Problems with 2005 Jeep Liberty SUSPENSION

I was traveling 70 mph on the freeway when i very slightly let off the accelerator as i came over a bridge. at that point, part of the jeep wanted to go straight and the other part wanted to go off the road. it truly felt like the jeep was going to roll. i slowed down and managed to keep it going straight until i could safely pull off the freeway. had it towed to my dealer who informed me that the left rear lateral arm connecting axle to the frame rusted through and became disconnected. they also said that the right lateral arm is close to rusting though as well. although the lateral arms were on backorder from chrysler, the dealer managed to find one from another dealer and replaced the left arm. we agreed to order the right lateral arm and replace it before it too becomes disconnected. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. while traveling 15 mph, the contact drove over a road bump and noticed that the rear end of the vehicle would not remain stable. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the rear lower control arms were replaced. the current and the failure mileages were 141,000.....updated 03/28/12 *bf updated 04/13/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle began to wobble. the contact also heard a snapping noise from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was then towed to the dealer for a diagnostic test. the technician stated that the rear lower control arm fractured due to corrosion. there was an investigation open under nhtsa action number ea11013 (suspension:rear), that may be related to the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 123,000.

Was driving about 35 mph during rush hour when i heard a loud noise, followed by a grinding noise from the rear of the vehicle. noise went away and i picked up speed returning to about 35 when vehicle lost all control of back tires. fishtailed as if i was slipping on an ice patch. was able to pull over without hitting anything but was very close to the car in the left lane. mechanic told me the right trailer arm was completely rusted through and snapped. left trailer arm also showed signs of corrosion and is very weak. was about 2 miles from getting on the highway during rush hour. could have been much caused an accident. *tr

Right rear lower control arm rotted out and fractured. vehicle becomes almost impossible to control. upon inspection, the left lower control arm was so thin a screwdriver could be pushed through the metal with little effort. the control arm was visibly sound to naked eye but rotted from inside out. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for unrelated repairs and they detected that the front upper control arm, lower and upper ball joints would need to be replaced. the failure resulted in the inner tread belts on both front tires wearing prematurely. the vehicle was repaired with the replacement of four tires. six months later, the tires exhibited the identical tread wear failure. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number 06v288000 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint); however the part was on national back order and the dealer was unable to provide an estimation on when the part would become available. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

Severe corrosion on drivers side rear lower control arm corroded from inside out potentially dangerous condition. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle started to jerk violently causing the driver to loose control of the vehicle. as a result, the vehicle rolled over several times. the contact mentioned that none of the air bags deployed and no warning lights were illuminated. a police report was filed and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and the current mileages were unknown.

At approximately 0520 a.m. on january 23, 2012 i was traveling north on west virginia route 26 just outside of kingwood, west virginia on my way to work. i was descending a hill around several sharp turns at a rate of speed approximately 30 mph on dry bumpy pavement. without warning i felt a vibration which seemed to originate in the rear of my 2005 jeep liberty. several seconds later a hard thump was felt underneath the floor boards accompanied by a metal scraping noise. i immediately began applying the brakes to stop the car to investigate but before i could bring the vehicle to a complete halt the rear of the car began to come around toward the front of the suv from the right. once i got the car completely stopped i put it into park, applied my emergency brake, turned on my hazard lights and then got out to investigate the situation. as i examined the back of the vehicle i noticed that the right rear wheel was out of alignment almost touching the back of the wheel well. i then shined my flashlight underneath of the car and saw the front end of the drive shaft lying on the street. i coasted my car into a nearby driveway to get it off of the street. i had my vehicle towed to the nearest jeep dealership for repair. diagnosis: right hand rear control arm failure due to excessive erosion/rusting. i had the failed part replaced and as a precaution i had the left hand control arm replaced as well. both old parts are available for inspection. i purchased my jeep new in wisconsin in 2005 and i moved to west virginia in 2010. *tr

While driving to my workplace, i noticed my jeep swaying on the road, which i first attributed to icy road conditions. however, when i stopped the vehicle i saw that my rear control arms were severely rusted, with the left rear arm almost sheared through with rust. i was able to nurse the jeep liberty two miles to a safe parking place with my flashers on and driving about 10 mph. thankfully i was on back country roads and not driving at higher speeds! who knows what might have occurred if i had been driving at highway speeds? hopefully, i can be compensated by chrysler corporation for the cost of my repairs and towing. i find it unfathomable that such critical components would rust through on a vehicle with 70,000 miles. *tr

While making a left turn, the vehicle was felt to slip causing a momentary loss of control. on inspection, found the left rear lower control arm was rusted through along the length of the arm on the outer and inner sides. this allowed the arm to buckle. the right rear lower control arm was rusted similarly and in imminent danger of failing.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while coming to a stop, the rear passenger side tired seized without warning. the contact stated that the vehicle felt as if someone had crashed into the vehicle. after inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the passenger side rear lower control arm was fractured as a result of excessive corrosion. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 145,000.

