Top 5 Problems Jeep Liberty SUV 1st Generation 2002-07 

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Ive replaced so many Liberty window regulators that I should have a freakin Master's degree in regulator replacement

Had my 2007 for 9 years. 116k on it and I just had my first engine light come on. New fuel injector. It runs like a dream

2003 jeep liberty sport/ manual transmission. Best vehicle I’ve ever owned, except for the rear window motors. I learned to replace them myself. Took it off roading, cross country, and traveled back and forth from school/work for over a decade.

I would add to the list of common problems front lower ball joints, mostly because nobody seems to check them correctly.. rear control arm bushings wearing out quickly, and ignition lock cylinder jamming. With that being said, I love my first gen Liberty. Very underrated vehicles in terms of quality and reliability.

I'm about to buy a 2003 liberty limited. Test drove it tonight and I'm already in love. It's my very first car so I'm hoping for the best. Thanks for the video man!

I had ZERO faith in my dads 1st gen liberty when he bought it, I thought 4.0 was only engine for a Jeep. But dad put 420,000km on his liberty. Basic maintenance is all that was done.

I had one of the first Jeep Liberty’s ever! Never had ONE SINGLE PROBLEM with it! I LOVED IT! I gave it to my son in Med School cause Philly isn’t a safe place. I’ve had a Laredo’s, 3 Jeep mini’s, a Renegade & a Cherokee. Not a single problem EVER…..

20 years with my Jeep Liberty one of 200 made in 2001. Kept up with routine maintenance, just recently the air conditioning went that was the most major problem and the radiator hole. This is the best suv ever, it still looks great, and runs great. Your video of the Jeep looks just like my white Jeep. After 20 years though it was time to get a new Jeep so I’m waiting for my new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon to be delivered middle of September. Great video.

Top 5 problems with the first gen liberty. 1. Front lower ball joints 2. Window regulators. 3. Sagged suspension ( worn front springs) 4. Radiator cracked at the drivers side upper mount 5. Bad rear cv joint front drive shaft.

227,000 on my 2002 4wd liberty sport and still runs like new. Maintenance is everything. CHECK THE FLUIDS REGULARLY!

Bought our 2003 Jeep Liberty Renegade brand new… no leaking issues anywhere .. it only has 140,000 km ( roughly 86k miles) It’s been in northern Canada 🇨🇦 Polar bear country ( HudsonBay) for 20yrs now.. considering our winter temperatures get to minus -45c ( around 49F) this little Jeep sits outside along side our 2 Hummers & skidoos and has never failed to start.. it’s also rust free since no salt is used on our roads. cheers from the snowy ( cold) north

Hard to believe the damn tail-lights didn't make a top 5 problems list.

A common problem with the windows is not the regulator it’s those plastic clips. If you hear the motor it’s the clip.

I have kept my 2005 liberty limited, it has over 260k miles and the only one of these issues I've ever had is one of the rear windows not going down, it still runs like new and has never let us down. We still love it as a second car, our other car is a 2021 grand cherokee overland and love the heck out of that too!

MY 2005 Liberty just turned 250,000 miles. Original motor and trans.

Good video once again 1A Auto! I've owned my 06 Liberty for 5 years now and it's right under 150k. It hasn't been the worst vehicle but I definitely have design issues I'd like to add in addition to all of these mechanical ones... 1) The material on the seats stain SO easily, even with water and nothing seams to take the stains off. If you think seat covers look tacky plan on forking out a few hundred for custom fit covers. 2) Unlike other jeeps there are very few options for upgrades. The bolt pattern is odd leaving limited options for wheels without custom spacers/adapters and a LED conversion in the headlights is inefficient due to how the housing is designed. 3) Small area for legs in the front, only certain more expensive custom floor mats (weather tech) will contour to this narrow space 4) Doors lock automatically after going over a certain speed. In other models this can be changed by reprogramming, I've still not found a way to deactivate this with the libby. I can't even begin to explain how annoying this has been. 5) Seats don't recline back far enough making it hard to sleep if you're too tired to drive, and the doors don't open wide enough especially for the back seat making it cramped to get things in and out. 6) Ridiculously small glove box. 7) Grab handle and thick front windshield/roof support blocks views coming into/outta turns, poor design. Inconvenience that I guess I've gotten used to. Should also note I currently have a oil leak that is just a matter of replacing my oil pan gasket, a relatively simple job. However beacuse my liberty is a 4wd accessing the pan will require lowering the entire axle so now I'm getting quotes no less than $500. Love what you drive and it won't feel like so much and I still love my liberty. But still...

