2003 Jeep Liberty problems
The 2003 Jeep Liberty has 1,734 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (27%) concerns suspension. After that come air bags (23%) and fuel system (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,734 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 27% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 181 and 13
- Injuries and deaths
- 233 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 71,000 miles 1,057 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 113 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 133 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 169 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 153 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 94 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 117 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 91 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 70 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 59 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 29 |
| 200k+ miles | 29 |
What the data shows
Among the 1,057 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 71,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 56,000 miles (336 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 181 complaints mention a crash; 13 complaints mention a fire; 233 injuries reported; 3 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the Jeep Liberty with enough data (645 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 7 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact's spouse owned a 2003 jeep liberty. While driving at an unknown speed, the air bag may have inadvertently deployed and caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle crossed over three interstate lanes before flipping over. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and was fatally injured. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 08-28-14 updated 09-25-14 *dsy updated 11/19/2014
The contact owned a 2003 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that his mother-in-law was exiting the highway when she struck a curb causing the front passenger side tire to blow out. The contact lost control, the vehicle was spinning, struck two utility poles where the vehicle came to a stop. The driver was declared deceased on the scene. The front passenger sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital for medical attention. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed.
Tl*-the contact stated that his daughter was in a crash with her 2003 jeep liberty on 01/27/07. The airbags did deploy. He stated that early that morning, on a clear day she crashed the vehicle resulting in her death. The contact stated that from the pictures of the crash, the wheels of the driver side looked unusual. The vehicle was on recall, but he was not sure if the recall had been repaired prior to the crash. The contact was waiting for the investigation to be completed.
Bought the 2003 jeep liberty brand new in may, 2003. Now a year and seven months later, we still have squealing brakes. The dealer in wichita has replaced the pads 2 or 3 times, and re-surfaced the pads once or twice. They've now decided that they will need to replace the back brakes, including the roters. These parts have been ordered, and we are waiting to have this work done. Additionally, the automatic transmission started downshifting hard from 3rd gear to second gear, and down to first gear.
Jeep liberty 2003. Rear windows up/down mechanic breaks... Poor construction.. It breaks and the window fall down, leaving it open and with kids on the back sit are instantly exposed with the risk of putting parts of their bodies to the outside of the car. There are thousands of jeep users complaining on the internet... Jeep has not step up to recall those defectives rear windows.