Rear lower control arms rusted away on both driver and passenger side on vehicle. vehicle unsafe to drive until control arms were replaced. control arms replaced at a cost of $360.00 dollars. *tr

In backing out the driveway, the rear axle separated from the frame on the right side. the right rear control arm is completely rusted through and broke. there are signs that the left rear control arm is rusted through and about to fail also. i am lucky that i was not on the road yet. *tr

I had just pulled off of the highway and had stopped. i pulled on to the city street when i heard a noise. i at first thought i had a flat tire. and when i was trying to pull off to a side street my jeep had started to slide sideway into the other lane. i could not control the jeep. i felt like i was sliding on something. thank goodness no one was next to me or coming in the other lane or i would have caused an accident. i got my jeep stopped and then made my way back into the other lane and turned down a side street to get out of the way. when i got out i looked on the passenger side looking for a flat. but no flat. i could see that the rear tire was slide back close to the under side of the wheel well. i could see that something had broke. i called my husband and when he got there and looked under he could see that the rear trailing arms had both broke. that they were rusted through. we had to have the jeep towed to a dealer that was close by. they had verified that they had rusted through. in all the years that i have been driving i have never had this happen to me before. i was just very thankful that i had gotten off the highway before this broke. i know that if this would have happened at a much higher speed i could have cause a terrible wreck. i can not believe after seeing all of these complaint for the exact same thing that there has not been a recall. how can a manufacturer of cars let something like this continue. the day this happened was a clear dry day. to have this happen i could have seriously hurt myself or some other people. what are they waiting for. some one to be killed. *tr

The rear control arm completely rusted through and broke as i was driving on a 2 lane highway. i lost control of the jeep, luckily there were no other cars around so i was able to avoid a crash. the other arm is almost rusted through as well. this is not normal wear and tear. the corrosion is excessive! the jeep has not been used for snow plowing or anything like that. there is no rust anywhere else on the car just the rear control arms. *tr

While driving over a speed bump in a parking lot, heard a loud thunk. while driving home afterward, observed that the vehicle wasn't steering straight and swayed badly when applying brakes. inspection revealed that the right rear lower suspension control arm has rusted through, and split in two lengthwise. had this happened while traveling at highway speed i could easily have lost control of the vehicle. the dealer service department says this does not fall under the vehicle rust warranty. *tr

I was on my way home from my job early and i had noticed a funny grinding sound when i pulled out of my parking space. i got out, checked around the truck and saw nothing. i then drove home about 7 miles from my house my car had began going right then left and i was unable to steer it at all. i was fortunate that i was not going fast and i was able to stop and pull into a parking lot. i would have crashed if this had happened minutes before when i was on the interstate. i had my car towed to the nearest garage and learned that the rear suspension control arms had both completely rusted through and the only thing keeping my jeeps rear end together was a sway bar. the mechanic says he had never seen anything like it. i have contacted chrysler also. i purchased the car in connecticut. *tr

While driving approximately 30-35 mph down road, weather conditions dry, sunny, temperature 55 degrees. heard something snap/break, lost control of car, swerved into oncoming lane. pulled into parking lot and noticed something broke on rear passenger side of car. called local car dealer, car was towed and right rear control arm was broken. argued with dealer because it was very noticeable that it was rusted right through. had nys inspection done on september 15, 2011 and was never told that something was wrong. after having it repaired, dealer never notified me that the driver side was also rusted. took it to a repair shop the following week and also had that one replaced. i told both repair facilities that i wanted the faulty parts back. after researching for information, realized there is a nhtsa action number of ea11013 that is exactly the same thing that happened to me. i do have pictures of the parts - both the broken one and the one i had replaced if you would like them. *tr

The rear control arm of our 2005 jeep liberty corroded and broke in half while i was driving in a parking lot going about 10 miles per hour. *kb

While driving on a private street, heard a "pop" near the back of vehicle. i stopped and checked to see if i had a flat, as the car was swerving as if i had a flat tire. however, upon inspection, tire was fully inflated but it was rubbing the back of the wheel well. the wheel was off-center and the vehicle itself was lower to the wheel. i proceeded to pull into my driveway. after viewing underneath the vehicle, noticed the rusted broken arm of the suspension system (left rear). the other side is rusted and cracked as well (right rear). fortunately i was traveling in a subdivision at a slow rate of speed. otherwise i feel had i been on a busier highway at higher rate of speed, may have lost control as the car was swerving while i was only doing 20mph and under. *tr

