Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Jeep Liberty owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Upon making a slight lane correction at approx. 60 MPH, my daughter's 2002 Jeep libety began swerving uncontrollably. She felt no resistance to the steering wheel as she tried to stop the swerving. At no time did she apply the brakes. Witnesses said it appeared she had a flat tire. Eventually, the vehicle entered the grass median and rolled 2.5 or 3.5 times coming to rest on the roof facing on-coming traffic. The complete rear end(tires and differential) separated and ended up approx. 75 feet from the vehicle. The right front axle or cv joint was broken. Neither her passenger or her air bags deployed. The driver's seat belt was broken at the end of the motion of the rolling. Both occupants were bruised and cut. We believe the axle failed and caused this potentially fatal accident. This vehicle had approx. 3000 miles on it. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that the rear seat belt buckles for the passenger, driver, and the middle seat belts failed to lock. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the buckles would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. In addition, the contact stated that the recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 15v04600 (air bag) was received in January of 2014. After contacting the dealer and the manufacturer on multiple occasions, the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were still not available and no estimated time for receiving the parts could be given. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that the vehicle rolled over while attempting to make a turn. The seat belt pretensioner failed to tighten and the air bags deployed, but did not inflate completely. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and deemed destroyed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified. There was one fatality. The driver suffered from broken ribs and facial deformation. Medical attention was received. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V046000 (air bags). The failure mileage was not provided. Updated 12/04/17
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The dealer repaired the vehicle according to NHTSA campaign numbers: 15V046000 (air bags) and 13V252000 (fuel system, gasoline, structure), but the failure recurred. It was diagnosed that the seat belt sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 190,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Jeep Liberty. While driving various speeds, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact also mentioned that the passenger and driver side seat belts would not lock into the buckle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified. The failure mileage was 223,000.
On a drive home from my mother's house, I had come to a complete stop waiting to make a left turn on a residential road when I heard a clicking sound. Then my seat belt tightened on its own and immediately after that the driver's side air bag deployed. Fortunately I was uninjured with the exception of a slight burn on my forearm.
Jeep Liberty rolled over three times, totaling the vehicle. The seat belts did not hold us back to the seat as designed to do. Due to this, we had whiplash and a few scrapes. To date, we are still in chronic pain and need ongoing chiropractor care. Our medical bills are quite high due to this.
I have a safety recall that cannot be fixed according to tunkhannock auto mart and scranton Dodge. I'm experiencing all kind of malfunctions due to the sensor being bad I have no power, my shifting, fuel economy ,hard starts,everything. This is my only vehicle and I need a vehicle until this is resolved
On 11/11/2015 at approximately 05:00a.m. I started out for work. The airbag indicator light started blinking and about 5 seconds later the airbag deployed for no reason. I was traveling in a straight line going about 40mph. The vehicle is being serviced at this time.
My daughter's Jeep Liberty rolled. During the roll, the drivers side seat belt released her. There was an eventual frontal impact but no air bags deployed. My daughter was thrown from the vehicle and killed. See annotations for addition follow up information.cw
NHTSA investigations
Front seat belt buckle malfunction
This investigation of front seat belt buckles in the subject vehicles was opened on August 26, 2005.the basis for opening was seven odi reports alleging the driver's seat belt buckle failed to function properly.the complainants alleged the buckles would not latch or were difficult to latch or unlatch.some of the complainants alleged something was broken inside of the buckle and others alleged that the button was…
Front seat belt buckle malfunction
The office of defects investigation (odi) has closed the investigation of front seat belt buckles in model year 2002 Jeep liberty vehicles.on August 26, 2006, odi opened preliminary evaluation (pe)05-046 to investigate complaint reports that alleged problems with latching and unlatching the front seat belt buckle.several of the complaints reported that something was broken inside of the buckle.the investigation…
Seat Belt complaints in other Liberty years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 2002 Jeep Liberty?
NHTSA has 110 complaints about the seat belts of the 2002 Jeep Liberty, 6% of the model year's 1,808 complaints. The component named most often is front › buckle assembly (42 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Jeep Liberty seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 2002 Jeep Liberty, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Jeep Liberty seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 14 crashes, 0 fires and 15 injuries and 2 deaths to seat belts problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.