2004 Jeep Liberty problems
The 2004 Jeep Liberty has 1,441 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (33%) concerns suspension. After that come fuel system (13%) and body & structure (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,441 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 33% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 119 and 50
- Injuries and deaths
- 98 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 73,000 miles 963 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 | 107 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 136 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 160 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 116 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 121 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 85 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 82 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 71 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 46 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 22 |
| 200k+ miles | 17 |
What the data shows
Among the 963 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 73,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 52,000 miles (337 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 119 complaints mention a crash; 50 complaints mention a fire; 98 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 11 model years of the Jeep Liberty with enough data (535 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.
Dt*: the contact stated after parking the vehicle, with the engine running, the driver walked 15 feet away, and then the vehicle began to roll backward down a hill into a pond. The vehicle gained speed while rolling down the hill and the doors automatically locked. The contact's infant was still inside the vehicle when it rolled into the water. Both the contact and the father-in-law swam 40 feet from shore to the vehicle and retrieved the baby.
My beautiful 32-yr. Old daughter was killed recently when the vehicle she was driving, a 2004 jeep liberty, was rear-ended on the interstate by a ford f-150 going 60 MPH. Within seconds of the impact, her vehicle exploded and burst into flames. As a result, my daughter burned to death. Since my daughter's death, I have learned that the fuel tank and filler neck on the jeep liberty (and jeep grand cherokee) was designed and installed in a location (behind the rear bumper) that is susceptible to rupture or puncture…
My wife was in a mva with our 2004 jeep liberty with 30,000 miles on it, she was hit from behind by a plymouth neon at about 30 miles per hour upon impact the jeep which I thought was one of the safest vehicles on the highway burst into flames thank god my wife acted fast and got herself and her niece and nephew out with only minor injuries if something had jammed or not worked right after the impact they would be dead, with in minutes of them getting out of the jeep it blew into a giant inferno I can say that god…
The airbags did not deploy during a car crash. I was involved in a accident 5 dec 2012. I managed to avoid a bigger crash by swerving but my jeep lost control when the tires on the passenger side blew out due to the impact of the crash and rolled into a fence. My front air bags never went off. Shouldn't they have? I've since found out there was a recall, but I did not own the car at the time. Do I have a claim?
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 jeep liberty. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The contact stopped the vehicle and upon opening the hood noticed flames. The fire department reported to the scene. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home and was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and sent an investigator to inspect the vehicle. The inspector determined there was not a manufacturing defect.