10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
45,115 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Jeep Liberty engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Jeep Liberty Owner Comments

problem #20

Aug 012016

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 101,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. After coming to a stop, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. As a result the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The body damage was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000. Updated 07/18/17

- St. Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #19

Aug 062016

Liberty

  • miles
After taking my vehicle for recall on module issue I start to notice problem with my car every time I stop the car shut down or brake the car stop engine light came up took it back to the dealership crowley Chrysler in bristol ct I was charge for diagnostic inform the car needed speed sensor on rear differential it was replaced and one hour later the car turn oof when the brakes was applied I call service for the issue to get resolved I eas told if I bring my car in I would get charged again also service supervisor didn't want to communicate with me anout the issue I was on the highway almost crash with two kids in my vehicle

- Br5, CT, USA

problem #18

Jul 152013

Liberty

  • 137,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. While driving at various speeds, the speedometer became inoperable and the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the speedometer and rear center differential sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The contact mentioned that the speedometer sensor was replaced six times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 137,000.

- Lumberton, TX, USA

problem #17

Jul 152013

Liberty

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while driving various speeds, she approached a traffic stop signal and the vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward upon engaging the brake pedal. The vehicle failure was not diagnosed nor was it repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The failure mileage was unavailable.

- Flint, MI, USA

problem #16

Jun 012013

Liberty

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the brake pedal was depressed to however, the vehicle instead accelerated. The contact had to coast onto the road shoulder to bring the vehicle to stop, but the engine continued rev. The contact placed the gear in park and turned the engine off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who test drove the vehicle but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.

- Lafayette , IN, USA

problem #15

Aug 142013

Liberty 4WD 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. The contact was driving 15 mph and attempting a right turn when the vehicle began to accelerate without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle did not stop until he crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence and had not been repaired or diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000. Updated 10/17/13

- Plymouth , MN, USA

problem #14

Apr 262010

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 82,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While traveling on damp pavement in damp/misty (but not rainy) conditions, on a roadway with a moderate uphill slope and gradual left curve, the cruise control down-shifted from over-drive directly into 1st gear. The increased torque on the rear wheels/tires caused the car to lose rear wheel traction and the subsequent complete loss of control of the car. The Jeep Liberty spun around a total of 540 degrees and came to rest in a ditch off the opposite side of the road, some damage. This characteristic of the cruise control downshifting multiple gears has been confirmed on many other occasions in this model of car, nearly causing loss of control depending on roadway conditions.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #13

Nov 082011

Liberty

  • 65,000 miles
While stopped at a stop light my Jeep Liberty unexpectedly accelerated while my foot was on the brake.

- Bend, OR, USA

problem #12

May 122007

Liberty 6-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. While traveling 25 mph and attempting to apply the brakes, the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly surged forward. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle using the brakes. The throttle sensor was replaced three times but the failure continued. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000 and the current mileage was approximately 88,000. Updated 01/11/2011 updated 03/30/11

- Rocky Mount, VA, USA

problem #11

Mar 032008

Liberty

  • 26,800 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Liberty. The contact experienced unintended acceleration while his foot was on the brakes. He engaged the brake pedal so hard that the rear brake caliper was smoking and the back tires were also spinning before the vehicle would stop. The failure has occurred for two years. The vehicle was diagnosed by four dealers. None of the dealers could duplicate the failure which made it impossible for them to repair it. The Jeep manufacturer was called and each time they gave him a different claim number. The failure mileage was 26,800.

- Winchester, KY, USA

problem #10

Oct 202005

Liberty

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While traveling rt. 36 about 10 miles South of roaring springs, pa my 2003 Jeep Liberty suddenly accelerated and I had no braking control. I swerved across the 2 lane highway onto the berm, for fear of hitting oncoming traffic. I lost all steering control that I later found to be a broken tie rod on the right front. The vehicle continued in a circular manner at an excessive speed and with two feet pressing on the brake. I could not stop. Eventually the vehicle went over a stone embankment and fell about 15 feet and finally came to rest on a plateau just above a creekbed. Because of a multiplicity of very large stones, every panel of the Jeep Liberty was severely, with one exception and that was the roof. My wife and I were seriously and hurt and transported by ambulance the closest trauma center, the altoona hospital. My wife was diagnosed with a broken back and I was intensive care. The state police interviewed me over the phone while I was in the hospital and because of the unexplained nature of the accident, decided to write me up for excessive speed. They also charged me two points on my license. The car was totaled by a usaa authorized appraiser. I never contacted you, but I did contact usaa and told them something suspicious happened to that vehicle. The great publicity of the runaway Toyota made me recall this incident.

