Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Jeep Liberty owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have a 2004 Jeep Liberty and while DRIVING AND MAKING TURNS, THE STEERING WHEEL MADE A LOUD GRINDING NOISE. THE NOISE WAS ALSO HEARD WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. I got woke up this morning with the alarm going off.. no one was around the Jeep.. I know this because I have security cameras.. my husband check the fuse box and inside they were water in the fuse box..which it rain last night and I don't know how it is getting wet.. my lights are wanted to stay on. And when I turn the ignition off my Jeep off wants to continue running.. I have had it to several different mechanics and no one seems to know exactly what the problem is.. please help me fix this problem..
My headlights turned off for about 5-7 seconds before coming back on again. This happened while I was doing 55mph in a very dark area and made it very difficult to see the road as there were no other cars around. This was quite scary as I had my 6 month old daughter in the car with me. The following morning my headlights turned on and off again 2 times quickly in a row while I was on the freeway traveling at 70 MPH. Again my daughter was with me on my way to daycare. This is very dangerous as I cannot see the road and it also appears as if I am flashing my lights at other drivers. Hopefully when I take my vehicle to the dealership this week it can be resolved but judging on the complaints here if I can't duplicate the problem they can't fix it. This is a completely random event that has happened a few times now and is becoming more frequent. …
Lights flicker when driving at night . Temporary loss of sight of the road . Major safety issue . I see mulitple complaints with no fixes , and no recall. Online shows different models other than Jeep Liberty with the same issue . I am not sure why they are not taking this seriously . Someone could die get seriously injured, also you could run over someone or animal when the blindness occurs it has last several minutes before the lights come back on . Try to pull over to the side of the road with complete blindness very scary . This happens every time I drive at night . The time intervals between the flickering varies. If nothing is done which I hope is not the case it has been documented in case I have an accident die or kill someone.
While driving at 25 MPH, the driver side air bag deployed for no logical reason. The consumer lost control of the vehicle and collided with an embankment. The vehicle never ran over anything or hit anything before the mishap. The consumer suffered a sprained wrist, a concussion and trauma to his back. The consumer also reported that before the air bag deployed, that electrical currents from the steering wheel were shocking who ever drove the vehicle. This electrical shock has happened on three different occasions and the dealer has tried to find the source. The manufacturer and the dealer were aware problem. Headlights go out intermittently, dealer replaced switch.
My brake lights keep burning out , I have replaced the entire light housing on both sides and now the passenger side brake light has burned out 3 threes times again and the socket that houses the light bulb is burned again after replacing the entire unit last summer.also epecially when it is cold my car doesn't feel like it has any suspension , it makes noises when ever I go over a bump , I have complained about this ever since I bought car brand new to the dealer and they told me nothing is wrong.
Headlights switch off and on by themselves. You can hear a click and the lowbeams just go out. I live in a rural area with no street lamps. I almost hit a deer because the headlights went out. This happens all the time and is very dangerous.
As I press the unlock button on my remote the door remains locked. I needed to have the door opened to change the taillights, but the door couldn't open so I took it to the dealer since I only owned the truck for a year.they said it would cost me about $200.00 to open the door and change the bulb, . Because the door actuator was busted.I couldn't afford that because the bulb only cost me $5.99. I only wanted the door open to change the taillight myself.well I returned home only to tell my neighbor the problem, he took off the panel and un locked the door changed the bulb in 10 minutes and told me the problem is the plastic hinge not the actuator , he rigged a string so that I can unlock the door until I can find the part, but no one sells the part.it is a small latch that unlocks the door. Very simple. The best part is neighbor fixed it for now for free!!
The vehicles headlights will flash on and off while driving. It will be intermittent and last for 1-5 seconds. They then have always come back on and stayed on but we never know when it will happen or if the lights will come back on. This has happened several times and there is always a clicking sound in the dash. This is a very dangerous situation. After searching this issue on the internet it seems to be an on going problem covering several years of Jeep Liberty. I can not believe that Chrysler has not been made to fix this safety issue. What will it take to make this happen? I guess no one was killed or maybe not enough people were killed yet.
All lights, (including headlamps), intermittently turn off. This has happened 3 times already, all at night while driving 65-70 MPH on the highway. The first occurrence was around July, 2009. The last occurrence was last night, June 7, 2010. Nothing but pitch blackness when they went off. Had to try to steer car to side of road. If you turn the headlamp on/off a few times or jiggle the control it will turn on/off and then stay on. This is pretty dangerous. This is my daughter's car and I will not let her drive it anymore as a result.
For over two years, my headlights have flickered. Several instances are rapid fire, a few have been for several seconds. A relay type sound will indicate that it is clicking off and on as well. No interior lights are effected. I do not drive my Jeep at night, if at all possible. If I do, I travel as close to a tractor trailer, as I can safely get. I will not drive the car out of town anymore. I reported the issue to my dealer's service department, who claimed they have never heard of the problem.
Headlight complaints in other Liberty years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2004 Jeep Liberty?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the lights of the 2004 Jeep Liberty, 4% of the model year's 1,101 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Jeep Liberty headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2004 Jeep Liberty, though it has 7 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 2004 Jeep Liberty headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to lights 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.