Sludge build up is the rocker arm culprit, change oil every 3500 miles to prevent it. Rear regulator plastic parts crack and break, dropping the rear windows, upgrade to all metal regulator for 50 bucks when that happens. Those are mighty fine Jeeps, little electronics to go wrong, easy as blazes to work on.

Got an 04 Liberty and had to change ac compressor and radiator fan. This is because some crappy mechanic mis diagnosed my overheating issue. Have had some check engine lights come here and there and replaced the radiator once and head gaskets. Two window actuators replaced and consistently replacing bulbs in tail light. Otherwise my Liberty works great!

This will be my first car one day, I love how compact but spacious this vehicle is, Gotta save a little bit more to find one and buy it

Mine had the "Smoke machine" problem....leaky valve cover gaskets that drip onto the exhaust manifold. PIA to replace them also.

Have a 2003 Jeep Liberty limited edition with 194,000 miles. Bad news Mopar has discontinued most replacement parts ...so I have to search junk yards for parts. Aftermarket parts don’t work especially the fan relay switch.

Trying hard to convince myself not to buy 2005 liberty.....i think im going to buy lol

I learned so much from this video. I have a 2007, the gramps has a 2006. The windows are crap. We also have issues with the back window latch all the time. At times I think these billion dollar companies that make these vehicles should be responsible for fixing them with all the faulty parts they put into them.

Great video. My 1st gen KJ was a limited. Had it 17 years. Daughter drove it for 6. Sold it off to VW when I bout a Atlas. I also own a 09 KK. Got it new so it's still got a life time warranty on what's important. I did have a power door lock issue, rear driver side passenger door. Wasn't much to fix. But as far as Gen1? None of the issues he mentioned caused me any grief. I think he should have pointed out the radiator. I had to replace mine on the 02 and 09 when they hit 100k miles. Started leaking at the time seam, on the side. I did upgrade my 09. 32inch BFG KO2's, 3 inch lift (Old man EMU) with longer "A" arms. sliders and side rails (from JCR off-road who no longer makes stuff for the KJ or KK), full MOPAR skids, 10inch rims, customer front steel bumper (from At The Helm - ATH)with receiver for my all time budget winch, badlands 12k lb winch. a few LED lights here and there, and in the rear bumper. It's my everyday driver, even if it gets around 10mpg. :-(

Vapor locking is the only problem I have had to deal with so far. But it's a 10 sec fix every time it happens. If you are driving for a while then stop for 20 min or so (like going into a store) only to come and have a crank but no start with no codes showing. Try going to the passenger side of the motor and purge the fuel line. Be careful fuel is under a lot of pressure

Love the Vid, great advice on everything you mentioned, but you forgot... Front CV Joints, and Propeller shaft. I plan on taking mine if for replacement this week. Sounds horrible while moving, 2WD, 4WD high, and noting in neutral or 4WD Low. A little too much of a project for me to do in the driveway.

It's easier to list what is actually good on the Liberty (3.7L) ! Bought mine used with 140k on it , forward about 3k miles and the dreaded head gasket issue. I never allowed it to get the least bit hot as I was aware of this being a potential and costly oversight. I also worked 30+ years in the radiator business. I do believe the individual seller was less than honest about previous issues as the problem developed after longer distance driving. Being retired, I didn't drive it very hard or often. I am now $3,100 poorer after a motor swap recently and yep, you guessed it: After driving about 3k miles the dreaded Misfire light is on AGAIN ! , PO302. I found out further through a friend who knew the seller what this guy replaced before selling. #1 Radiator, water pump 2x, AC Condensor, Battery 2x, supposedly new heads, thermostat 2x, window regulators 3x etc.etc. I hate it, but I should have done more research... It's actually fun to drive when it's running smooth and the 4x4 works fine. Maybe I should have junked it out, but with the prices I have seen for used vehicles nowadays I decided to keep it. So now back to the misfire condition, I suppose I will check the plugs, coils and injectors....never-ending. 🤑

I would like to see a Jeep Liberty with working tail lights. I've just changed three bulbs in each side and it appears only top half half of my top light is working. I can't tell if that's normal. It doesn't same to be giving off that much light

134k miles on my 06 Liberty, still running great

Just received my jeep liberty 03 as a gift low miles on it. No problem...6 months later and omg having some issues. Luckily my husband and my brother knows more about cars than I do.

Ex wife has one of these. In 6 years it ran out of oil to many times for me to count. Still drives, has a tick to it. Heater core blew up last year. Never did the windows, no leaks underneath. I hate it, but it has been a good rig.

One to watch with the door locks is a small power drain when locked with the remote. took while to track down why my wife's batter would occasionally go flat if locked with the door switch it did not happen.