My jeep is making winding and grinding noises. i thought that it was the ball joints which chrysler eventually agreed to replace since it is considered a repeat recall for them but the noise, vibration and shimmy in the steering has persisted and the service dept. at the dealer informed me that i also need control arms and sway bar links. the service rep told me that it was not considered to be normal wear and tear. i contacted chrysler and the person assigned to my case told me he would get back to me to follow up. days later when i finally tracked him down in between his breaks and phone calls he told me that the dealer told him that it was just normal wear and tear. i haven't taken my car off road and it hasn't been in the snow or on salty roads. the last time that i tried to reach him i was told that he did not work on wednesdays. still no response from chrysler from anyone regarding whether or not its a safety concern that they will cover or assist with. i updated my case with the info that i would add to your ongoing investigation if i did not receive an update regarding assistance from them. the jeep is 5 yrs. old and is still making a horrible noise on the front driver's side and i cannot get a response of any kind from chrysler. i have a power train warranty in effect until the end of november. please let me know if you can assist with expediting this matter with chrysler since i do not feel safe driving the jeep in this condition. originally, i was told by my case manager that everything including the control arms and sway bar links would be replaced along with the ball joints but now i'm being told that it was a miscommunication because its normal wear and tear. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I was informed that i would need to replace the ball joint suspension on my 2005 jeep liberty before it could pass inspection. when i called the chrysler recall hotline, the representative stated that they would not pay for repairs to the liberty b/c it was already repaired during the recall. but they were more than willing to help me find a dealership to where i would pay for the repair. this was from a faulty design, this is not from wear and tear that occurs when owning a vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, a loud noise was heard coming from the front end and he lost control of the vehicle. as a result, the vehicle swerved off the roadway. upon examination, the contact noticed that the front passenger wheel separated from the vehicle because the upper ball joint failed. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where it was in the process of having the failure diagnosed. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 129,000. updated 02/22/12

Loss of control: june 30, 2011, 05 jeep liberty. rusted through lower control arm on the left side. jeep flat bedded to dealer for repair and replacement. could have caused more damage if i had been on the freeway. *tr

I've had multiple window regulator failures (leaving my car open to theft and damage), seat belt broken, and air condition compressor, and rear axel problems. all issues happened shortly after the warranty expired. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear of the vehicle continuously swayed from side to side making it nearly impossible to control the vehicle. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear control arm and bushings needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 177,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, a clunking noise was heard coming from the rear. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics, where the mechanic stated that the drivers side trailing arm fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired six months later. after the repair was performed, the vehicle began to exhibit a clunking noise again while driving. the vehicle was stopped at the shoulder of the road and towed to an independent mechanic. the mechanic stated that the passenger side trailing arm fractured. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 83,000. updated 09/14/2011 *ln the trailing arm on the driver's side rusted completely in feb 2011 and the passenger side rusted six months later/ 12/13/11.. updated 04/11/12 *bf updated 04/23/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact lost control of the vehicle while driving 25 mph and crashed. the contact was told the cause of the crash was black ice, but the contact beleived that the crash was caused by a loss of control in the steering wheel. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the failure mileage was 101,000.

My wife and i were returning from vacation when without warning the car acted like it was going over a wash board surface for a few seconds and then came a loud bang and then no power. the vehicle pulled hard to the left briefly (we were in the passing lane). i struggled to get the car over to the right shoulder and shut it down. there was a trail of oil on the highway and it continued pour oi out of the engine after i stopped. prior to the incident, the car was running correctly and none of the warning lights on the instrument panel came on until after the event. the temperature gauge was at its usual twelve o'clock position. once off the road i opened the hood. there was oil all over the bottom of the engine. the serpentine belt and the tensioner pulley had been ripped off the engine. with a flashlight, i could see the front few inches of the front skidplate. the were fragments of metal on it along with oil. i checked the oil filter under the car and it was intact. the car was towed to gator chrysler-jeep in melbourne, fl. the car was examined on 11/30/2010 by the diesel tech who told us that he had never seen one of these engines fail like this. he also told us that he had spoken to a chrysler engineer and that engineer said much the same. the tech told us that he had found two holes in the front of the engine block and that the skidplate was covered with shrapnel from the engine. the tech also told us that the oil pan looked like someone had taken a shotgun to it. a dealer service writer showed me at least one of the other holes found toward the back of the block on the passenger side. i put in a claim with chrysler. it was rejected. they claim "insufficient lubrication". according to the service manager at gator, they did not open up the engine to see what really happened as chrysler would not authorize such activity. vehicle year: 2005 vehicle make: jeep liberty limited 4 x 4 ...

