the vehicle was sold with unremedied lower ball joint recall 03v-460. the current owner was never notified of the recall but the letter was sent to the previous owner on 12/15/2003. *nm

The car was inspected for ball joint problems (recall) @ 20,000 miles, the dealer said all was good and the work order states that the recall was performed. at 56,000 miles i was leaving turning around in my neighbors driveway when the lower ball joint on the passenger side broke, totally separated. there was no little warning before the joint broke. when the joint broke the suspension gouged the inside of the rim deeply. the car was towed to the dealer. i have yet to speak to them (this just happened and they are closed); however, i anticipate collateral damage to other suspension/steering components as well. *nm

2003 jeep liberty ball joint broke off and axle separated from the vehicle, and the wheel fell off. consumer was not notified of the recall. *kb *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while making a 90 degree turn driving 15 mph on wet road conditions, control of the vehicle was lost. there was a nhtsa recall, #06v288000, regarding the front lower ball joint. the parts needed to repair the vehicle were not available at the local dealership. the manufacturer confirmed the parts were not available.

Upper and lower ball joints have gone bad after only 31k miles on jeep liberty. i talked to the service manager at outten jeep and he informed me it was not covered. i feel this is a danagerous and premature failure of this part and should be covered by warrentiejust for safety alone i. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while turning the steering wheel at various speeds there was a grinding noise in the front end. the dealership determined both front lower ball joints needed to be replaced. there was nhtsa recall # 03v460000 regarding the lower ball joint. however, the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. updated 05/30/06. *ak

2003 liberty sport- lower ball joints were replaced due to recall notice. i took the vehicle to a dealer at 24,000 miles with a complaint of ball joint wear. the dealer improperly inspected the ball joints for wear and said there is no wear and they are within spec. also, at the same time inspected the vehicle and passed it. approximately 5000 miles later, after several inspections of the ball joints by myself in the way they specified resulting in no play, the lower ball joint failed and separated. the vehicle crashed to the ground grinding the cv shaft into the ground. the vehicle was towed from the travel lane to the nearest garage. i am looking for input on what my next step should be. i have since called several dodge/jeep dealers and inquired about the procedure to inspect the ball joints and each do it incorrectly. one technician offer to look it up in the jeep liberty service manual and explained the proper way to me. sounds like gross negligence to me....*jb

Lower ball joint failure - 2003 jeep liberty the lower ball joint recall was performed on the 2003 jeep liberty at approximately 11,000 miles. at 39,000 miles the lower ball joints where reported to need replacement by a local mechanic during routine maintenance. the jeep was then taken to a chrysler dealership who conferred the lower ball joints need to be replaced. since the 3/36,000 mile warranty had expired the dealership contacted chrysler for approval to re-open the recall and replace the ball joint. chrysler denied the claim to re-open the recall and replace the ball joints. the ball joints where then replaced at approximately 40,000 miles by a private mechanic which resulted in out of pocket expenses on a recalled item. *jb

2003 jeep liberty left front ball joint failure. *nm

Ball joint failure on left front end. wheel separated when exiting parking lot. towed to dealer for repairs. my 2003 liberty was not part of the recall group. *jb

2003 jeep liberty, 34k miles (never off-road), left front lower ball joint failure. failure @ 20 mph. no injury but lucky not faster speed. kids in back scared. rim split, tire blown. wrecker to return to dealership. two associates with similar model (early 2003 liberty) have now had joints checked last week and both needed rt. & lt. lower ball joints replaced. potentially catastrophic defect!! *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chrysler jeep liberty. the contact received recall #06v288000 and, since december of 2006, has been on a waiting list to have the lower ball joint replaced. the contact had not experienced any malfunctions with the vehicle at this time. the current and failure mileage were 23,000. *ak

The car was inspected for ball joint problems (recall) @ 18,000 miles, the dealer said all was good. at 63,000 miles i was leaving a stop sign when the lower ball joint on the passenger side broke, totally separated. there was little warning before the joint broke. the car from time to time would feel odd (pulling to one side) slightly but this was intermittent. i never imagined that a ball joint was about to fail. when the joint broke the suspension gouged the inside of the rim deeply and bent the drive shaft against the suspension. the dealer has approved replacing the ball joints (both lowers) but is refusing to replace the wheel or the drive shaft at this time. the ball joints they refuse to give to us. *nm

Tl*- the contact received a recall notice on lower ball joint rec on the 2003 jeep liberty with 36158 current mileage. the vehicle was repaired, but the dealer discovered that the right knuckle that held the ball joint was worn. the dealer would not replace the knuckle because it was not a part of the recall. the contact complained that the recall did not cover the entire problem. **ak the problem was determined to be the lowert ball joint. updated 04/12/07. *jb

2003 liberty upper ball joint failed. the polymer bushings and seal failed to maintain lubrication. *ts *nm ***nar***

Right upper ball joint on 2003 jeep liberty failed due to defective polymer bushing and grease seal. noticed in a parking lot. *nm

Driving my 2003 jeep liberty freedom edition down a very steep gravel driveway. all of a sudden the entire car hit the bottom of the drive with a big crash. i was unable to steer and went part way into the road. had to move the car back to bottom of driveway as to not cause an accident in the middle of a mountain road. oil was leaking and when i tried to drive the car to the end of driveway, metal shavings were coming from the bottom of the vehicle. it was impossible to turn the wheel more than about 1" at a time. the entire fender on the passenger side popped off also. my back, neck and knee were hurt as result of the car crashing to the ground. had vehicle towed to jeep dealer, where i was told all parts would be replaced. the front ball joint had totally separated causing this very dangerous problem. when i had first bought the car used in april of 2005, i heard about the ball joint recall on the 2003 jeep liberty's. when i called daimler chrysler to ask about this, they told me the vin on my car was not in the recall. however, the problem i had with this car was the exact same one that the jeep liberty's were recalled for. obviously they have not fixed this problem. the manufacturer recall center was of no help with any answers and seemed totally unconcerned as i am still covered by the bumper to bumper(original) manufacturers warranty(only 26,000 miles on the car), and " it wont cost you anything to have it fixed". and was told "there is nothing we can do if it wasn't in the recalled vehicles".*jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 10 mph the bottom of the vehicle hit the ground. there is a nhtsa recall, # 03v460000, regarding the suspension front control arm lower ball joint. the vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the vin.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph on the interstate, the contact's spouse lost control of the vehicle. while going up a hill, the vehicle veered to the left and the vehicle went out of control. the spouse was unable to steer the vehicle and hit a guard rail. there were injuries sustained and a police report was taken. an independent mechanic determined all of the damage was noted on the left side where the lower ball joint was located. the vehicle was due for an inspection and the contact noticed the left tire was wearing prematurely. the independent mechanic noted the ball joint on the right side was bad and ready to come loose. there was a nhtsa recall, #06v288000, regarding the suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. updated 11/06/06. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated there was difficulty steering the vehicle followed by a rubbing noise from the steering compartment while turning. the vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop. the repair shop personnel replaced the left front upper ball joint. this repair remedied the problem.