Jeep Liberty is a cool-looking vehicle that has been off the market for the last three years. You never know all the reasoning behind why these decisions are made. But these vehicles, many of which were made in Egypt and Venezuela, have had many problems that owners were still experiencing in 2017.
The big recall Chrysler announced in 2007 was for over 800,000 Jeep Liberty sport utility vehicles because of the potential loss of steering control. This recall occurred after Chrysler received 111 complaints about this problem. Chrysler admitted three reports of injuries from auto accidents because of the defect. In the complaints that have been made, the ball joint failed, dropping the vehicle’s front end onto one or both of the front tires.
Many personal injury lawyers are discussing this recall because it affects many vehicles. These lawyers are gearing up for claims that the steering ball joint in the Jeep Liberty has caused auto accidents that could have been prevented. I suspect, however, that the number of car accidents from this recall will be very low. But in rare cases where a severe car accident is caused by this defect, I am sure Chrysler will seek to resolve those accident cases with the plaintiffs’ attorneys quickly.
2012-2014 Air Bag Recalls
In 2012, front airbag problems led to nearly one million Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty recalls. The problem was that these airbags could go off without an actual, ah, accident. So Chrysler fixed the problem. We thought. But in June 2014, there were recent reports that the feds received reports of inadvertent activation on vehicles that had already been fixed in the recall. If you own one of these vehicles, which, I grant you, are older Jeeps (2002-2003), you must be going a little crazy.
2013 Fuel Tank Recall
In 2013, Jeep Liberty vehicles were recalled by Chrysler because its fuel tanks put occupants at risk in a rear-impact collision. The risk is that the fuel tanks in these jeeps were at risk of breaking in even low-speed rear-end collisions. If you have ever watched a few action movies, you know the risk here: fire and explosion.
It was not easy to get Chrysler to issue this recall. Initially, the carmaker thumbed its nose at NHTSA’s request that Chrysler recall 2.7 million Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty vehicles because of fuel tank defects. NHTSA told Chrysler point-blank that the placement and stability of the fuel tanks in 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty vehicles had fatal flaws in both design and performance. Chrysler balked although, as the NHTSA letter said, there were at least 32 deaths from rear-impact fire crashes involving Grand Cherokees, resulting in 44 deaths, and another 5 accidents involving the Liberty that led to 7 deaths.
How could Chrysler be so dumb? Well, they are not dumb. There is a method to the madness, albeit one that puts sales over safety. Because they put the tank behind the rear axle, they can put off-road hardware between the vehicle’s axles. It makes for a better Jeep in every way except safety. When the federal government stepped in and said, “Hey, this is unsafe”, Chrysler responded, “No, it is not.” It is like trying to win an argument with your parent.
But here is the crazy thing. This recall was not complete until the summer of 2014 when Chrysler sent out approximately 2.5 million recall notices. Pretty incredible!
Look, when it comes to these things, we all know that every motor vehicle is a compromise. Safety is just one component. Some cars are safer than others, and everyone accepts this. But at some point, the risk gets to where the federal government and eventually consumers say ENOUGH ALREADY – KEEP US SAFE!.
Jeep Liberty Recall History
The Jeep Liberty has been involved in many recalls over the years. Let’s look at a more complete list of the recalls.
- In 2003, over 200,000 Jeep Liberty vehicles were recalled due to a potential issue with the front suspension that could cause the vehicle to lose control.
- In 2006, over 800,000 Jeep Liberty vehicles were recalled due to a potential issue with the rear suspension that could cause the vehicle to experience a sudden loss of control.
- In 2012, over 400,000 Jeep Liberty vehicles were recalled due to a potential issue with the lower control arm that could cause the vehicle to experience a loss of control.
- In 2013, over 200,000 Jeep Liberty vehicles were recalled due to a potential issue with the airbag system that could cause the airbags to deploy without warning or fail to deploy in a crash.
- In 2018, over 230,000 Jeep Liberty vehicles were recalled due to a potential issue with the rear suspension that could cause the vehicle to experience a sudden loss of control.
Share Your Experience with the Rest of Us
Below, many Jeep Liberty and Jeep Cherokee owners have shared their thoughts. Tell us about your experiences with your jeep in the comments below. Knowledge will always be power.