Jeep Cherokee 4.0 was the best newer model. I'm still partial to the larger Grand Cherokee from pre 90's era

Funny i had the whole lot of little issue with my jeep but none of those..and so far i got 245k on the engine..

Seeing all these comments I really regret selling mine 😢. I keep looking on marketplace for it/one to replace it. The factory light bar, amazing stereo, an engine bay that was so easy to clean and work in when needed... all made for such a nice vehicle

My 03 liberty has 285000 on odometer runs good have had some issues nothing major

My 02 was a Battle Axe. 10 years, 240K and it was still going. Front lower ball joints and lack of gas tank protection were a recall. They would give you a free trailer hitch to protect it. Watch that ball joint above the rear diff too. Rear seat is too upright. Uncomfortable. Regular gas and regular oil made it cheap to run aside from the weak mileage (20 mpg). I was very surprised how well it towed a trailer. Loved that Jeep.

Im at 252,000 and no problem other than leather seat cover worn out

I owned a 2006 CRD and had no Problems Till i sold it with 160.000 km. AGR Valve had to be cleaned 2 times. That was all. Very great Vehicle, only reason to change was a JK.

My 2006 Jeep Liberty 4x4 shifter has no resistance and does not shift. And it is currently stuck in part-time 4 wheel drive. What could be the cause of this?

Please help! 2007 jeep liberty. Third light works (when I press on break pedal) Nighttime, running rear lights work (same bulb as break light) No break light when pressing on break pedal (rear running lights will turn off) Break fuse is OK (#12, 15a)

The knock sound is very disturbing when shifting the gear to n position when you stop and shifting to D position. It makes this much more pronounced on the first drive in the morning.

One other that is very common - front suspension - Upper control arms, lower ball joints. Generally if you are grabbing 1st gen - suspension will be sagged, and i would advice to replace that.

2006 Jeep Liberty replaced radiator at 84,000 miles. Had a leak in the plastic part on the drivers side. Also the rear pinion seal And front differential leak at same mileage. However, the Jeep had sat for about a year so seals probably dried up.

How about 06 liberty when you try to charge the Ac , the ferioon is not getting sucked out of the kan even when you have the accelerator pressed and the temp is not dropping below 70

I bought my uncles 2002 3.7 4x2 when I was 15 & along the 3 years I’ve had it I only had to repair the windows, the axel & the exhaust manifold. Other than that no complaints

Are these vehicles good using the 4wd?

hear a metallic noise in the front when i fall into a pit in the safe what is it

What about frame rust?

Biggest issue with windows I experienced and heard about was the plastic holder for the window breaks or strips. Then the drive cable runs out of the sheath. Bought a complete regulator for mine then got a repair piece made of metal to fix the original one. Still have it as a spare. Numerous other little electric pieces that fail too. Bought it with a dead engine, replaced it and now this engine is dead with 25k miles on it.

I have had 2 of these Liberty's. I didnt have any of the problems he talks about. Just basic repairs. Plugs and coil packs and a water pump. My last one has 210K on it and its still running. Also, Great in the snow! Love my Liberty's.

Is it all the engines or just the four cylinder or the V6 or the diesel? You got to be a bit more specific about which engines have valve problems.

The clear coat doesn't last 4ever...atleast around my location I've noticed them chipped more often than not.

Mine was not well taken care of. It needs a new window regulator, fuel pump, speedometer needs fixed. There was no transmission fluid in it when I bought it :/

Just bought a cheap jeep 06 Liberty. Looks like a fun rig! Getting ready to delve into it soon, thankyou for the video.

you guys ever wrench on the CRD?

Loved my 2007 Jeep Liberty until I found out the A/C Evaporator needs to be replaced and the only way to do this is to remove my entire dashboard. Can't afford a mechanic to do it so I'll have to attempt it myself. Wish me luck!!

very, very, thank you very much. Greetings from the Czech republic. 👍👍👍👍👍

I have had two jeep liberty 2007 for the last 3 years and both have had issues with ball joints and abs

That's not the reason liberty window motors go bad. The motors themselves last a long time. Its the window track spiral chain that's inside a plastic housing that always breaks resulting in the motor pushing the chain out and can no longer move the window.

I've had a problem with my 03 lock rod set screws coming loose. Easy fix

I wish I saw this before buying a liberty. I almost have a new car with all the replacements.

I have that 2007 model I love it a lot I know replacing the window regulators on the back passenger side needs to be replaced it’s like the same as the 2002 model and I use my 4 wheel drive because of crappy snowy roads that gives me disavatges

Does anyone know if the 2002 and 2003 jeep liberty have the same windshield?

