2005 Jeep Liberty Owner Complaints

i recieved the car from a private party and he stated no issues but since older car and now registration is due it states theres still an open recall is this vehicle still covered for it?

NHTSA ID

11726196

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

The ball joint broke while I was driving I lost all control of vehicle

NHTSA ID

11694634

Incident

Sep 8, 2025

The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle was shaking erratically. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transfer case and transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transfer case and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The contact researched NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V278000 (Suspension). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to submit the repair documents regarding the failure. In addition, the contact was informed that the replacement of the transfer case and the transmission replacement were not covered under the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11690719

Incident

Sep 22, 2025

Mileage

200,000 mi

Today 6/16/2025 I’m having trouble turning to the right and left leaving from a stop sign we checked to be sure power steering fluid is full and it is. The person who checked the power steering fluid level, said that there is rubber grommets under the hood with the suspension and staring that look like they are all decayed or dry rotted. I have not had a problem with it breaking yet, but I’m sure that’s coming. Not sure it’s safe to drive.

NHTSA ID

11667311

Incident

Jun 16, 2025

I was driving on a bridge and my ball joint broke. Blew a hole through my tire and my rim and the fender flare blew off. I had had that same ball joint replaced approximately two years prior maybe sooner. I got this Jeep in 2017 and I have replaced the driver side ball joint twice the passenger side ball joint once and the ball joints look bad again.

NHTSA ID

11667307

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

About 6 months ago the passenger side front end to hit the ground, just after going 60 miles an hour thankfully turning in daughter's driveway. Lower ball joint passenger side came apart. On Monday doing 35 mph the driver side hits the pavement hard! Luckily I ditched in a driveway on the left! The tire slammed into the fender well breaking the plastic there and the piece that goes back under the doors? Ball joint broke completely into? I'm on my third day of working in the rain alongside a road repairing this?

NHTSA ID

11566413

Incident

Jan 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle swerved to the left across three lanes of traffic and the contact turned the steering wheel to the right to prevent the vehicle from veering to the left. The contact then stopped on the shoulder of the highway. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the Police were on scene and determined that the vehicle could not be driven. The contact stated the Police Officer picked up the ball joint that had detached from the driver’s side front suspension of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 06V288000 (Suspension). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 225,000.

NHTSA ID

11561064

Incident

Dec 18, 2023

Mileage

225,000 mi

P235/70R16 The car was parked, when I left on the morning of July 14 to go to work, it had already exploded. I thought it was the excess heat but the strange thing was the separation that occurred.

NHTSA ID

11532507

Incident

Jul 14, 2023

While driving on a long trip, a burning smell was noticed. The heated seats had not been turned on, as they are rarely used & the indicator light for the heated seats was not on. When the driver stopped to inspect, the back of the seat had burned through the lumbar support pillow. The seat is severely charred and damaged through the inner foam layer of the seat. The seat will need to be replaced. The driver could have been seriously injured if the seat had caught fire. Jeep was notified, but expressed absolutely no concern & offered no assistance. An online review revealed that this is a known problem for Chrysler/Jeep (in particular Jeep Liberty) and there have been severe injuries. How many instances must occur before a safety recall occurs? We had no idea that this safety concern existed prior to our own experience.

NHTSA ID

11492431

Incident

Nov 4, 2022

Lower ball joints gave out on driver’s side while turning, snapping the wheel/tire from the car and dropping vehicle down abruptly. Dealership who fixed the lower control arm and hitch recalls, did not fix and said there was no Lower Ball Joint recall- which was a confirmed recall and lead to vehicle damage and safety hazard

NHTSA ID

11490828

Incident

Oct 25, 2022

The connection "bolt" { situated under the vehicle} between the transmission Shift lever and the rod responsible for actually shifting between park, neutral,, forward and reverse transmission gears completely` rusted away.( See attached picture) causing a complete disconnect rendering the gear shift lever useless. The component is available for inspection upon request? It was shear luck that I was in slow city driving when I realized that the vehicle was damaged and not drivable. Until a final repair is made the vehicle is "dead in the water" so to speak. If this failure occurred during a trip, in an isolated place, I would have been abandoned and helpless as soon as I stopped. The fact that the "bolt" situated under the chassis was made of metal that rusted is incomprehensible to me, especially in a vehicle that is sold as suitable for "rough riding" over rocky terrain, through streams and generally roughing it. Common sense dictates that this critical part should have been constructed of sturdier stuff , not metal that rusts. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I can't afford to have it repaired at this time. The vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

NHTSA ID

11481515

Incident

Aug 27, 2022

The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the suspension suddenly failed, causing the front end of the vehicle to drop down and the vehicle became undrivable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side lower ball joint had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