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact was driving 25 mph when the steering wheel started to shake and the contact crashed into a parked vehicle. no one was injured during the crash. the contact drove the vehicle home and later discovered that the front suspension was fractured. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the front suspension repaired. there had been no issues with the vehicle since the repair. the failure mileage was 25,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact was driving at an unknown speed when the lower ball joints began rubbing together and making an unusual clanking noise. the contact was able to locate a recall relative to the failure (nhtsa campaign id number: 06v288000 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint) but was informed by the dealer that repair was performed by the previous owner in 2006. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance and advised the contact to have the vehicle repaired at his expense. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 52,000 and the current mileage was approximately 53,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. while driving approximately 10 mph out of the driveway, the front passenger wheel and axle broke. the contact stated that it also punctured the radiator. the vehicle was towed to local repair facility. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that she was not the first owner of the vehicle and that the recall repairs had never been performed. she referenced nhtsa recall campaign id number: 06v288000, suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint. the manufacturer stated that they were not sure if they assist her with the repair cost. the failure and current mileages were 66,032.

My 2005 jeep liberty renegade 2wd has both front upper ball joints with signs of excessive wear. my car has never been off road and i have never hit anything that could cause such of abnormal wear. my car has 56000 miles and according to the mechanic it has been like this for a while. note that this car had the lower ball joint replaced do to a previous recall. *tr

2005 jeep liberty pop noise when make a turn. the car was fixed march 10,2007. i had other people look at it said ball joint replacement. i believe it was fixed with a defective part. dodge said 67.00 just to look at it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. while driving approximately 20 mph proceeding to make a turn, the vehicle loss control without any warning. the contact was able to regain control and continue driving. the failure occurred sporadically. the vehicle was not repaired. there was a nhtsa recall campaign id number 12v085000 (suspension:rear); however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

On monday night, at around 8:30pm, i was driving back home at approximately 15 mph, taking a left, and from the inside of the car, my friend and i heard a loud pop noise, then some loud grinding noise after. i quickly shifted the car to park, jumped out of the car thinking that i had a flat tire. the tires were intact. my car refused to budge, even after the police came and we had put the car in neutral, and tried to push it out of the middle of an intersection of two roads. the car refused to budge. right after the getting out of the car, i noticed that there the car had begun to leak from under the hood onto the ground. i had to call triple a to get the car towed to the nearest dealership - grava jeep dealership - and the next day, the service department at the dealership called and said that it was the lower ball joints - which was a safety recall for the jeep liberty '05, and because the lower ball joints had separated, it had caused rim damage to the car, making it unsafe to drive with - as it would damage and deflate my tire. the power steering line was also found to be leaking, of which i had never had issues with until the ball joint had separated, and the car was attempted to be moved to safety (that was when we saw the large puddle of liquid dripping out of the car). grava dealership has agreed to replace the lower ball joints under warranty, but they would not cover the damage to the rim or the power steering, although the lower ball joint caused the damage to the rim when it broke apart, and said because it was only a possibility that the lower ball joint could have caused stress to the power steering, and isn't definite, i would have to cover the entire costs. i called the reimbursement department of chrysler explaining the situation and they kept transferring me to supervisors, senior staff, other customer representatives, until finally today - 12/16 - i called 2 more times, and was told that they would only cover 25% of the rim damage. *tr

2005 jeep liberty recall for lower ball joints. consumer states that she could never get an appointment with any jeep dealer to fix the vehicle for this recall and the wait was three to six months. *nj the consumer stated as she was making a left hand turn, the ball joints broke and the vehicle became difficult to drive. due to the way the ball joints broke, it landed on the rim of the tire and damaged the rim in the process. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for repair. the technician inspected the vehicle and noticed corrosion in the front upper ball joints. the vehicle was not repaired at that time; however, the lower front ball joints were replaced eight months ago according to nhtsa campaign id number 06v288000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 77,000 and current mileage was 78,000. updated 01/07/09. *lj updated 01/08/09. *jb