My reverse lights aren't working and I've changed the bulbs and checked the fuse. Can I change the reverse switch on the outside of the transmission on my own?

The plastic link between the regulator and the bracket on the bottom of the glass is what breaks. There is a metal replacement which I installed and never had another problem in almost twenty years.

Blower motor a couple of times, rear windows, sticking valves even with a new head. Cant remember where but there is a guy in I think Michigan that sells rocker clips. They prevent the rocker from falling off at least.

I have a 07 liberty looks just like the one you have there, my lower door panels have rust along the bottom and I also have had to replace the power window driver side motor twice and it's acting up again right now! My drivers side rear door refuses to open from inside and typically I have to get out and leave anyone out that's riding there by opening from the outside! Curse the day I ever bought this vehicle 😢!

There are 7 recalls on my 2005 Liberty Renegade,and the one I haven't gotten done has to do with the suspension.

07 KJ replaced 3 of the 4 window regulators 😒

Do you guys have instructional videos to repair the internal engine valves? Also to anyone else that drives one of these bad boys. Have you had an experience when you're around 40-50mph and your rpm jumps to 2,000rpm and then eventually settles back to around 1500rpm? I have no check engine light, and the car shifts fine. Anyone else encounter this?

Major oil sludge in heads maybe on oil pump and strainer. What can I use to break all the thick dry oil up to flush my engine out. Its knocking from black of oil circulating from all the sludge.

Hey I have a 2011 jeep liberty my check engine light came on it says number two cylinder misfiring So I change the spark plug the wire on the coil and the fuel injectors But the check engine light is still on. I took it to AutoZone. It says number two cylinder aspirin change the fuel injector. I bought the fuel injector from Amazon. Do you think that could be a problem?

I bought an 05 liberty 2wd for my wife. Nice looking jeep. Got home and first time to reverse it shuddered. I thought oh no. Anyway, 10yrs later it still sometimes shudders in reverse othertimes not. I also will add the transmission will get too hot if pulling a trailer w tailgate on the freeway. I considered a larger trans cooler but never added one. I found the rear tailight(s?) not working. Purchase the new socket and bulbs and put in. Worked okmfor 2hrs? To make it short I learned the sockets had to be barely loosened/turned. For some crazy reason. Then the light made it several years as ok. Maybe this helps someone else. I installed two driver side window regulators which had a plastic piece go bad. Also a third passenger rear failed. That one I never replaced due to income (and 'resistance'!) etc. Also I learned the regulators replace easy as 15minutes so no big deal as for that. And the Real True culprit for the window regulator failures was my wife sitting her purse on the console switches. The rear suspension arm bushings wore out but a recall covered the repair, and the upper triangle arm I bought from Detroit Axle. Radiator, A/c compressor, u-joints, batterties, belts, tires, brake pads, rear shocks, rear calipers, oil, air filters.

i have a 2005 jeep liberty was not running good checked my plugs and found plug under coolant tank very black replaced all plugs and ignition coil now have a knock noise that happens every few secounds is this something in valve assembly area

Has anyone figured out how to stop the auto door lock on these things. I can't tell you how many times i have yanked on the rear door only to have to go back up and hit the unlock button. Dang dealership said it would cost $100 and any time the battery went dead I would have to redo it. My biggest complaint on the car, pretty decent other than that.

You are perfect . Many thanks . But shall i ask you something. Could you please talking slowly because i'm trying to understand. And your material is so good . Thanks again

Please, tell me what is the proceeding for replacing the front axle oil seal (to the drive shaft end). Thank you.

Hi I have a 2005 Liberty limited and have 86,000 miles on it. My jeep is in the shop right now and the mechanic said it was the transmission and the differential. I was driving on the highway on cruise control and I heard a sound and the rpms just went up and down fast. I quickly pulled over to the shoulder and I turned off the car. I turned it back on and it was night driving well and I could not go in reverse to get closer to the shoulder. Do you think it’s what the mechanic says? He’s charging me $3000 for the job and for parts. He said $500 for the work. It’s been at the shop since last Wednesday. I would like to know what you think?

