Jeep Liberty-- What to Look Out For?

A co-worker of Mrs. DX is in need of another vehicle and she wants a Jeep Liberty (don't ask me why, i'm just doing a favor) so as the resident car dude, i'm asked to help locate one. She wants a base model with fewer options and max budget is around $8k. I have found a few 05-06's with 85k miles on them in the $6-$7k range. Any major issues to keep an eye on with these?

I've never heard of anyone having a good experience with a Liberty but have heard many people swearing off Jeep products for life after their time owning one.

"Advise" her to buy pretty much anything else.

RAV-4/CRV/RX 330 all spring to mind. If she is dead set on a Jeep I'd get a Grand Cherokee 10 out of 10 times over a Liberty.

I've seen a lot for sale at temptingly low prices locally but engine problems seem to be a common trait.

Kind of a shame, because on the surface, it looks like it could suit my needs pretty well.

I'm not sure if they have any particular weak points, but I had one as a company vehicle. Put about 45k very hard miles on it, as in beat the living crap out of it. It never failed me, though it did fail to impress me. My previous company car was the last of the XJ Cherokees and I found the Liberty to be a step down in most every way, except highway ride comfort. It would be far from my first choice, but if that's what she wants, I'd just help find the nicest one out there.

I think the diesel one is ok? Or are owners just more willing to deal with the other problems since small 4wd diesels are so rare?

Engine problems are a major issue one the V6 models.

I'd advise to buy nearly anything else.

You really have to be very light on the throttle to get anywhere close to the advertised fuel economy. On my mom's 2001 we averaged about 17 mpg - truly abysmal for a small SUV.

The trans went on hers at about 45k miles and was repaired under warranty - I believe the problem was specific to '01 and '02 though.

They softened the springs on the later cars because the earlier cars would get very unsettled at highway speeds over bumps and since they didn't have electronic stability control, they could actually be a real handful on the highway. The later cars were better.

I hear the 3.7L V6 is not to be trusted.

Valves stick on the 3.7, upper ball joints and rear upper ball joints and bushings fail extremely commonly, front flex hoses rust under the rubber protector and blow out even though they look fine externally.

This isn't "common" things. This is every Liberty any of my regular customers have owned. Not double digits but there is a depressing correlation, you know?

We have a 02 Liberty that just turned 225K. 3.7 V6 and an auto. I've never been into the engine. Other than several sets of plugs and a coil it's been flawless. The same goes for the transmission and rear end. Over all, it hasn't been horrible, but I wouldn't buy another one.

Notable, the ball joint design in the front sucks. The rotors cook the seals, which then fail, taking out the ball joint. We've had one fail, requiring a tow. The good news is there was a recall, and CryCo pretty much gives you a set of ball joints if they fail. Even on vehicles they've already replaced joints on. They did two sets on ours, no charge.

Biggest plus, they are very easy to work on. There is gobs of room around everything.

Personally, I don't like the way it drives. Too twitchy.

Unfortunately is seem the thing to look for with the Liberty is.. the Liberty. A close friend had the diesel. The crankshaft broke under normal use.

The 3.7 as previously mentioned is not a great unit. I love jeep, and the Liberty is not a bad looking thing, but there aren't many good reasons to buy one.

My uncle has a 2009. I told him not to buy it, but he did anyway. It's been a steaming pile of E36 M3 the entire time he's had it, and he's constantly complaining about it. I'd tell her to avoid as well.

Having owned one, and trying not to repeat the issues mentioned above:

The seats are truly uncomfortable. The rear cargo area don't seem to hold as much as a Subaru Forester unless you stack it up past the seats, which is dangerous. We got out of ours the moment we possibly could- the seats were just THAT uncomfortable for me. On any drive past 10 minutes or so, they would start to put my legs to sleep since they cut right across the back of my thighs.

IIRC, the CRD models are either about to kill their transmission for want of a TSB, or have had a TSB that has rendered them miserable, gutless piles of lard that have had all power tuned out for the sake of reduced warranty claims.

I found a couple Grand Cherokees in the price range.

Besides CR-V/Rav 4/Forester, what about the Kia Sportage/Hyundai Tucson? Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute? Chevy Equinox?

Also, I found an awd Pontiac Vibe but it looks like it falls into the Takata recall. Should it be stayed far far away from?: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=19446&endYear=2017&modelCode1=VIBE&showcaseOwnerId=0&makeCode1=PONT&startYear=1981&firstRecord=0&searchRadius=25&maxPrice=8000&showcaseListingId=0&mmt=%5BPONT%5BVIBE%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=422116233&Log=0

The problems start at "Jeep" and they end at "Liberty". They were piles of junk.

Was looking at one time. Google Liberty complaints or problems, that'll find you some sites. Beside engine and ball joint trouble windows fall inside the door, some cheap plastic part breaks that there is no aftermarket replacement so factory only.

I emailed an old friend who had one asking about any problems, particularly windows, none he said. A week later he wrote back and said the drivers window just fell inside the door.

Gave up on the Liberty after that and glad I did.

Jeep Liberty-- What to Look Out For?

Something else.

Im surprised noone mentioned the window regulators!

Not that this thread needs the 'help'... they're pretty poor vehicles.

Thanks for all the insight. I will do everything in my power to steer them clear of a Liberty.

My friend had the Dodge branded version. It was the biggest steaming pile of E36 M3 anyone has ever seen. He said it was the most recalled vehicle in history. I saw one once at a gas station. The driver's window did work. I know this because the guy rolled the window down so he could reach out and grab the outside handle to open the door. My friend's had like 15K miles on it. The rain guard or some other trim piece on the roof fell off.

My Y2K RAV4 has about a quarter million miles. I'm replacing the motor. Not because there's anything wrong with it, just because I want ~300HP. You know, for freeway on-ramps and stuff.

I got word from mrs. DX that her co-worker ended up getting an 08 Jeep Liberty Sport. Not my first choice but it is the first year of the redesign so it looks like it has a little more space compared to the older ones. Also, they seem to have a little nicer interior than the older ones as well.

My only experience was using my neighbors Liberty to move furniture for them. It was awful. They traded it after many service related problems. I found it awkward ergonomically, the transmission was slushy, It was surprisingly noisy (like hard to hear the passengers talking loud) and so many other gripes I do not want to list them. I was not impressed and neither were my neighbors. The word that comes to mind is Cheap.

As Toyman said, we have one and it's my primary driver. Make sure she gets the VIN and checks that car out to see what recalls have been fixed because there are a LOT of them. Yes, it's twitchy and I'm getting rid of it before the 16 year old starts learning to drive. The twitchy part has made me a more cautious driver but after a while, I don't notice it. The ball joint thing was rather shocking when it happened but thank goodness it happened when I pulled into a parking spot rather than on the road. All in all, I guess it's been a good car but not one of my favorites.

I had a 2002, bought new, ordered to spec. First year. After am early transmission glitch, I towed my 4k lb. trailer allover the NE & Canada for 8 yrs and 72k miles. No problems Had a couple recalls on the ball joints. That's it.

As always on the internet you only hear the bad stuff and rumors.