Normal highway to semi-hard off-road driving in wyoming. destroyed 2 sets of upper ball joint/upper control arm assemblies within 45,000 miles. no serious damages yet but scary, still. $400 for parts each time, quoted $359 for labor. did labor myself, both times. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact heard a noise in the front end of her vehicle, which sounded like a helicopter on the passenger side. she took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the lower ball joints were defective. the dealer replaced the ball joints according to nhtsa campaign id number 06v288000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint), of which the contact had no knowledge. as a result, the two front tires were damaged due to the defective ball joints; however, the dealer refused to make the replacement. the manufacturer also stated that they would not replace the tires. the vin was unknown. the current mileage was approximately 31,000 and failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle swerved to the left and right. while driving highway speed at approximately 55 to 60 mph the vehicle also became uncontrollable. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic test that determined the failure was located in the rear lower control bushing. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 55,000 and the current mileage was 78,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. while driving 35 mph, the ball joints separated when she depressed the brakes. as a result, the tire smashed into the fender, which caused a crash. there is a recall for the suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint (nhtsa campaign id 06v288000) however, the contact stated that she did not receive a recall notice. the current and failure mileages were 64,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 06v288000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the dealer was called numerous times since april of 2007 regarding this recall. the dealer stated that the part was unavailable and did not provide a time frame for when it would become available. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 30,450.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact received a recall notice regarding the lower ball joints. at 16,703 miles, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. after the ball joints were replaced, he was not informed that the alignment was not performed. four months after the replacement, he noticed that the tires were worn due to the alignment not being performed. the vehicle had 19,500 miles at that time. the contact called the dealer to demand a free alignment, but was informed that he would be responsible for the charges. the transmission type and recall number were unknown. the current mileage was 19,500 and failure mileage was 16,703.

A letter was sent to me from chrysler concerning "safety recall f23 lower ball joints". i have contacted chrysler several times and nothing has been done to assist me in resolving this "potential "life threatening" defect on my vehicle. *jb

Received safety recall f-23 lower ball joints the week of 08-13-07, made appt for repairs on 08-23-07; while driving home on 08-21 in rainy conditions i was unable to steer my 2005 jeep liberty & struck a guardrail,damaging my front bumper, fortunately i was driving under 20 mph. i called chrysler when i arrived home on the 21st & i still have not had a call back from the to advise me if they will pay the $600.00 repair bill that i have for the damage to my front bumper. chrysler associates advised me they are waiting to talk to the local dealer that replace the ball joints. i was also told that all of the information between the dealer & chrysler are proprietary and therefore would not be disclosed to me. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. while attempting to make a right turn at 25 mph, the steering wheel locked. the contact lost control and the vehicle proceeded onto the other side of the road, where it crashed into an idle vehicle. the weather conditions were rainy. there were no injuries. one week prior to the crash, the contact stated that the vehicle felt strange, but assumed that it was due to the rain. she received a recall notice for the lower ball joints the day after the crash. the vehicle is unable to be driven and is parked at her residence. police report number 10060304 was filed. the powertrain and recall number were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 41,802.

Our 2005 jeep liberty limited crd has had the lower front suspension ball joints replaced as part of the vehicle's recall notice. at approximately 30,000 miles, we went to an independent tire shop for an alignment due to poor tire wear and "wandering" characteristics when driving at highway speeds. the tire shop indicated that the vehicle had a defective upper ball joint and could replace the failed unit with permission from the dealer. the dealer, medved jeep, denied the claim. we took the vehicle to medved who then claimed that the upper ball joints were not defective. at approximately 37,000 miles the vehicle had a higher frequency of front end clunking, so i took it back to medved who then claimed the noise was only an extraneous battery loose under the seat. at approximately 43,000 miles, the clunking had become disturbingly frequent and more severe. i took it back to medved and they now confirm that it's a faulty upper ball joint. however, they claim no responsibility for not correcting the problem at 30,000 miles or 37,000 miles. they refused to replace the defective part, and furthermore, called in a chrysler inspector who reported that our 1-1/2" lift kit caused the problems with the ball joint. however, the boots on the ball joints are still intact and there is no visible evidence that indicates the cause of the ball joint failure (poor manufacturing versus lift kit). there has been no forensic evaluation of the failure. the upper ball joints on this vehicle have a "record" of failure per online forums. many failures are on vehicles without lift kits- pointing to likely underengineered component's on the part of jeep versus purely speculative conclusions that our 1-1/2" lift kit may have caused the failure. the lower ball joint engineering was faulty, and nhtsa should explore the related failures to the upper suspension ball joints. this is as potentially serious under catastrophic failure as the lower suspension ball joints. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep liberty. the contact received recall notice # 06v288000 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint). the dealer was unable to repair the vehicle due to the lack of replacement parts. the contact is on a long waiting list. there are no other local dealers. no failures have occurred at this time. the current mileage is 20,000 and failure mileage was inapplicable.