- Indiana, PA, USA

problem #9

Jun 032008

Liberty

  • 60,000 miles
Transmission hesitates / lurches randomly. Car stalls out, increasingly frequently despite repairs. When engine cuts out, lose all power steering brakes etc - so far only at low speeds but progressively worse - seems very similar to Jeep commander recall at higher speeds. RPM needle goes wild after engine cuts out. Can restart and limp a few miles, then need tow - 2X towed in 1 week, 3X towed in 2 months, and 4 trips to shop without results. Car currently stuck upstate NY where I was trying to vacation -and Chrysler/Jeep not so cooperative. There's plenty evidence of stalling problems on internet for 4-5 years - see edmunds. Theories: Deceleration / rpms below 1000 make engine cut out. Solenoid is pulling battery amps =12 and causing havoc in ignition system, short-circuiting sensors. Thermal computer module damage. Computer scans for diagnostic codes definitely not reliable. By relying only on computer module for diagnosis, dealers are only making the problem worse because they are sending cars back out without fixing root problem, causing more damage. I had wheel sensor found corroded 6/3, crank sensor fail 8/6 and cam sensor failed 8/10. Sensors don't fail sequentially nor so fast. Something is causing sensors to fail. And while sensors not working they are causing damage of their own...computer, ignition coils (all 6 needed repair in 1 case where burned out). Who knows if the spark plugs, fuel pumps, injection cleans, and throttle body cleans work or not. (some say TB cleanout is important if stalls are at lower speeds - less air inflow). Battery seemed to have issues too soon - may be related. One case where harness wiring rubbed against rear something causing probs. My speedometer broke after 1 sensor repair. Separately (unless water and corrosion are the real culprits) brakes and rotors wearing out - replaced 2X in 40K miles. Not right. Some blog on that, too.

- Wilton, CT, USA

problem #8

Jan 272007

Liberty 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,691 miles
I was coming to a complete stop at a speed of 30 mph and had my foot on the brake. The engine continued to accelerate while I was pressing as hard as I could on the brake. The car lurched far enough forward to hit the bumper of the car in front of me. This is the second of two occurrences. The first was similar in nature. I was exiting the freeway after having the speed control activated. I was coming to a stop-the vehicle violently accelerated and lurched unexpectedly into the intersection. Luckily, no other car was present. Again, I pressed as hard as I could, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. I quickly change to neutral, where the engine rapidly revved to over 6,000R pm's. I am not sure what I did to finally make it stop-to frightened to remember!

- Grafton, WI, USA

problem #7

Feb 212005

Liberty 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,500 miles
2003 Liberty gear was in park made a loud roaring noise and accelerated. When the vehicle suddenly went out of control, it crashed into a brick wall of a building.

- Appleton, WI, USA

problem #6

Nov 242005

Liberty 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,000 miles
The contact stated while driving the vehicle suddenly lurched forward at a high speed. He called a towing service that inspected the vehicle and discovered the throttle was stuck. The towing service was able to free the throttle cable, and towed the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. Therefore, no repairs were done.

- Clavarck, NY, USA

problem #5

May 182005

Liberty

  • 22,000 miles
Three car crashes since October 2004. All between 5-15 mph. All where rear-end collisions by my vehicle. Did not make any connection between the three accidents until the third accident yesterday when I rear-ended a car. From a stopped position I was approximately one and a half car lengths behind a vehicle. The car in front moved forward but stopped, I did the same, but my car continued to accelerate even though I slammed on the brakes. In all three accidents it seemed my car continued to acccelerate even though I had room for the brakes to prevent these accidents. I considered the first two accidents unavoidable until the accident yesterday so I did not consider there was any type of vehicle failure in the first two incidents. I've become very aware of tail gating and left room between the car in front of me. Before October 2004 I have not had an accident in 15-20 years. In the last 8 years I've lived in houston I've not had any accidents.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #4

Apr 282004

Liberty 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 32,800 miles
I have a Jeep Liberty limited 2003 leased on October 2002. Ive had to bring the vehicle in for service seven times for the same problem and the dealer has not repaired it. The problem is that while driving at speeds anywhere from 30 - 65 and while trying to accelerate from a complete stop the vehicle will start to buck and hesitate, the speedometer will swing back and forth and the vehicle suddenly loses speed and then regains it. I've almost been hit by another vehicle on the palisades parkway on three separate occasions. The failure started on April 28,2004 at 32,000 miles it now has 34,600 miles and it has reoccurred after all seven times of going in for repair of same condition after the dealership at central ave Chrysler Jeep in yonkers, claims to have repaired it. The dealership will not honor the warranty by properly repairing or replacing vehicle.

- Stony Point, NY, USA

problem #3

Jan 302004

(reported on)

Liberty

  • miles
Upon shifting vehicle out of park into drive vehicle accelerated at high rate of speed. Consumer turned ignition switch off to come to a stop.

- Whitestone, NY, USA

problem #2

Dec 282003

Liberty 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,000 miles
While pulling out of a parking area gas pedal became stuck to the floor. Vehicle accelerated, and the consumer lost control, and struck a tree. After striking the tree vehicle struck an abutment head on and flipped completely over. Consumer suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The police did respond to the accident. The air bags did not deploy upon impact.

- Quinwood, WV, USA

problem #1

Nov 152002

Liberty

  • 1,500 miles
The vehicle suddenly accelerated while at a complete stop.

- Bay Village, OH, USA

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