Hi I have a 2007 Liberty 3.7L V6, 117,000 miles. Owned it since 67,000 miles. It operated perfectly for the first 30,000 miles and then it started getting a #1 Cyl misfire code P0301. It also seldomly gets a #1 cyl fuel injector circuit open P0201. It must be a very mild fault as the misfire freeze frame data shows it always happens at less than 350 rpm and when cleared it comes back immediately at next startup, cold or hot. So it seems to only happen once on startup as its moving up to regular idle speed. The miss isnt noticeable when driving or idling. Its getting 15.5 mpg fuel mileage. Doesnt burn oil. Doesnt smoke. Has great power. I've changed plugs and coils but no difference. Cleaned air intake, air filter, and ran cleaner through system. I've cleaned and inspected the injector plug and all wires but no difference. Dry / wet compression test of #1, 3 and 5 cylinders all read good: 160 / 175 psi. I'm wondering if there's a mild wire defect for that injector, or just a flakey connection somewhere. Has anyone tried to use a new set of compatible gauge wires and run them to a place closer to the injector control? I can't see where the wires go though. I'm not sure if I should just live with this, or troubleshoot it more. I don’t care about the engine light as we don't have emission requirements. Now that I know the compression is good, I'm not so worried about it. Any suggestions of what to do next? Thanks!

I just bought a very used Jeep Liberty (2005 - 221k miles)...not bad shape but the knob on the shifter sticks which keeps the key from releasing. It appears to be just the actual knob sticking because if I work at it (pry on it a little and force it out) it will unstick and the key will release. Recommendations?

People need to keep in mind the issues with transfer case, and differential leaks can happen on any vehicle, that isn't a Jeep only thing, so it shouldn't have even been mentioned as an issue with the Jeep itself. Same goes for the exhaust manifolds. A lot of issues come from the owners not properly maintaining their vehicles, that seems to be overlooked 99% of the time in all these vehicle specific problem lists.

Dropped the 4 chassis bolts in the front to change oil pan and popped the steering column out by rack n pinion how do I go about fixing that?

My mom has a 04 liberty and a used motor was put in. Know when u first start the jeep it has a very bad exhaust smell. You cant even sit in there. You have to put windows down and wait. The smell will go away after awhile. Do u have any ideas what could be the problem???

head gasket issues too

How do you fix transmission lickage that is stuck in reverse on 06 jeep liberty is it possibly just a bushing on the rod

If the liberty used the type of window regulator you showed they wouldn't break as often as they do but it doesn't. Instead jeep came up with a rotating spiral inside a plastic tube. There are a number of ways these break but break they will, replacement time, 30-45 minutes. There are two models, one for windows with a mount hole and those that don't.

What years and makes of vehicles or jeeps have a windshield that will fit in a 2007 jeep liberty

I'm looking at a beater 2002 jeep liberty for $1800.00 with about 100k miles on it. The back windows are stuck and the paint is pealing up. 🤔 Still might be a good buy.

The headlights on my 05 Jeep Liberty 3.7 l V6 will sometimes not work on the low beams but if flick the high beam lights on when you go back to low beam lights they work fine. Any Ideas?

I bought a 2004 Jeep Liberty 4 wheel drive 3.7 L automatic with 105,000 miles on it. Its somewhat difficult to feel the gears change but they don. Is that normal ? Plus I have snow tires all around and it's rides loud and hard is that normal ?

Good Morning, besides the front hub/bearing, what could cause a loud squeal? TIA Dave

I love my Jeep Liberty I put my Jeep best suv I owned next to my Honda’s

I'm worried. I'm planning to buy a vehicle like this (2005) but this vehicle is liking oil in the rear axle. Don't know if is just the seals or could be the axle damage 'cause the wheel is moving inside and outside some millimeters and it doesn't feels good. Maybe you could help me. What you think is just seals or an axle damage. Thanks in advance!!

Hi I have 2007 jeep liberty and keep throwing cam shaft code p0340 and engine light come on. change cam sensor three times, last time sensor bought from jeep dealer. But still same problems. Also same time on the rood when drive jeep has no fourth gear. Is that problems related to each other? Also after we thought that may be timing chain jumped or starched and checked. It is fine and on timing. Please suggest if any help. Thanks

Hello, can you make more videos for 2003 Jeep liberty sport V6 3.7L?

My dads 2002 Jeep Liberty sport was a pretty cool vehicle, rugged, powerful and looked decent (at the time I thought I looked good but now I look back at it and I just think meh) it was pretty comfortable. Although there were 2 main problems with the liberty. 1. Vehicle would straight up stall while driving and what my dad would do is he would put the car into neutral and start it up and then keep driving. This was one of the biggest problems with the vehicle. 2. Battery was perfectly fine and then one day it decided to say goodbye to life and straight up die and fail.

Dude enjoyed the video

I have a 2002 jeep liberty limited that I just put a used engine in that only has 83,000 miles on in and I've replaced Every sensor on the Jeep but the cam shaft and crank shaft and 3 of the 02 sensors and the check engine light goes off for a few days but always comes back on so I just order the rest of the sensors that I'll be replacing this Friday so if the engine light comes back on what do I do again the coeds at P0141 P0161 heater circuit controls