Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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).
At approximately 6:30 am 9/25/2024, I was transporting a friend to her home in a neighboring city. After ten minutes of travel, I exited a four lane bridge. As I slowed and set up for traffic negotiations, We heard a bang, like maybe tire blowout, I initiated a full stop to safety, disembarked vehicle to find that; THE RIGHT FRONT BALL JOINT HAD EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE! Thus, the tire was sliced the tire mount rim was deeply grooved. Had vehicle towed to my home. It is in the condition left by the towing company. So, I called my neighborhood dodge boys and w s assured that "they were not obligated not interested in repairing this near calamity, for the "RECALLED LOWER BALL JOINT COMPONENTS WERE DEALT WITH IN 2006.. TOO MANY YEARS HAVE PASSED FOR THIS EVENT TO BE REPAIRED BY RECALL OR WARRANTY". OK THEN, HOW ABOUT THE AIRBAG OPEN RECALL AT THE STEERING WHEEL.. REPLY, NO. …
Well my 2002 jeep liberty has been messed up lately,it will just not crank so I thought it was the battery but it turned out to be the ignition switch also it did this off an on for about 6months ,the heat went out when I bought it and it will act as if it is overheating but it won't do anything for while then all of my windows have problems with the motor s in them the suspension, control arms I've had to change ,and the cruise control button will stick and keep going while you are driving it almost caused me to wreck on the interstate you have to turn the vehicle completely off once you get it to stop if you can get it to stop. out of all the vehicles I've had this is the first to take off by itself
The lower ball joint on passenger side failed. Didn't notice any symptoms prior to it breaking. I understand that it was apparently under recall. It was repaired around the recall date but it failed again and is considered recurring failure.
I was driving down the highway and I don't really remember the moment before the accident but I lost control of my car and hit the median barricade head on and from there my car kept going across the highway off to the grass area. I was the only one injured and taken to the hospital. My car is ruined and I faced a broken nose, back, knee, knock, head, and shoulder brushing and pain, and now I keep having a short term memory on some occasions. I also get nauseated when k get in a vehicle and get terrified when I'm with someone driving down the street. I have no vehicle at the time, it's been almost two and a half months and I haven't had any help with anything. I am a full time college student working a part time job, my sister or boyfriend have to take me to work and school, it's getting pretty tiring for them to take me everywhere. …
Ball joints are coming apart and leaving me stranded on several occasions leading to costly repairs.
In November of 2006, I had a recall fixed for the "front:control arm:lower ball joint" when the parts became available. I brought the car back 3 days later having issues with the steering and hearing a noise. The dealership took the car for a few days and did a complete inspection and assured me the new parts were sufficient. Every now and then (not constant, but scarcely) when I would turn the wheel just a little, the car would turn as if I had turned my wheel all the way. It scared me a few times, but it didn't happen often at all, so I didn't think much of it. On May 31, 2007, I was merging onto I-91 in connecticut driving only 22 miles per hour, and my car did that very thing. I went up and over the curb, up the embankment and crashed into a steel connecticut state sign. If it wasn't for the sign, I would have continued to lose control and possibly been killed. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Jeep Liberty. On April 21, 2006, while driving uphill at 5 MPH, the vehicle surged and rear ended the preceding vehicle. The contact was charged with failure to yield. The mechanic stated that the brakes and the brake rotors failed. Prior to the crash, she received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 06V288000 (suspension:front:control arm: lower ball joint) in October of 2006. She made four attempts to have the recall repair performed; however, each time she was informed that the part was unavailable and the dealer would call her when it arrived. The contact never received a call and gave up. A couple of months after the crash, she received a second recall notice. The contact believes that the crash occurred because the repair was not made earlier. …
Driving down street with no stop signs out of corner of eyes I saw a silver car speeding through a stop sign luckily I saw it early and slammed on my brakes, we hit very hard I hit steering wheel my passenger was injured too, my question is im reading that 2002 jeeps airbags go off easily why didn't mine go off, I bought the car when it was 1 year old but never checked if it had any accidents, its suppose to have airbags in the front and passenger seat, could the dealer have sold me a defective Jeep. The other driver was speeding causing to hit very hard, why didn't the airbag deploy which would have saved me from hitting the steering wheel (I cant remember what else I hit all I know is I was taken in ambulance to emergency room my passenger drove to emergency room cause she didn't want to be put on as board she has a plate in her hip we are both 64 years old. …
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. …
My son was driving a 2002 Jeep Liberty when the steering wheel jammed on him approaching a curve he slammed the brakes but the vehicle kept skidding until it invaded the other side of the road hit a tree(if not for the tree he would have fallen off the mountain side!!). In no moment did the air bags activate. About 3 or 4 days later I received a safety recall notice f23 - lower ball joints that indicated the ball joints could corrode & separate resulting in a loss of the steering control. I got in contact with the company where they ask for pictures of the accident (which I e-mailed to them) but cannot repair the vehicle (or will forfeit any claims they say)therefore leaving me with no transportation and still having to pay the bank the car loan. …
Related recalls
Suspension › Front › Control arm
Chrysler is recalling 42,469 my 2002-2003 Jeep liberty vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in salt belt states of connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island,…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front upper control arm assemblies free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or about April 24, 2010. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
On certain trucks, the constant tension front lower ball joints May experience contamination. If the vehicle is operated for an extended period with this condition, the ball joint May eventually experience wear and looseness.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front lower ball joints free of charge. The recall began on September 11, 2006. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
On certain sport utility vehicles, the lower control arm ball joints can experience a loss of lubrication that can lead to corrosion, accelerated wear, and possible separation from the steering knuckle.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front lower control arm ball joints with modified assemblies and heat shields on vehicles built between January 2, 2001 and October 4, 2002.
NHTSA investigations
Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure
During Preliminary Evaluation (PE11-013), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) conducted an analysis of consumer field data from its Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) database and from complaint data submitted to ODI by Chrysler.
Upper ball joint separation
Odi has received 22 complaints of upper ball joint separation on model year 2002 and 2003 Jeep liberty 4x4 vehicles.the separation of an upper ball joint on either of the front wheels can result in the affected front wheel collapsing, possibly resulting in vehicle disablement and causing a loss of vehicle control.there is one complaint of a failure at 75 MPH, 1 failure at 60 MPH, 3 failures at 40 MPH, 2 failures at…
Upper ball joint separation
On April 7, 2009, Chrysler llc submitted to odi a defect information report indicating that it would recall approximately 42,469 model year 2002 through 2003 Jeep liberty vehicles to remedy a defect that can result in upper ball joint separation while driving (09v-119).the affected vehicles were built from May 2002 through September 2002 and originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district…
Front suspension ball joint separation
On January 6, 2006, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate alleged front suspension lower ball joint separationin certain model year (my) 2004 Jeep liberty vehicles.odi sent a letter to the manufacturer on February 7, 2006 requesting information about these and other Jeep liberty vehicles.consequently, the investigation was upgraded to an engineering analysis on May…
Suspension complaints in other Liberty years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2002 Jeep Liberty?
NHTSA has 494 complaints about the suspension of the 2002 Jeep Liberty, 27% of the model year's 1,808 complaints. The component named most often is front › control arm › lower ball joint (298 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Jeep Liberty suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-119 (control arm, Apr 9, 2009); NHTSA recall 06V-288 (lower ball joint, Aug 3, 2006); NHTSA recall 03V-460 (lower ball joint, Nov 10, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Jeep Liberty suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 39 crashes, 1 fire and 46 injuries and 1 death to suspension 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.