NHTSA ID

11454785

Incident

Feb 28, 2022

Mileage

157,000 mi

I have a 2005 Jeep liberty renegade, there was recall issued (N46 Trailer Hitch recall) I contacted Chrysler Customer Care. they sent me this, [XXX] Hello [XXX] Thank you for contacting Jeep Customer Care. We have received your email stating you are about to purchase this 2005 Jeep Liberty and understand your concern with a recall that has not been completed. We are happy to look into this for you. After review of the vehicle information we have found that the N46 Trailer Hitch recall has not been completed. Jeep attempts to perform recall repairs regardless of the vehicle age or the recall issue date. Any authorized dealership will be happy to repair the vehicle within the terms of the recall at no charge to you. Please contact us at [XXX] if you require additional assistance. Best wishes, [XXX] Jeep Customer Care I contacted Pine Belt of Lakewood NJ and got this response [XXX] Wed, Jan 19 at 1:13 PM We can not work on this vehicle at this time because we are not taking new customers . [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11448457

Incident

Jan 19, 2022

I was traveling on the highway at about 60 mph, hit a small bump in the highway and nearly lost total control. Pulled over and came to a complete stop. Re-entered the highway and nearly lost control even at a slower speed, 55mph.

NHTSA ID

11447418

Incident

Jan 13, 2022

Slowly crossed railroad tracks ball joint came disconnected forcing disconnection of the front drive shaft

NHTSA ID

11443559

Incident

Dec 13, 2021

The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the front driver’s side wheel detached from the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 06V288000 (Suspension). The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the same symptoms. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but was unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ID

11442020

Incident

Nov 8, 2021

Mileage

75,000 mi

I have a 2005 Jeep Liberty Sport. I was backing out of my driveway when I heard a crunching sound. I got out of the car and saw that the passenger side of my car was much lower than the driver's side. I noticed that their was windshield wiper fluid pouring out of the front end. Upon inspection, I noticed that the ball joint had snapped and the control arm was almost on the ground. Had I been able to get to the freeway as planned, I could have been seriously injured. I called to verify recall information and was informed that the ball joint recall issue had been resolved. However, with further investigation, it seems that this issue is happening after the repairs as well. I have attached pictures. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11440190

Incident

Nov 11, 2021

The rear window latch does not work. It will not open to latch the window closed with the back door. The window then opens when driving. I have a bungee cord holding my window closed. So anyone can enter my vehicle and it moves when I stop or go. I am ot able to use my back door due to having to redo it everytime. My driverside door also does not lock or unlock all the doors when I press the lock or unlock button. I have to open my door and shut off jeep and try numerous times for ot to work.

NHTSA ID

11439833

Incident

Apr 8, 2021

The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V278000 (Suspension) was completed. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, she heard abnormal sounds coming from the rear-end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000.

NHTSA ID

11438285

Incident

Jan 5, 2018

Mileage

9,000 mi

In the past 15 months (recently as last week) I've had to replace the ball joints in the front end. We are the original owner and have the same address when purchased. I see there was a recall notice but i was never informed. NHTSA Recall #06V288000. The repair on 9/210/21 repair was a total of $516.00. The repair in 6/2020 was $516.00 as well. Lower ball joint - $136 Upper control arm - $130 Labor - $250

NHTSA ID

11434548

Incident

Sep 19, 2021

Reversing out of a driveway went to turn wheel heard loud pop snap front passenger side went to ground fender popped lose discovered by tow that the lower ball joint had snapped and possible lower control arm

NHTSA ID

11433211

Incident

Sep 14, 2021

Right upper ball joint control arm collapsed while in the drive-through at McDonald's could not move the car turn it or do anything it completely collapsed on the front right side due to corrosion of the lower ball joint and then I know this has been recalled however my car is not under the recall and I don't understand why because it was the same exact issue it's a Jeep Liberty

NHTSA ID

11431081

Incident

Aug 20, 2021

Drivers side lower ball joint catastrophic failure with no warning signs evident except split boot(s). Separation/break from upper control arm, tie rod and steering assembly at low speed reverse. NHTSA Recall ID: 06V288000 (Daimler-Chrysler Notification Code: F23) of lower ball joints performed by Chrysler authorized dealer/repair station 2007. Dealer contacted two (2) weeks prior to incident to coordinate possible re-repair and/or consideration of faulty OEM parts used in original recall. Consumer stated gas smell around his car and inside. *JB

NHTSA ID

11429217

Incident

Aug 14, 2021

Mileage

193,000 mi

The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the steering wheel would shake with the vehicle wobbling. The contact stated that the vehicle was out of alignment. The contact informed the original owner of the failure, who then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ball joint was faulty, but only performed an alignment. The failure recurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure but did not diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The failure mileage was 98,500.

NHTSA ID

11422769

Incident

Jun 1, 2021

Mileage

98,500 mi

The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while reversing and making a left turn, the front driver’s side ball joint fractured and the lower control arm detached. The steering wheel also shook and jerked while driving approximately 50 mph. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was a recall repaired in 2006, for the ball joints. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.

NHTSA ID

11421252

Incident

Jun 16, 2021

Mileage

102,000 mi